Bhawna Sorthia helped more than 160 clients illegally gain visas with help from wife Bhawna who was also imprisoned.

He first came to Britain as a student in 2000, but then illegally gained a work permit in 2004 after claiming he was employed by a sham company, the Daily Mail reports.

His 31-year-old wife, who said she worked as a cleaner at his office, was given a 15 month jail term for her ’subordinate role’ in the scam.

The pair, who are both Indian nationals and have three young children, will face deportation once their sentences have been served.

As an accredited adviser with the Offices of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), which is linked to the Home Office, Mr Sorthia was able to assist individuals with claims for asylum, as well as immigration, residence and citizenship applications.

In its advertising, Migration Gurus touted itself as ‘a leading Immigration and Overseas Education consultancy’ which had ‘assisted hundreds of individuals’ enter or remain in Britain.

During an-18 month period between 2008 and 2010, the couple helped more than 160 clients illegally gain a visa by providing them with false documents alleging they were highly-skilled migrants.

It is estimated they charged between £3,000 to £5,000 each time.

But in reality, the individuals were already in Britain as foreign students, or migrant workers employed as low-skilled labour at supermarkets, betting shops or petrol stations, who would not have qualified for a new visa under the current immigration criteria.

In a bid to bypass Home Office rules, the couple were using up to 70 sham companies to provide clients with payslips and wage payments which gave the appearance they were earning much larger sums, making them eligible to remain.

Sentencing the couple at Isleworth Crown Court, Judge Andrew McDowall said Mr Sorthia’s actions risked ‘undermining’ Britain’s immigration controls and ‘eroding public confidence’ that migrants had arrived lawfully.

He warned: ‘During difficult economic times, it becomes easier for those who are motivated by racial motives to start casting aspersions against those that are properly and legitimately in the country by trying to paint everyone of that ethnic group as tainted in some way, over the wrongdoings done by a limited number.’

The court heard that following their arrest in May 2010 by investigators from the UK Border Agency, the couple sold their home in Stanmore, North West London, and transferred £466,000 out of the country, before fleeing to India on fraudulent passports.

They returned to Britain in the July 2011, but only after taking a £21,000 holiday across the United States, stopping off in New York, the Grand Canyon, Atlanta, Louisiana and San Francisco.

In total, the jury were told Mr Sorthia helped 166 people gain visas illegally over an 18-month period.

But the real number of migrants who gained a visa unlawfully is likely to have run into the hundreds, with investigators dealing with the case estimating the criminal proceeds from the scam could have netted the pair up to £1.2million.

Fifteen clients who benefitted from the scam have already been convicted and sentenced to between eight and 10 months in prison. Of these, 14 have already been deported.

Senior UKBA investigating officer Robert Coxhead said: ‘Vijay and Bhawna Sorthia knowingly flouted the UK’s immigration laws.

‘They ran a sophisticated scam designed to help people who would otherwise have no right to be here stay in the UK.

‘The amount of cash found at their home illustrates how lucrative this was, and we will now begin the process of stripping them of those assets using the Proceeds of Crime Act.

‘The couple will also face deportation after they have served their sentences.’

The pair were both found guilty of fraud charges and removing criminal property, while Mr Sorthia was also guilty of obtaining leave to remain by deception.

A confiscation hearing to recover any money the couple made from the scam will take place later this year. Source: Daily Mail.

Regulated OISC immigration advisers are normally legitimate and follow the law. Migrants tempted by the short-cut promises of sham advisers should remember that when they go down they will take you with them.

Student at Cambridge University who sat English exams for illegal immigrants in people-smuggling scam jailed

Visa and Immigration Appeals on the increase

Immigration Judge says settled migrants can only be removed for ‘very serious reasons’

Students applying for UK visas from Pakistan face new English language test

50,000 students abused visa system says report

Canada’s Federal Skilled Workers Program to be streamlined to help businesses recruit much needed skilled tradespersons

UKBA confirm changes to the Immigration Rules which start on 6 April 2012

How Romanians and Bulgarians working illegally without Yellow Card or papers can legalise their status in the UK

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Overseas students and workers can qualify for a tax refund 

You could qualify for a tax refund if you are an overseas student, work permit holder, Tier 1, Yellow or Blue Card holder - in fact any visa type – even if you are no longer legal or even in the UK!

The government last week revealed its Economic Action Plan 2012, which highlights its commitment to support entrepreneurs, world-class research and innovators.

Citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism minister Jason Kenney said: “Our government’s top priority remains jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Canada cannot afford to lose out in the competition for foreign entrepreneurs among immigrant-receiving countries.”

He added: “We need to proactively target a new type of immigrant entrepreneur who has the potential to build innovative companies that can compete on a global scale and create jobs for Canadians.”

The government also announced plans to build a fast and flexible economic immigration system focusing on meeting the new and emerging needs of the Canadian economy.

This will include changes to Business Immigration Programmes, which will target more active investment in Canadian growth companies and more innovative entrepreneurs.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) wants to consult with industry groups about setting up a start-up visa programme for innovative entrepreneurs in the coming months.

The scheme involves linking foreign entrepreneurs with private sector companies that have experience in working with start-ups.

Tim Simpson, a British expat running his own consultancy firm in Canada, said: “The Canadian economy has recovered well from the global financial crisis and has broadly replaced all the jobs lost during that time. But things have slowed down a bit since then, as Canada mirrors the fortunes of the US, which has seen its recovery ease up as well.

“Every country should actively be encouraging the best and brightest minds to its shores and Canada is competing with many other countries keen to attract entrepreneurs. The big plus point for Canada is that it is a great place to live.”

The retail sector is the single largest employer in Canada, accounting for almost two million workers. Health care, nursing, social assistance and manufacturing are the next biggest employers.

However, there has been a big shift towards natural resources. Mining, quarrying and the oil and gas sectors have seen a big rise in headcounts in recent years. At the other end of the scale, jobs in real estate and education have been shrinking.

In March, Canada added more than 82,000 jobs with the gains coming from its two largest provinces, Ontario and Quebec. Source: The Telegraph.

See also:

Nurse Jobs Canada

Chinese immigrants feel they can’t make money in Canada

world’s 24 leading economies said they would emigrate to Canada. See full story.

MIGRATE TO CANADA

My Immigration Consultant is designed to guide you *step By Step* towards successfully migrating To Canada.

Click Here!

For young and well-educated Chinese like Emily Gao, the lure of immigrating to Canada is obvious: Clean air, public health care and a strong education system are all draws compared with living in a country that lacks them. Add the large Chinese communities that already exist in places such as Vancouver and Toronto, plus relatively cheap real estate (compared with prices in some Chinese cities), and you have something close to a dream destination.

What’s not so clear is that skilled young workers like her would be better off economically if they make the leap.

“In Canada, you have a good standard of living, but you can’t make big money,” says the 29-year-old Ms. Gao, who has a finance degree from the University of Toronto and owns a home in Richmond Hill, Ont., but is back in Shanghai, where she and her new husband have both found well-paid jobs.

Ms. Gao’s decision to move back home highlights the new realities Canada faces in attracting skilled immigrants. Ironically, she now works to match Chinese buyers with property in Canada, and staffed a booth at this month’s Shanghai World Real Estate Expo where Vancouver-based realtor Westbank Corp. offered everything from condominiums in Vancouver to luxury apartments in Toronto and farmland in Quebec.

Like her, many of the prospective buyers said they admire the social system in Canada but are not sure that they would be better off there.

Another common complaint is that Canada’s shifting immigration policies now favour those with money to invest over the skilled workers they used to emphasize (although changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program proposed by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney seek to address that).

Once seen as a great place to live and work, Canada is increasingly considered by many Chinese more as a great place to retire.

“My son studied and then worked in Canada, but he’s back in Shanghai because the opportunities are better here now,” said a retired civil servant touring the real-estate show who would only give his family name, Zhou.

Nonetheless, Mr. Zhou was looking at properties in Canada because his son, an investment banker who graduated from the University of British Columbia, has permanent-resident status and would consider returning to B.C. if the whole family could make the move. However, “they want only investors,” he said of Immigration Canada. “You have to have money.”

Wang Huiyao, vice-chair of the Western Returned Scholars Association, an umbrella agency for foreign-educated Chinese academics, says that, rather than trying to attract and keep immigrants, Canada should focus on making it easier for top talent to go back and forth from their birth country.

Talented people should be treated like other resources, and the path cleared for them to move freely, in the same way governments already facilitate the flow of goods and capital, says Dr. Wang, a former graduate student at the University of Windsor and the University of Western Ontario.

“A lot of people live in Canada for a few months, and then China for a few months. … Our policies don’t really address this new phenomenon,” he says, referring to immigration rules in both Canada and China.

“Right now, there’s competition for talent, a talent war, going on. That’s not healthy. Instead, there should be better planning. Both sides should be facilitating the movement of talent – if Canada lacks nurses and China has [extra] nurses, then China should facilitate nurses going to Canada.”

