The Migration, Overseas Opportunities, Visas & Employment Expo, or MOVE for short, is a trade fair featuring more than 80 companies all involved in offering services or products to Filipinos going abroad. The first MOVE Expo held in July 2009, attracted about 8,000 (verifiable) visitors on the two days it was held, despite heavy rains and an incoming typhoon.

Working on the principle that those who intend to leave the Philippines – whether for temporary or permanent migration – need correct information to make an informed decision, the Immigrant Visa Center (or IVC) is once again bringing together stakeholders in the migration industry to help Filipinos do just that.

Aside from booth exhibits and man-to-man consultations, the highlights of the 2010 MOVE Expo are panel discussions about issues that affect temporary and permanent migration. Temporary migration includes short and long-term visitors. 2010 MOVE attendees will be able to attend free migration seminars with speakers from training centers, local colleges, foreign schools, Philippine government agencies and migration consultancies – all talking about migration-related concerns.

While government agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), National Statistics Office (NSO) and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will be in attendance, exhibitors and sponsors from the private sector come from diverse industries such as:

• Migration consultancies;
• Banking and remittance companies;
• Hotels;
• Local and foreign recruitment agencies;
• Philippine and foreign colleges and universities;
• Training centers;
• Private financing institutions;
• Health and travel insurance;
• Telecommunication firms;
• Travel agencies;
• Medical and diagnostic clinics

All these are converging with one objective in mind – to provide would-be migrants and visa applicants, the best services and options to help them migrate.

The 2010 MOVE Expo – your one stop exhibition for your travel and migration needs!

Click here if you want to be an exhibitor, sponsor or co-presentor.

To Attend Move 2010 Expo, click here.

See also:

The 2009 MOVE EXPO SMX Convention Center 31 July to 1 August

Philippine Government warns of new recruitment scam

Philippine Government considering bond sale to OFWs

How to spot a fake job offer  

How to ‘check out’ a UK company from anywhere in the world

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

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

National Treasurer Roberto B. Tan told Reuters a sale was being pursued, but the government had yet to appoint issue managers or finalise the structure and size of the offer.

“We are pursuing it because that is part of our advocacy for OFWs (overseas Filipino workers),” he said.

However, Juanchito Dispo, an executive vice-president of First Metro Investment Corp. which has submitted a proposal to the government for a retail bond, said the government was considering an issue for up to P35 billion denominated in euros and US dollars.

Remittances from overseas workers in 2008 reached a record $16.4 billion. The central bank forecast they rose 4% in 2009 and would expand a further 6% in 2010.

The government had considered selling at least $100 million in retail bonds in early 2008, but pushed back the plan after encountering legal issues. Source: Reuters

Related articles:

Philippine Government warns of new recruitment scam

How to spot a fake job offer  

How to ‘check out’ a UK company from anywhere in the world

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

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

In a statement, the DFA said two Filipinos contacted the embassy for help in verifying the status of a company named Markel-Power International, located in the northern German city of Bremen, which had informed the two through e-mail that they would be hired by the firm.

But the company had one condition for the jobs. They first had to pay 70 euros (about P4,600) through Western Union to an employment company based in Monza, a city in Italy’s Lombardy region.

The Philippine embassy discovered that Markel-Power International was non-existent, was not registered with the Bremen Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had a fictitious address, had no telephone and fax numbers, and was using a host in the United States for its English website.

“The embassy is convinced this recruitment scheme is another variation of the Nigerian 4-1-9 advance-fee scam designed to victimize innocent Filipino jobseekers,” chargé d’affaires Christine Queenie Mangunay said.

The Nigerian 4-1-9 scam, also known as the Nigerian advance-fee scheme, involves the receipt of an unsolicited letter allegedly from a Nigerian Central Bank employee or from the Nigerian government. It is named after the section of the Nigerian penal code which tackles fraudulent schemes.

The embassy has warned Filipino jobseekers of the new scam and has asked the DFA to bring the matter to the attention of relevant authorities such as the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Justice and Philippine National Police.

Meanwhile, an overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) group yesterday called on the Philippine government to do something about the “unabated” illegal recruitment of OFWs to Macau.

Cynthia Tellez, executive director of the Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW) based in Hong Kong, said the Philippine government was ignoring the victims of illegal recruitment.

