Muslim preacher set to challenge UK visa ban

Monday 28 June 2010

Mumbai: Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik is getting set to legally challenge his visa ban by the UK home secretary Theresa May.

Zakir Naik's 5 year visa granted to him in July 2008 was revoked less than 12 hours before he was to fly to the UK and now Canada too has followed suit.

Zakir Naik said, “They have arbitrarily revoked it.. it's inhuman and unethical...and I will challenge it.

Official communication from the UK home department says:

"The Secretary of State has decided to exclude you from the UK for engaging in unacceptable behaviour by making statements that attempt to justify terrorists and fostering hatred. There is no right to appeal against this decision "

However, Naik's lawyer contends that the statements referred to by the home secretary have been quoted out of context and they were made prior to 2008 after which he was granted a visa.

Why then was his VISA suddenly revoked in 2010?

Majeed Memon, Naik's Lawyer said, “In 2008, he was granted visa, granting or denial of visa is a sovereign state's discretion, but revoking it without any proper reason.. that is not.”

The UK Home secretary said, "Coming to the UK is a privilege, not a right and I am not willing to allow those who might not be conducive to the public good to enter the UK."

Tourist visa times 'to be halved'

Monday 14 June 2010

Visitors to the UK would have to leave after three months instead of the current six under new visa proposals being considered by the government.

Families might also have to pay a financial deposit to ensure relatives from outside the EU whose visit they were sponsoring left the UK on time.

The government said the bond, put out to consultation, was "not for everyone, but where we think there's a risk".

But immigration groups said it would be "unfair" on poorer families.

The proposals are aimed at those who deliberately overstay or work illegally in the UK.

The government has not revealed how much families would be asked to pay to sponsor an overseas visitor, but press reports suggest it could be a £1,000 bond.

'Risky people'

In addition to shortening standard tourist visas, the government might also introduce special occasion visas for events such as the London Olympics in 2012.

The consultation was launched as the government announced that over a million fingerprints had now been collected from overseas foreign nationals applying to come to the UK, under a new scheme to "export" Britain's borders.

Immigration minister Liam Byrne said: "Tougher checks abroad mean we keep risky people out.

"By next spring we'll check everyone's fingerprints when they apply for a visa; now we're proposing a financial guarantee as well - not for everyone, but where we think there's a risk.

"Our aim is to make the system both more secure, but also to ensure that we maintain the UK's position as a destination of choice for tourists."

Cultural events

Visitors to the EU may be offered a cut price and time-limited visa to visit the UK to encourage group travel, the consultation document says.

It also asks whether sporting fixtures or cultural events, such as regional folk festivals or the Edinburgh festival fringe, should be included in the special one-off visa category.

It says that although 5,750,000 visitors entered the UK for purposes other than business in 2006, the "vast majority" stayed for less than three months.

According to the Office for National Statistics' 2005 International Passenger Survey, only 1.1% of overseas residents visiting the UK as tourists stayed for three months or more.

The visa consultation will run for 12 weeks, until 10 March 2008, on the Home Office website.

Fingerprints

The Conservatives dismissed the government's proposals as a "headline grabbing gimmick" and repeated their call for an annual limit on immigration.

Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the new measures would discriminate against poorer families.

"The government is trying to deter people to come for family visits. This is unfair."

Applications for visas have gone up by about 50% in the past five years and more than two million were issued last year.

Under a new scheme, visa applicants in more than 120 countries are now required to provide fingerprints if they want to visit the UK.

Global checks

So far checks have identified over 10,000 applicants who have previously been fingerprinted in the UK in connection with immigration cases or asylum applications, the government said.

Those refused entry include an Iraqi citizen who had earlier been refused asylum in the UK under a different identity and a Nigerian citizen who had been jailed for shoplifting under a different identity and deported from the UK.

From spring 2008 the aim is for the biometric checks to be extended to all visa applicants globally.

The government has already announced other changes to the visa system which Mr Byrne described as the "biggest shake-up of the immigration system in history".

They included a points-based system for economic migrants and the tightening of procedures for people bringing spouses into the country.