The sales pitch to top talent should focus on the same natural advantages that had Chinese looking to buy property in Toronto and Vancouver, Dr. Wang says. “Canada’s competitive advantage is not wheat or IT or Northern Telecom any more. The new power of Canada is soft power – the ability to attract people with its education system and health care.” Source Globe and Mail.

Survey results suggest Canada can thrive in the looming global talent wars, as 53 per cent of adults in the world’s 24 leading economies said they would emigrate to Canada. See full story.

MIGRATE TO CANADA

See also:

Nurse Jobs Canada

My Immigration Consultant is designed to guide you *step By Step* towards successfully migrating To Canada.

Click Here!

Britain’s world-class universities explain why the UK is the most popular destination for international students after the US.

Over 400,000 foreign students who gain Tier 4 visas for British colleges and universities each year make up the major component of the UK’s £15bn-a-year education exports, and are also a source of lasting value. Students take friendships and loyalties home with them that later become trade links, cultural bonds and diplomatic ties.

Britain’s universities are a globally competitive export sector and well-placed to make a greater contribution to growth. With economic growth at a premium, the UK should be wary of artificially hobbling it. Despite an increase in the total number of foreign students, our overall market share in international student education fell by nearly 1 percentage point between 2000 and 2009. It is important to understand why Britain is slipping and what can be done about it.

UK immigration statistics makes no distinction between temporary and permanent migration. All migrants who stay for more than a year show up in the long-term migration statistics, regardless of whether they leave a few years later. That means students who study in the UK for more than a year are caught by the government’s net migration target, despite the fact that they have little long-term impact. Cutting international student numbers leads to rapid short-term reductions in net migration: smaller cohorts arrive while larger cohorts from previous years leave.

While immigration is a major public concern, surveys show that it is not highly motivated foreign students toiling away in libraries that cause the British people anxiety. They do not feel culturally or economically threatened by overseas students, not least as they are much less likely to stay on than migrants who enter through the other main categories. The evidence suggests that only 15 per cent of students stay permanently, compared with about a third of those entering on work permits or through the family route.

Now that the government has clamped down on the problem of bogus colleges – an avenue for illegal immigration – there is scope to take legitimate students out of the annual migration targets so that we count only those who stay on permanently to work or get married after they have finished their studies. Indeed, that is what our main competitors in the global student market already do. Australia, Canada and the US sensibly treat international students as temporary or ‘non-immigrant’ admissions in their statistics.

They also take a smarter approach to post-study work. Students value this highly (partly because it enables them to start paying off student loans), and will invest their human capital elsewhere if it is not available. Competitors have understood that students tend to choose a country before choosing a specific university. Australia is especially keen to win market share. Last year it announced sweeping liberalisation of student visa rules.

It is crucial for the UK to build a national brand as a safe and exciting place to study, offering a rich life experience and enhanced career prospects. Tapping top-flight student talent globally will not just mean the UK gains in terms of innovation, research and a broader science and skills base. Greater exchange of students now will mean stronger relationships later.

The UK cannot afford to lose touch with the next generation of opinion-formers, restrict understanding of the British worldview or allow the UK to recede as a cultural reference point.

Changing the way students are classified will have little effect on the government’s ability to control medium to long-term net migration. The success in tackling bogus colleges and fraudulent student visa applications has created the political space in which a change to the classification is now conceivable. The government faces real choices over policy on international students. The difference they make to long-term net migration is relatively small. The difference these choices make to the education sector, to Britain’s soft power around the world and to the UK economy is very significant. Source: Financial Times. The writers, Nick Pearce and Jo Johnson, are the director of the Institute for Public Policy Research and the MP for Orpington. 

With a combination of high local fees and new visa rules deterring overseas students, many are predicting that some UK Universities may be forced to close.

A number of changes to the Immigration Rules have been implemented in the last two years, including those come into effect on 6 April, such as the abolition of the Post Study Work Visa (PSW).

Overseas students now face a tougher route from Tier 4 visa to working visa and eventually indefinite leave to remain and UK Naturalisation or British Citizenship.

Anecdotal evidence from immigration advisers suggest an upsurge in immigration and visa appeal cases, as more refusals are dished out for cases which they say would have been granted in the past.

Despite the abolition of student visa appeal rights, following the introduction of Tier 4 of the points based system in 2009, the waiting rooms at Taylor House and Hatton Cross First Tier Tribunal hearing centres look as packed as ever.