MFMW called on the government to provide immediate assistance, such as temporary shelter, legal counsel and air passage, to all victims of illegal recruitment, and to arrest and prosecute all illegal recruiters of Filipinos in Macau.

According to Tellez, MFMW handled nearly 50 OFWs who were victims of illegal recruitment to Macau in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Thirteen OFWs had sought the assistance of the Filipino Catholic Pastoral Center and Migrante Macau. Tellez said the group sought the assistance of the Philippine consulate on Jan. 5.

“We were told by the assistance to nationals section officer that we cannot get any assistance from them and they even blamed us for our plight,” Tellez quoted one of the OFWs, Rico Cabangon, as saying. Source: Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Immigration Matters Comment

Unfortunately fake job scams like this are on the rise in the UK and Europe.

For tips on how to spot a fake job offer see:

How to spot a fake job offer  

See also:

How to ‘check out’ a UK company from anywhere in the world

6 ways to spot a fake job offer 

Here are six useful tips from Cynthia Barker, Manager of London based immigration firm Bison UK. Cynthia, who has helped thousands of workers and students come to the UK, said there are a number of questions you should first ask yourself when looking at employment offers. 

1. Is the recruitment method unusual or suspicious?
Companies do not hire workers by sending unsolicited emails and in countries like the Philippines recruitment of workers is regulated by government agencies such as the POEA. Genuine employers will usually interview candidates or use a reputable agency. 

2. Has the job been advertised through legitimate media in the UK?
Jobs advertised to foreign or non EU workers are normally be advertised on the official Job Centre Plus website and in some cases in the press. If not, the employer will be unable to obtain permission to employ the worker under Tier 2 of the Points Based System. See http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/. Remember, anyone can set up a website, so you need to look further than an internet based advertisement. 

3. Is the Job of the official Shortage Occupation list?
If the job is not a shortage occupation the chances of obtaining a certificate of sponsorship is greatly reduced. 

4. Does the post qualify under Tier 2?
The job role must be at or above NVQ Level 3, otherwise the employer will not be allowed to employ you and you will not get a visa to enter the UK. See Working in the UK. For instance, a Waiter or Cleaner will be considered at below NVQ Level 3 and will not qualifiy under Tier 2. 

5. Does the employment letter contain a UK landline and address?
Most of the letters we see do not have landline telephone numbers (e.g. with the prefix 0208 or 01707) and many have PO Box addresses or addresses which simply do not exist. A few minutes on the internet on sites like Royal Mail Postcode Finder or Google Maps should reveal all you need to know. 

6. Have you been asked to send money?
UK employers and agencies are not allowed to charge placement fees, even though this practice may be acceptable in many countries which supply staff to the UK. If you are asked to send money for any reason this is the first sign that you are being sucked into a scam or confidence trick. 

What else can you do to avoid being conned? 

• Research the company – use websites such as Companies House and Yell.com.
• Look at the company website – check if job vacancies are advertised
• Call or email the head office or HR department direct and inform them of the offer.
• Check the email address – most fraudsters use free Yahoo or Hotmail account rather than an in-house ‘.com’ or ‘.co.uk’ domain.
• Ask a friend or relative (if you have one in the UK) to call or visit the employer.
• Contact your Embassy in London or your local labour department.
• Set up a spam filter – a good spam filter will usually spot the emails as spam and save you time and money. 

Finally, use your judgement – if something seems too good to be true it probably is. 

Have you received a fake job offer? You can comment on this story below. 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

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

Useful websites:

UK Border Agency – Sponsoring Migrant Workers

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/points/whatisthepointsbasedsystem/employingmigrants/

A further 118 ShelterBoxes have arrived in the Philippines as ShelterBox
continues to help people rebuild their lives after Typhoon Morakot.

An initial 224 ShelterBoxes arrived in the country in the immediate
aftermath of the typhoon. They were sent to provide emergency shelter
for close to 2,000 people who lost their homes when a 1km section of the
5km Bucao Dike collapsed.

The initial ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members Peter Pearce (AU) and Ross Mackenzie (NZ) were joined by Lizzy Treglown (UK) and
Denise Ho (USA) last week. With the help of the local government, the Philippine Army, the police, the Red Cross, local Rotarians and local students the team set up the first ShelterBox camp.