Obama’s brother Samson Obama denied UK visa

Monday 7 June 2010

Samson Obama, one of President Obama’s half-siblings, was refused entry to the UK due to false documentation. Apparently the president isn’t the only one whose documents are questionable. Samson was allowed to catch a connecting flight to the U.S. without officially entering the U.K. 

There’s some rising buzz about Barack Obama’s brother Samson’s UK incident in 2009. The story is old, but is generating renewed interest. 

According to BBC News, “A Home Office spokesman said Samson Obama was denied a visa after immigration officers noticed one of his documents was false. That led them to further inquiries.” 

News of the World reports, “But eagle-eyed immigration officials at East Midlands Airport, using the latest biometric tests, discovered he was linked to an incident here last November. The hi-tech database revealed that Samson – who manages a mobile phone shop just outside Nairobi – was the same man arrested by British police after he approached a group of young girls, including a 13 year-old, and allegedly tried to sexually assault one of them.” 

Further inquiries revealed that he was linked to a sexual assault on a British girl. He was questioned about the Berkshire attack, but not detained. 

“He then followed them into a cafe where he became aggressive and was asked to leave by the owner. That’s when police were called and Samson was arrested.” 

Source: www.panasianbiz.com/world-news/obamas-brother-samson-obama-denied-uk-visa-due-to-fake-documents/ 

Doctor shortage sees UK immigration recruitment drive in India

Thursday 3 June 2010

The NHS is being forced to try to recruit junior doctors from India to fill the shortages of doctors needed to start work in hospitals this August.

Tighter UK immigration rules introduced in recent years has meant many overseas doctors left Britain and returned home. The issue has also be compounded with the addition of new European regulations limiting the hours of doctors has caused unfilled vacancies.

The BBC has reported that attempts to recruit Indian doctors foundered on a disagreement between government departments.

"We pulled the plug on overseas recruitment far too quickly," said Professor Derek Gallen, who is postgraduate dean of medical training for Wales.

"[We didn't] realise what the implications of that action would be two, three or four years down the line," he added.

The Welsh Deanery is one of four medical training schools across the UK that plan to take more than 100 junior doctors over to the NHS in areas such as paediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, anaesthesia, and accident and emergency.

The European Working Time Directive introduced into the NHS last August limits doctors to working only 48 hours per week, and some district general hospitals have found it difficult to attract enough staff to fill gaps on rotas.

In a statement, a Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The Department and UKBA (UK Border Agency) worked together to ensure the immigration system struck a balance between providing valuable training opportunities for foreign doctors without preventing UK-trained doctors from progressing in their careers." 

UK Immigration under the new Government: a matter of hope or despair?

Wednesday 2 June 2010

With the dawn of the new political era, many migrants and UK employers may feel uncertain about the future of UK immigration. However, what is known so far is that the main legacy of the previous Government, the Points Based Scheme, and in particular the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Schemes, will be carried forward by the new Conservative - Liberal coalition with more stringent criteria likely to be introduced in the next few months. The new immigration minister, Damian Green, is yet to make a full statement, however immigration "caps" have been widely advertised for non- EU migrants as a set priority for the Conservative party. Similarly, the Liberal-Democrats' amnesty championed in its electoral manifesto, will not be pursued by a Government which may already feel the pressure of having to take unpopular decisions in the domestic arena to tackle the deepening economy deficit. Immigration, as always, will remain a hot political issue in Westminster as much as in your local pubs, although the underlining benefits brought by migrants remain undeniable true by filling vacancies which settled workers are unable to fill and often providing valuable services to an ageing UK population as well as paying taxes (migrants cannot access public funds).

For UK employers, compliance with the sponsor's guidance should remain a key priority in their HR practices to recruit and retain employees. Failure to comply might lead to civil penalties and criminal prosecutions of up to 2 years on indictment for knowingly employing illegal migrants. Thus, UK employers will continue to be registered by the UK Border Agency and will need to show their ability to carry our their obligations as sponsors such as record keeping, reporting and satisfying themselves that their employees are eligible to carry out that particular job in line with the Standard Occupation Code and Tier 2 criteria.

The requirements under the Tier 1 Scheme for highly skilled migrants who do not need a sponsor are likely to be revised again in the next few months with emphasis on the uplift ratios for overseas salaries. Migra & Co has extensive expertise in all immigration categories and if you are concern about your current or future options, please contact us to discuss your specific immigration circumstances or needs.