Cynthia Barker, of OISC registered immigration appeal specialist advisers Bison Management said they are ‘busier than ever’ with appeal cases:

‘We have seen more and more clients, especially in the last six months who wish to appeal against refusals by the UK Border Agency or British Embassy visa sections.

Slow processing and tough decisions are also deterring EU students, from Bulgaria and Romania, who are willing to pay for courses in order to obtain a Yellow Card to study and work in the UK.

Worker Registration and Yellow Card applications for Bulgarians and Romanians are taking up to six months to process, the UK Border Agency warns.

A year ago it took 3 to 4 weeks to obtain a yellow card to study and work in the UK.

BR1 Yellow Card postal applications for Bulgarians and Romanians will take up to six months to be ‘considered’, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) advises on its website.

Cynthia Barker of Bison UK Immigration Advisers said last week that some Bulgarians and Romanians are forced to go to appeal at the First-tier Tribunal to obtain their yellow card and exercise their European treaty rights.

Under EU expansion treaty the A2 members will be gain full freedom of movement, and be able to work without restriction in the UK, by 2014.

So why stop them coming now, when they are willing to pay thousands of pounds for a course – providing jobs for British workers – pay for private medical and sickness insurance, work legally and pay tax (instead of washing cars or cleaning houses for cash) as well as doing the jobs British workers don’t even want to do?

Hello00000!!!

See also:

Tier 4 student visa laws ‘harm universities’ says former Education Minister

UKBA confirm changes to the Immigration Rules which start on 6 April 2012

Visa and Immigration Appeals on the increase

English University joins US admissions system to boost overseas student recruitment

Students applying for UK visas from Pakistan face new English language test

50,000 students abused visa system says report

UKBA confirm changes to the Immigration Rules which start on 6 April 2012

How Romanians and Bulgarians working illegally without Yellow Card or papers can legalise their status in the UK

Yellow or Blue Card Refused – Appeal or Reapply?

EU Commissioner calls for end to UK work restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians

7 tips for completing a Yellow Card BR1 application to work and study in the UK

Employment restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians extended until end of 2013 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Overseas students and workers can qualify for a tax refund 

You could qualify for a tax refund if you are an overseas student, work permit holder, Tier 1, Yellow or Blue Card holder - in fact any visa type – even if you are no longer legal or even in the UK! 

Looking for a Tier 4 college or University or need advice?

UKUS is a free University and College Admissions and advice service based in London, UK. Students interested in studying abroad can complete the Online UKUS Registration Form for more details.

An independent Borders and Immigration inspection report has raised concerns about the effectiveness of detection of travellers operations at Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal the BBC reports this week.

Visa and Immigration Appeals on the increase

‘Last month an immigration Judge at Taylor House overturned a student yellow card refusal for a Bulgarian applicant who had been working in the UK since 2009 a self employed yellow card.’
‘Any work placement is simply a part of that study’, says Immigration Judge.

London Mayor Boris Johnson on Immigration and Football

‘Football teaches us about creating a thriving jobs market, but you can’t make people perform better simply by excluding the foreign competition’, says the newly re-elected Mayor.

UK border staff stage 24-hour strike at London Heathrow Airport

London’s flagship Heathrow Airport will see further delays for UK travellers at immigration points this evening as two trade unions, whose members are responsible for border checks, go on strike.

Student at Cambridge University who sat English exams for illegal immigrants in people-smuggling scam jailed

A young Cambridge University student has been convicted and jailed for sitting English exams on behalf of illegal immigrants as part of a sophisticated people-smuggling scam.

English University joins US admissions system to boost overseas student recruitment

As £9000 annual fees discourage English students, Keele University has become the first English university to join the Common Application system for university admissions in the United States, the BBC reports. With a combination of high local fees and new visa rules deterring overseas students, some UK Universities may be forced to close.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:  

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk 

Majestic College offer special packages for EU students. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians. 

For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 or email info@majesticcollege.org

Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration found 71% of passenger searches, including strip searches, were unjustified.

Some of the travellers searched were arrested despite searches not revealing any illicit goods.

White passengers were also routinely stopped and searched to ensure the right racial “mix”, it said.

The report found customs staff selected white passengers to balance the numbers against other ethnic minorities they suspected to help avoid race discrimination complaints, particularly on flights arriving from the Caribbean.

John Vine, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, also found that one in seven people allowed into the UK on temporary visas either did not comply with the conditions imposed or absconded.