After identifying the need for more ShelterBoxes, the team requested a
further consignment be sent. They specifically requested eight
‘Classroom in a Box’ boxes as many schools were also destroyed when the
dike collapsed. The 110 ShelterBoxes and 8 Classrooms in a Box arrived
in the Philippines at the weekend.

The ShelterBoxes were packed and shipped from ShelterBox HQ in Helston,
Cornwall, UK with Tony Treglown, Lizzy Treglown’s father, joining the
team of volunteers to help pack the boxes that were met by his daughter
in the Philippines.

On Monday, August 24 SRT members Lizzy Treglown and Denise Ho met
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was visiting the
affected area where ShelterBox tents have been set up.

Lizzy said:

‘We met the president briefly this morning and talked with her about ShelterBox. The local government have been a great help, the
locals have cleared a large area of land for us, they’ve brought earth
to fill in holes and raise some of the land for the tents.’

SRT member Ross Mackenzie has now returned to New Zealand but SRT member Hans Van Dyk (AU) has joined up with the rest of the team.

http://www.shelterbox.org/news_article.asp?id=156

Charles Kelly is President of Elstree and Borehamwood Rotary Club

The findings are revealed by the Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Dame Anne Owers.

Inspectors monitored immigration escort staff involved in removing detainees from Heathrow Airport.

It says when officers escorting immigration offenders mistreat them, removals are more likely to fail.

The report cites the case of four Afghan detainees, who were initially willing to fly home.

Then, in what the report describes as an “unnecessary and intimidating” intervention, escort staff warned the detainees they would be “dealt with” if they were “naughty” on the plane. They refused to go.

Valid documents

Removals were also cancelled due to staff shortages and because nurses had not been booked to accompany detainees with health problems.

Sometimes detainees were flown back to the UK because their home countries said their paperwork was not in order.

On one occasion, escort staff taking a woman to Mozambique were themselves locked up after the authorities there questioned whether their documents were valid.

Dame Anne said: “This short report found worrying gaps and weaknesses in complaints and monitoring processes.

“It also found varying practice, with no evidence that the good and thoughtful approach of some staff was mirrored in clear and consistent standards of treatment, support and communication.

“This heightened the risk of ill-treatment or abuse, and was also likely to lead to failed removals.”

David Wood, director of the criminality and detention group at the UK Border Agency said anyone involved in the detention and removal of detainees was highly trained.

“Many detainees refuse to leave the UK voluntarily, even when the courts say they must. In some cases individuals become violent toward themselves, the public or our staff when it is time to go home.

“Detainee escorts have a very difficult job to do in carrying out what the public expects of the UK Border Agency in enforcing our immigration laws.” 

Source BBC 

It is estimated that the cost of deporting a person is around £10,000, but this could be much higher if the case goes to a legal aid funded appeal, with the migrant being held in a detention centre for months on end.

Leading think tank, ippr, said it would it would take at least 20 years to find and remove half a million illegal immigrants at a cost of over £5 billion.

Earlier this month the Government was criticised for wasting millions of pounds flying illegal immigrants back to their country in private jets.

Have you had any experience or dealings with removal teams? Make your comment below.

Related articles:

Millions wasted on deportations by private jet

UK immigrant amnesty ‘worth £3bn’ say LSE 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

Border Officers from the UK Border Agency’s West Midlands headquarters, actually quite a long way from any UK border physical post, supported by Warwickshire police officers, used special Co2 probes to detect human breathing in the backs of lorries.

Officers patrolled the lorry park and talked to lorry drivers about immigrants who may have hidden in their vehicles at key border crossings to the United Kingdom such as Calais, gathering intelligence to help catch stowaways sooner.

Quite why the UK Border Agency chose to mount the raid in Warwick, some 183 miles or just under 300km from the port of Dover where most illegal migrants would first enter the UK on the back of a lorry, was not explained.

Drivers were also warned about the heavy financial penalties they could face if they fail to secure their lorries properly.

Simon Excell, UK Border Agency deputy director, said:

‘We have already seen a significant fall in illegal immigrants sneaking in to the United Kingdom thanks to high profile operations like this one and the deployment of a mobile detention van which patrols the motorways of the Midlands and East of England.

‘The message is getting out to would-be illegal migrants and organised smuggling gangs that we will catch them, we will detain them and we will deport them.’