UK Student Visa Applicants Facing Harder Rules

Foreign nationals applying for a UK student visa will have to face stricter entry criteria starting February 10. The new rules are set up to limit the ability of foreign students to work in the UK and make it illegal for their dependents to work at all. They will make entry to theUK much harder for foreign nationals who apply for UK student visa only as a means to come to the UK to work illegally.

Before these measures were introduced, it was really easy to apply for a UK student visa. All a foreign national needed to show was a letter from an approved college or university that he is enrolled in a course of study and a proof of funds in the form of 5000 GBP that has stayed in their bank account for 30 days. The official letter is very easily obtainable as the college officials have no means to check if the person intends to study or not. The 5000 GBP can easily be borrowed and repaid while working illegally in the UK. For these reasons many people have abused the system through the years. Student visa used to be the easiest way to gain entry to the UK.

The new rules will make sure that, first of all, all foreign nationals who want to apply for a UK student visa have a good standard of English. They will also limit the time a student visa holder studying below first degree or a foundation degree course is able to work legally to 10 per week during the term. Also, student visa holders will not be allowed to bring their dependants to the UK if they are studying a course shorter than 6 months. Moreover, dependants of UK student visa holders studying on a lower than undergraduate level are not allowed to work at all.

These measures will allow genuine foreign students to still benefit from the world known for its high quality educational system in the UKand will stop illegal immigrants to enter the country as bogus students. Once a foreign student has completed his course of study and obtained a degree, he can stay in the UK legally by switching visa categories and apply for highly skilled worker visa or skilled worker visa in case they have an employer who wants to sponsor them. If they have found a partner in the UK, they can also apply for a marriage visa, common law marriage visa or same sex partner visa.

Why Pakistani students prefer U.K. to U.S.

By Sohel Uddin, NBC News producer 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A recent Washington Post article asserted that there has been a decline in Pakistan applications for student visas in the U.S. as a result of a series of terrorism incidents linked to Pakistanis, including the recent Times Square terrorist attempt.

According to the article, accounts of mistreatment and humiliation as a result of rigorous checks have created a sense of dread for many Pakistanis considering travel to the States, so they are choosing other destinations.

But students from Pakistan have long had a preference for pursuing higher education in the U.K. over the U.S. In part this is because colonial ties have made the Pakistani and British education systems much more in aligned with one another, meaning that entry requirements are easier to attain and the resulting degrees fit in better with Pakistani standards and laws.

Easier to go elsewhere

On a recent day in Islamabad, long lines of people waited to have their applications seen by immigration consultants.

“I am going to the U.K. so I can complete my masters in law. With a British qualification there are better prospects of a job when I come back here,” said Ansar Mehmood, who had just been admitted to University of Central Lancashire, in the north of England.

Standing in line outside the U.K. visa application center, Mehmood said students find it easier to apply for higher education degrees in Britain because the application process is more streamlined and the rules are more in tune with Pakistani standards.

Khalil ur Rehman, who has run a visa consultancy business in Lahore for over 15 years, said he’s seen a similar trend. “Pakistanis apply for mainly U.K. and also Australia [another former British colony], as the education systems are similar,” said Rehman.

However, the statistics division of Pakistan’s government said that while applications for U.S. student visas have traditionally been fewer than for the U.K., Australia and Canada, they have decreased further since the 9/11 attacks.

And Mehmood’s said that his lack of interest in applying to schools in America was deeper than simply which programs have easier admissions policies. “They treat Pakistani people [and] Pakistani students like animals in America,” he asserted. “That is why people don’t like to go over there.”

In particular, Mehmood said his experiences with American border control officers during previous visits discouraged him from even considering the U.S. for school. Other students and applicants we spoke to expressed similar sentiments.

But travel agents and visa consultants in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore said that while the trend to avoid the U.S. accelerated after the 9/11 attacks, it was mostly a matter of unaligned educational systems.

“It is just easier to apply to places like the U.K. and Canada, it always has been,” said a visa consultant at the Aamir Ismail agency in Karachi said. “I don’t think it is that much related to Pakistani treatment.”