However, he said at the time of inspection a number of things were working well, such as “soundly based decisions to refuse entry to the UK, 100% passport swiping against the Home Office Warnings Index and good joint working with stakeholders”.

But he said searches in a high percentage of the cases sampled were found to be “neither justified nor proportionate”.

“I was also very concerned to learn of discriminatory practice in the conduct of detection activity,” Mr Vine said.

“The extent of any discriminatory practices should be investigated and action taken to ensure officers understand and comply with the agency’s duties under the Equality Act 2010.

“Finally, the agency should find out why one in seven people temporarily admitted to the UK from Gatwick North did not comply with the conditions imposed or absconded altogether.”

The immigration minister, Damian Green, admitted there had been problems but said the government was working hard to ensure things improved. Source: BBC.

This week London’s flagship Heathrow Airport saw further delays at immigration points when two trade unions, whose members are responsible for border checks, staged a 24 hour strike. 

Thousands of members the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will leave their posts at midnight – or not turn up for work. Union leaders are blaming the delays experienced at UK airports on government cuts and staff reductions throughout the UK Border Agency. 

Staff shortages – a result of the merger of customs and immigration services two years ago, as well as public-sector job cuts – have been blamed as a key cause of the long wait-times.

Processing delays are also being experienced by migrant groups applying for visa extensions, Indefinite Leave to Remain and  UK Naturalisation or British Citizenship.

Yellow Card applications for Bulgarians and Romanians are taking up to six months on postal applications. A year ago it took 3 to 4 weeks to obtain a yellow card to study and work in the UK.

Immigration Advisers are also seeing an upsurge in immigration and visa appeal cases as more refusals are dished out for cases which, they say, in the past would not have been refused.

Cynthia Barker, of OISC registered advisers Bison Management said they are ‘busier than ever’ with appeal cases:

‘We have seen more and more clients in the last six months who wish to appeal against refusals by the UK Border Agency or British Embassy visa sections.

‘Bison has recently won a number of appeals including cases on human rights grounds.

‘But the work doesn’t stop once the appeal has been granted. Getting the UKBA or British Embassy to issue the visa is proving more difficult than ever!’

Cynthia added that even Bulgarians and Romanians are forced to go to appeal at the First Tier Tribunal to obtain their yellow card and exercise their treaty rights.

Have you been searched at a UK Airport?

Is your immigration application taking longer than expected?

Have you beed refused unfairly?

Please add your comments below.

See also:

Yellow or Blue Card Refused – Appeal or Reapply?

UK border staff stage 24-hour strike at London Heathrow Airport

UK Border Force staff cut but more officers deployed at Heathrow

UK faces fine from EU over immigration and free movement restrictions on Eastern Europeans

Romanian EU migrants head for London jobs ahead of Olympics

London Olympic motto unveiled as 100-day countdown begins

How Romanians and Bulgarians working illegally without Yellow Card or papers can legalise their status in the UK

EU Commissioner calls for end to UK work restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians

Is Heathrow Border Force ready for Olympics?

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:  

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk 

Majestic College offer special packages for EU students. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians. 

For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 or email info@majesticcollege.org

Processing delays, as well as refusals, are increasingly being experienced by migrants applying for visa extensions, indefinite leave to remain and UK Naturalisation or British Citizenship.

Even EU citizens are not exempt from long waits to exercise treaty rights.

Yellow Card applications for Bulgarians and Romanians are taking up to six months on postal applications and getting an appointment to hand in the documents at the Croydon public office is like trying to get a ticket for the London Olympics.

A year ago it took 3 to 4 weeks to obtain a yellow card to study and work in the UK.

Busier than ever with appeals

Anecdotal evidence from immigration advisers suggest an upsurge in immigration and visa appeal cases, as more refusals are dished out for cases which they say would have been granted in the past.

Despite the abolition of student visa appeal rights, following the introduction of Tier 4 of the points based system in 2009, the waiting rooms at Taylor House and Hatton Cross First Tier Tribunal hearing centres look as packed as ever.

Cynthia Barker, of OISC registered immigration appeal specialist advisers Bison Management said they are ‘busier than ever’ with appeal cases:

‘We have seen more and more clients, especially in the last six months who wish to appeal against refusals by the UK Border Agency or British Embassy visa sections.

‘Bison has won a huge number of appeals including cases on human rights grounds for an overstayer.

‘But the work doesn’t stop once the appeal has been granted. Getting the UKBA or British Embassy to issue the visa is proving more difficult than ever!’