Officers have already detained and impounded several vehicles after drivers and haulage companies were identified as not having paid civil penalties for failing to secure their vehicles during previous immigration checks.

Over £15,000 has so far been recovered in unpaid civil penalties from drivers and haulage companies.

Simon Excell added:

‘Our top priority is to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they reach the United Kingdom. That’s why we’ve got hundreds of British immigration officers based overseas.

‘Since April 2008 our officers based in France and Belgium have stopped over 30,000 individual attempts by illegal migrants to get into Britain.

‘We are leading this crackdown to show that there is no hiding place for those who try to cheat their way across the border.’

This week the UK Border Agency was given wider powers under the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act, which became Law on 21 July. 

It is estimated that the cost of deporting a person is around £10,000, but this could be much higher if the case goes to a legal aid funded appeal, with the migrant being held in a detention centre for months on end.

Leading think tank, ippr, said it would it would take at least 20 years to find and remove half a million illegal immigrants at a cost of over £5 billion.

Earlier this month the Government was criticised for wasting millions of pounds flying illegal immigrants back to their country in private jets.

Related articles:

Millions wasted on deportations by private jet

UK immigrant amnesty ‘worth £3bn’ say LSE 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

The Government say the powers are needed to create a new “unified force at the border” and to “crack down on illegal immigration and the smuggling”.

Frontline customs and immigration officers will work together as the ‘UK Border Agency’ (UKBA) with the power to question passengers on immigration and customs matters. 

The UKBA said: “this means passengers will face just one primary check point when coming in to the United Kingdom, speeding up their journey”.

More than 3,500 officers have already been trained with the skills to carry out passport and customs checks since the creation of the UK Border Agency in April 2008.

On 5 August, 4,500 HM Revenue and Customs staff will formally become part of the UK Border Agency. 

Since April 2008, The UKBA has: 

• stopped over 30,000 individual attempts by illegal migrants to get into Britain through France and Belgium;
• stopped over 12,900 dangerous weapons, including firearms, stun guns and knives, reaching the street;
• seized over £379 million worth of illegal drugs; and
• seized in excess of 923 million cigarettes – representing a potential loss of £174 million in tax revenue

Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said: 

“This is part of the biggest transformation of our border controls in a generation. A unified force at the Border with the powers to carry out customs and immigration checks allows us to continue the crack down on illegal immigration and the smuggling of drugs and weapons.

“I am determined that Britain’s border remains one of the strongest in the world. This Act is an important part of ensuring it stays that way.” 

The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act also ensures that “migrants who want to become British citizens earn the right to stay by speaking English, paying taxes and obeying the law”, the UKBA said.

The UKBA added: 

“It will speed up the path to citizenship for those who contribute to the community by being active citizens. Under the new system full access to benefits and social housing will be reserved for citizens and permanent residents – a route that can take up to ten years.” 

Many migrants would argue that they are happy with the current “speed” oor length of time it takes to gain Citizenship – 5 years - rather than 8 years under the new Act.

Mr Woolas added: 

“This new Act ensures that those who want to stay earn the right to do so, learn to speak English and play by the rules. Those that don’t will not be allowed to become citizens, making our system both firmer and fairer.

“I want to go further and within the next few weeks we will publish a consultation to examine how the current points based system for economic migrants, which has proved to be an effective and powerful tool for controlling migration, could be applied to citizenship.” 

In the next few weeks the Home Office will publish proposals to extend the points based system to citizenship. 

The aim is to build on the reforms to citizenship in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act, providing even “greater controls over the number of people who want to settle permanently in the United Kingdom”. 

The Government said the Act will allow for a more “flexible approach” with the ability to “raise and lower” the threshold depending on the needs of the United Kingdom.

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

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

MPs on the committee claim that tens of thousands of foreign nationals “may” have been brought into the UK illegally by fake colleges.

In a highly critical report, they said the word “college” should be restricted to institutions accredited by the state, although it fails to explain how this would help the situation or what current colleges would end up being known as.

The Government have recently introduced the points-based system and new regulations to control educational providers to ensure that only genuine foreign students can now obtain a student visa.

Under Tier 4 rules, which took effect at the end of March this year, study visas will only be issued to students enrolled at educational providers on the more tightly controlled UK Border Agency (UKBA) Sponsors Register.