Bulgarian wins student yellow card appeal

Cynthia added that even EU citizens such as Bulgarians and Romanians are forced to go to appeal at the First-tier Tribunal to obtain their yellow card and exercise their European treaty rights.

‘Last month an immigration Judge at Taylor House overturned a student yellow card refusal for a Bulgarian applicant who had been working in the UK since 2009 a self employed yellow card.’

The UK Border Agency refused her client’s student yellow card application because ‘as she had started working, her intention was to work rather than study’.

The self employed Bulgarian wanted to switch to a student card and had enrolled on an NVQ course at Majestic College.

Her application for a student registration card was rejected by the UK Border Agency Bulgarian and Romanian unit in Sheffield.

Rather than reapply and wait several months for another refusal, her immigration advisers, Bison UK, lodged a full appeal at the First-tier Tribunal and a hearing date was granted in 5 weeks.

‘Any work placement is simply a part of that study.’ Immigration Judge Saunders

The hearing at London’s Taylor House lasted less than 45 minutes and the Immigration Judge ‘allowed’ or granted the appeal.

In her determination (written decision) Immigration Judge Saunders said:

‘The evidence before me established that the Appellant (claimant) has been working lawfully as a self-employed EEA national since 2009, and was issued with a Registration Certificate to this effect on 26.1.10. A copy of this is before me. The correspondence indicates that she enrolled to study her current vocational course prior to commencing her vocational work placement. I do not find her intention was to work rather than study. She is already able to work in her current capacity, and remains able to do so.

‘I find therefore that the Appellant has at all material times intended to study, and that any work placement is simply a part of that study.’

The UK Border Agency states that a Bulgarian or Romanian student yellow applicant cannot work before the card is approved, but the Judge appears to disagree.

Referring to European Economic Area (EEA) Regulations, Judge Saunders added:

‘The Appellant has discharged the burden upon her to establish she is a qualified person, namely a student, within the meaning of regulation 6. I therefore allow the appeal under the 2006 Regulations.’

Unusually, the Judge even awarded costs to the student, ordering the UK Border Agency to refund the appeal fee, since their refusal decision was ‘not in accordance with the law’.

See also:

Yellow or Blue Card Refused – Appeal or Reapply?

UK border staff stage 24-hour strike at London Heathrow Airport

UK faces fine from EU over immigration and free movement restrictions on Eastern Europeans

Immigration Rules for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals

7 tips for completing a Yellow Card BR1 application to work and study in the UK

Romanian EU migrants head for London jobs ahead of Olympics

How Romanians and Bulgarians working illegally without Yellow Card or papers can legalise their status in the UK

EU Commissioner calls for end to UK work restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:  

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk 

Majestic College offer special packages for EU students. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians. 

For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 or email info@majesticcollege.org

I once went on a mission to charm Sepp Blatter, the Swiss lawyer who controls global football. I was ushered into his lair and found the ancient autocrat on a sofa, surrounded by statuesque blondes of possibly Ukrainian extraction. Stumped for something to say, I went for the old chestnut.

“Mr President,” I said, in tones of calculated self-deprecation, “how come England hasn’t won the Fifa World Cup since I was two? France, Germany, Italy, Spain — all our European rivals, but not England. What’s wrong with us?” Blatter figuratively stroked the white cat on his lap, and replied that it was very simple. The trouble with England was the Premiership, he said. You import all these players from around the world. It means that the local talent never gets the same attention, or the same investment. That’s the problem with English football, he said, and then I found that my time was up and that the blonde Ukrainian six-footers were heading me to the door.

I was much struck by his analysis, and relayed it immediately to one of my colleagues, an ardent Lefty and lifelong Arsenal fan. I wondered whether there could be a smidgen of truth in what Blatter suggested. Perhaps all these intergalactic imports — Brazilians, Nigerians, Russians, Croats, you name it — were depressing the growth of our autochthonous talent. Perhaps we should have some rule — as Blatter suggested — to exclude these superstars, or to limit their numbers, in order to protect and bring on the native English players.

My colleague sighed with the impatience of one who has heard it all before. Don’t be fooled, he said. The English Premiership is the jewel in the crown of global football. English teams are supported and followed by the entire planet. The Premiership is where the money and the sponsorship go, and of course Fifa is and always has been jealous of the commercial dominance of English football. That is why Sepp Blatter would like to see foreign players excluded from the English game — it’s a cynical ploy from a rival business interest. As for the suggestion that English players are being somehow suppressed or forgotten, nothing could be further from the truth.