Despite the fact that the new system has only just started, the committee, chaired by Keith Vaz MP, were still not satisfied and said they were “extremely disappointed” that the Government had ignored repeated warnings from the education sector about the problem of bogus colleges.

Since March this year, colleges recruiting students from outside the EU must have first been registered and inspected by an accreditation body on behalf of the UKBA. In addition, the UKBA will have sent one of their officers to inspect the college before granting the licence or within six months of approval.

The committee found that around 2,200 colleges were not transferred to this new list, and have concluded that a “significant proportion” of these were bogus.

However, their findings, heavily influenced the state sector, has ignored that fact that hundreds of colleges are awaiting accreditation or UKBA approval.

Cynthia Barker, Centre Manager of Majestic College, which had a pre-approval UKBA inspection, said the licensing process took nine months,

“We had three inspections by ASIC and the UKBA over a nine month period and had to push every inch of the way to obtain our sponsors licence.

“Some colleges have gone out of business waiting to be accredited or because they could not meet the strict new criteria, but this does not necessarily make them a ‘bogus’ college.”

The new Tier 4 register now contains around 1,500 colleges, all of which have gone through a rigorous application and inspected process by the UK Border Agency.

The committee welcomed this “more effective” regime, but said it was “deeply concerned” that the agency was giving colleges notice of its inspection visits.

It said ministers had been very slow to act when warned about the whole problem, and that this was “unacceptable”.

The report said:

“Firm enforcement action must be taken against any individual whose student visa has expired to ensure that they leave the country, as well as against those who have set up bogus colleges to perpetrate visa fraud.

“We have received no evidence that the Home Office has made adequate preparations to deal with this issue.”

And continued:

“While the new sponsorship system under the points-based immigration system should help to prevent bogus colleges, we consider that a more complete means of prevention requires the compulsory regulation of private further education colleges and English language schools by the state.”

Committee Chairman, Keith Vaz, said:

“Bogus colleges may have allowed tens of thousands of foreign nationals to enter the country illegally.

“The Government has been aware of their existence for 10 years and done nothing to stop them.

“This is totally unacceptable and frankly, quite unbelievable.”

He said immediate action was needed:

“The Government must restrict the term ‘college’, to prevent any premises above a fish and chip shop from being able to claim it is a reputed educational institution.”

The MPs said this would protect students from coming to sub-standard, unregulated places.

The committee did not find any substantial evidence of the alleged link between bogus colleges and terrorist activity.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:

“No institution can bring students into the country unless we are satisfied they are genuine – this includes approval by an accredited body, and assessment of their premises, courses and teaching staff.

“Since April, the UK Border Agency has carried out nearly 100 unannounced checks on institutions throughout the UK and they are doing more every week.”

“Before we tightened controls around 4,000 UK institutions offered courses to foreign students, but under the new system only around 1,600 can currently bring students into the country from outside Europe.

“We have already rejected over 500 establishments’ applications.”

Even allowing for those colleges currently in the pipeline, these figures would indicate that the new system is weeding out bogus colleges previous on the old DIUS register.

The report follows a BBC London television investigation earlier this year into a small number of bogus colleges, one in particular using the name of ‘Cambridge’, which was offering diplomas without study.

 There are a number of legitimate colleges using the name ‘Oxford’ or ‘Cambridge’ which are clearly not connected with the real Universities, however, this does not mean they are bogus or offer fake qualifications.

Immigration Matters Comment

The committee’s report appears to be based mostly on pure supposition and on “expert testimony” from partisan witnesses. It has produced little or no hard evidence to back its vague claims.

Even if the reports figures of illegal immigration were correct, they would be the result of the previous regulatory system which the Government has spent the last five years and millions of pounds overhauling.

For Mr Vaz, an MP - no stranger to immigration controversy in the Hinduja Brothers case some years ago, leading to his exile to the back benches - to say that the Government has “done nothing” undermines his own Labour controlled Government’s work in bringing about the biggest shake up in immigration history: points based system, UK Borders Act, Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Act and a raft of other immigration rule changes. One wonders what planet Mr Vaz has been living on for the last few years.

Even with laws and regulations, there will always be a rogue element in any walk of life, whether it be cowboy builders or Members of Parliament fiddling their expenses and claiming for non-existent mortgages.