All the big clubs have massive and well-funded scouting operations. They have all kinds of junior teams and missions to discover the potential of inner city kids. No, said my Left-wing colleague, he didn’t for one second believe that young English players would do any better if their foreign rivals were kept out of the market. Quite the reverse, he said. If anything, the foreigners helped to ginger them up and provide a high standard to emulate.

Oh, ah, I said, and accepted the wisdom of his judgment. I have been thinking about this argument over the past few weeks and months, because our number one priority as a society is to boost growth — and get people into work. Some readers may have been following the London elections, and will have gathered that we have fantastic plans to invest in transport, housing and regeneration schemes — projects that will cumulatively help create 200,000 jobs. We are building a platform now for a more successful and prosperous city in 10 and 20 years’ time: high-quality family homes, a better Tube network, new river crossings, orbital rail; and we are addressing the immediate economic problems by getting Londoners into work.

The trouble is — as many people have pointed out to me at street corners — that London’s formidable job-creating powers do not always seem to involve the creation of jobs for native Londoners. Go into any coffee shop and talk to the staff, listen to the voices on the building sites — and you will see how the city is working as a magnet for talent and energy from outside the UK, many from the countries that have recently acceded to the EU.

There are plenty of people who take a Sepp Blatter-ish line about this phenomenon. There are some who say the immigrants are simply too talented and energetic. I was discussing the problem with a group of journalists not long ago, when a Guardian man — a kindly and distinguished fellow — started heckling me. It wasn’t fair, he suggested, that indigenous Londoners should be asked to go toe to toe “with Polish graduates”. I see his point. I see the unfairness.

But we are forced to ask what is the alternative, and what is the best way forward for the young Londoners who are not finding the work that they need. I suppose we could try to protect them by constructing Blatteresque barriers and quotas — though we would almost certainly find that such moves were against EU law. But surely the best approach now is to look at every stage in the chain of causation that results in a young Londoner losing out, in the jobs market, to a contestant from abroad. We need to hear an honest and unflinching account from the employers: just why is it that so many individual recruitment decisions seem to go against young Londoners?

Why do immigrant workers seem to look at a job in McDonald’s or Starbucks as a stepping stone, while some who were born here apparently regard it as a dead end? Is the problem just to do with pay and conditions? Is it really true that immigrants will work harder for less? Is there really a difference in the “work ethic”, or is that an urban myth? One of my first priorities as re-elected mayor is to analyse and expose the roots of this problem.

I have already launched an inquiry into education in London, and we will now extend this to include all the failures of the labour market — all the reasons Londoners are not getting the jobs they need. We will simultaneously expand our apprenticeship programme by a colossal 250,000 — to give young people that vital experience of competing in a workplace. So far, 84 per cent have gone on to full-time jobs. But should we go for the Blatter solution, and haul up the drawbridge?

Against illegals, yes. Against talent, no. In football as in the economy at large, you don’t make people more competitive by excluding the competition. Source: The Telegraph.

The controversial Mayor has sometimes been at odds with his own Conservative party on immigration policy. Whilst the main Tory line is to reduce immigration, Boris favours an amnesty for illegal immigrants in London. Critics argue taht an amnesty would encourage more illegal immigration and allow millions to gain indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or UK naturalisation.

He said granting legal status to hundreds of thousands of non-tax paying migrants would add billions to the UK economy.

See also:

Boris Johnson re-elected as London Mayor

UK faces fine from EU over immigration and free movement restrictions on Eastern Europeans

Romanian EU migrants head for London jobs ahead of Olympics

London Olympic motto unveiled as 100-day countdown begins

How Romanians and Bulgarians working illegally without Yellow Card or papers can legalise their status in the UK

EU Commissioner calls for end to UK work restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians

7 tips for completing a Yellow Card BR1 application to work and study in the UK

Employment restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians extended until end of 2013 

Is Heathrow Border Force ready for Olympics?

Yellow or Blue Card Refused – Appeal or Reapply?

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:  

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk 

Majestic College offer special packages for EU students. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians. 

For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 or email info@majesticcollege.org

Thousands of members the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will leave their posts at midnight – or not turn up for work.

The strike could even begin before the official midnight start-time, with workers whose shifts commence at 7pm opting to ignore the first five hours of their ‘day’.

They will be joined by members of the Immigration Services Union (ISU), whose membership includes some 4,500 border guards.

The two unions are making their stance in protest about planned government pension reforms. The PCS represents around 250,000 public sector workers, of whom some 13,000 work for the Border Agency at ports and airports across the UK.

This industrial action will come as an extra blow to long-suffering passengers arriving at Britain’s largest airport. Recent weeks have seen travellers forced to wait up to three hours to enter the country, with long queues building up at passport checkpoints.

Staff shortages – a result of the merger of customs and immigration services two years ago, as well as public-sector job cuts – have been blamed as a key cause of the long wait-times.

Richard Simcox, a spokesman for the PCS, expects the effects of tonight’s strike to run beyond the official 24-hour window, but also concedes that the walk-out may be countered by emergency staff being brought in to man vacated positions.

‘There will be some knock-on effect into Friday morning,’ he states.

‘We expect that the UK border agency will throw all its resources [at the strike], bringing in extra staff and drafting in volunteers.

‘But they won’t be trained to do the job, and in many cases they won’t have the right level of security clearance, so they won’t be able to access the systems the Border Agency uses.

‘They will only be able to sit on desks and wave passengers through.

‘They won’t be checking passports at the gates, and if that were to go on for any length of time there would be a major incident.’

The government has hit back at the strike, and says it has plans in place to off-set any delays caused by staff absences.

‘We are preparing to use our trained pool of backroom staff and Ministry of Defence police to boost staffing levels at ports and airports around the UK,’ says Immigration Minister Damian Green.

The strike comes as part of a wider ongoing dispute between the PCS and the government over manpower shortages and attempts to put extra staff in position.

The government plans to recruit 480 further staff, who would be on hand to assist at border posts during especially busy periods – but the PCS is refusing to co-operate.

The union views these potential extra workers as likely strike-breakers, and has condemned the idea as a ‘sticking plaster.’

It believes that cuts as part of the government’s austerity programme have gone too far – with a further 1000 front-line jobs set to vanish by 2014.

Today’s walk-out over pensions will be only the second time in its history that the Immigration Service Union has gone on strike – an indication that feelings are running high. Source: Daily Mail.

See also:

UK Border Force staff cut but more officers deployed at Heathrow

UK faces fine from EU over immigration and free movement restrictions on Eastern Europeans

Romanian EU migrants head for London jobs ahead of Olympics

London Olympic motto unveiled as 100-day countdown begins

How Romanians and Bulgarians working illegally without Yellow Card or papers can legalise their status in the UK

EU Commissioner calls for end to UK work restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians

Is Heathrow Border Force ready for Olympics?

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:  

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk 

Majestic College offer special packages for EU students. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians. 

For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 or email info@majesticcollege.org

A young Cambridge University student has been convicted and jailed for sitting English exams on behalf of illegal immigrants as part of a sophisticated people-smuggling scam.

Junhua Yu, 24, who was studying for an MA in architecture at Darwin College, posed as a series of different Chinese nationals using fake passports.

After Yu passed the exams on their behalf, the bogus students would be granted student visas allowing them to remain in the UK.

Police, acting on a tip-off, arrested Yu after he sat an English language examination at the City of Norwich School using a fake passport.

Officers later discovered a shoebox containing six counterfeit Chinese passports hidden in Yu’s wardrobe.

He was jailed for one year after admitting possessing an identification document with improper intention and conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law.

Charles Myatt, prosecuting, told Cambridge Crown Court: ‘Police were called to the City of Norwich School after suspicions were raised about an examinee sitting an English examination for Chinese nationals.

‘After the exam had finished, police approached Yu and asked him if he had just sat the exam on behalf of someone else. He replied ‘yes’.’

Defending, Michael Duffy, claimed Yu was not the main organiser of the scam.

He told the court: ‘He was sent a link on the internet offering him cash to sit these exams.

‘He was short of money and rather foolishly succumbed to temptation. It’s fair to say his entire studies have pretty much been wasted now.’ Source: Daily Mail.

See also:

English University joins US admissions system to boost overseas student recruitment

Students applying for UK visas from Pakistan face new English language test

50,000 students abused visa system says report

UKBA confirm changes to the Immigration Rules which start on 6 April 2012

How Romanians and Bulgarians working illegally without Yellow Card or papers can legalise their status in the UK

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Overseas students and workers can qualify for a tax refund 

You could qualify for a tax refund if you are an overseas student, work permit holder, Tier 1, Yellow or Blue Card holder - in fact any visa type – even if you are no longer legal or even in the UK!

Majestic College offer special packages for EU students. They also have a number of employers looking for staff right now and are willing to employ Bulgarians and Romanians.

For more information call Joanna on 0208 207 1020 or email info@majesticcollege.org