We all deplore the crooks who run bogus colleges and those who disappear with students money without providing any training. But let’s not tar every small college with the same brush, or ”conclude” that because they are not yet on the sponsors register they must be bogus.

The UK Border Agency has introduced a tough new regulatory system for student visas, including abolishing the right of appeal, less than four months ago. We should at least give the system a chance to prove itself before shooting it down in flames.

Overseas students are worth £8 billion to the UK’s cash-strapped economy, according to Home Office figures.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Related articles:

7 Steps for overseas students when your college fails

Make sure your college is on the Tier 4 Sponsors Register before renewing your visa

This means the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration ‘Bill’ has now officially become an Act of Parliament and is now enshrined in UK Law.

Although the Bill has become Law, many of the Rules will not be implemented immediately. See also: Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill could become Law next week

What is the Royal Assent?

Parliament.uk describes the process as follows:

When a Bill has completed all its parliamentary stages, it needs Royal Assent from the Queen before it can become law. Bills that receive Royal Assent become Acts of Parliament.

Does the Queen give Royal Assent in person?

Although the Queen can give Royal Assent in person, this has not happened since 1854. The Queen’s agreement to give her Assent to a Bill is automatic. The last time Royal Assent was refused was in 1707-08 when Queen Anne refused her Assent to a Bill for settling the militia in Scotland.

How is Royal Assent announced?

When Royal Assent has been given to a Bill, the Speaker in the Commons and the Lord Speaker in the Lords announce the Royal Assent at a suitable break in each House’s proceedings.

The exception to this procedure is at prorogation, when Black Rod interrupts the proceedings of the Commons and summons MPs to the Lords Chamber to hear the Lords Commissioners announce Royal Assent for each Bill. Source www.parliament.UK

What should you do if you are in the UK on a Work Permit?

Evelie Padadac of Immigration Advisers Bison UK advises migrant workers to “apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain as soon as you are eligible and make sure your current permit takes you beyond five years of continuous work”.

What should you do if you are in the UK under other categories such as ILR?

Apply for Citizenship as soon as you are eligible, unless of course you have no desire to be a British Citizen.

If you do not agree with the above changes, you should write to your MP and ask him or her to write to Phil Woolas to request a longer transitional period.

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

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

For more information on the Act see: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/legislation/bci-act/

The UK Government’s plan lengthen the period immigrants must live in the U.K. before applying for citizenship may become law next week after backing down on stricter passport checks between Britain and Ireland yesterday.

The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill cleared its final stage in the House of Commons this week with the support of both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition parties. The Government had earlier climbed down plans to impose identity checks on journeys between the U.K. and Ireland.

The House of Lords could grant final approval to the legislation on July 21, allowing the measures to go on the statutes, and receive the Royal Assent, as the Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Act 2009, before Parliament enters its summer recess, a spokesman for the Home Office said this week.

The rules are part of the biggest curbs on migration in six decades and will make it harder for working migrants to settle in the UK. See: Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill will make it harder to settle in the UK

The new citizenship rules will take effect no earlier than July 2011. Migrants who hold permanent residency at that time, or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), will be able to apply under the old rules for the next two years. Full story and comment.

Other stories this week in Immigration Matters

Immigration Adviser, Evelie Padadac’s advice on ‘What should you do if you are in the UK on a Work Permit?’ and What should you do if you are in the UK under other categories such as ILR?

Barrio Fiesta 2009 Lampton Park Hounslow

Immigration Matters will be joining 50,000 people at the 2009 Barrio Fiesta 18 and 19 July Lampton Park, Hounslow, Middx, UK. Come and meet the team on the Bison UK and Majestic College stall.

Millions wasted on deportations by private jet

The UK Government spent more than £8.2 million last year on chartering private jets to deport immigrants, according to official figures. Over £70,000 was wasted on a one bungled attempt to fly failed asylum seeker Fatou Gaye to the Ivory Coast on a private jet only to have to fly her back again when she was refused entry.

Identity and Passport Service ‘open to bribes’ say people traffickers

The Times reports that people-traffickers view Britain as a “soft touch” when it comes to smuggling illegal immigrants, with high profits and low risks of capture, according to Home Office research published yesterday. Traffickers allege that officials in the Identity and Passport Service are open to bribes to help illegal immigrants enter the country.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk