"Exclusive: ‘Desperate’ man, in hiding after returning in a lorry, says he knows of 18 others from scheme who live in Britain covertlyAn asylum seeker sent from the UK back to France under the “one in, one out” scheme has covertly returned to Britain and is now in hiding, the…" — The Guardian

Bleep bloop.

"Exclusive: Russell Group universities ask for carve-out from visa ban for Chevening scholars" — The Independent

Pakistani national sought to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme as a former Chen carer. The Court of Appeal held she fell outside Article 10 of the Withdrawal Agreement, as she was not within Article 3(2) of the Citizens' Rights Directive. Permission to appeal refused.

Applicant granted discretionary leave after deportation order was set aside. Court held Secretary of State wrongly treated past conviction as recurring basis to refuse; policy mandated settlement after ten years. Appeal allowed on remedy; case remitted.

"Crossing on Friday market the first time migrants had arrived across the channel since May 9" — The Independent

"Labour's candidate for Makerfield also said government immigration reforms must "get the balance right"." — BBC Politics

"Labour's leadership hopeful is coming up against a major public misconception around immigration" — The i

"The latest immigration statistics show work visas down 59% from their December 2023 peak, with 253,000 granted in the year ending March 2026. The decline is substantial, but the figures at sector and nationality level are far more dramatic than the headline suggests. The…" — Free Movement

"Tribunal Procedure Committee, which is responsible for amending the tribunal’s procedure rules, is consulting on some adjustments to the existing Upper Tribunal rules in judicial review cases: (1) To introduce a provision in the UTR mirroring rule 54.8A of the Civil Procedure…" — Free Movement

Offender management caseworker guidance for immigration enforcement updated 22 May 2026. Covers detention, immigration bail, electronic monitoring, reporting, offender management, re-entry bans, and accommodation. Guidance rewritten in plainer language.

"The Upper Tribunal has dismissed an appeal by the daughter-in-law and grandchildren of a former Gurkha. The tribunal held that the historic injustice suffered by Gurkha veterans did not make the refusal of entry clearance disproportionate on the facts of their case. It confirmed…" — Free Movement

"Burnham and Streeting’s latest stances confound caricatures of left and right as party faces electoral bindThe Labour party has seemed to inhabit three parallel worlds over the past fortnight.There is a prime minister celebrating good news on the economy and lower migration…" — The Guardian

"The right has relied on public ignorance in order to stoke anxiety around immigration" — The i

"Use our interactive tracker to explore the latest migration statistics for the UK" — BBC Politics

Court of Appeal allowed the Secretary of State's appeal against a Nigerian national's deportation resistance on Article 3 medical grounds. The tribunal failed to apply the "intense suffering" threshold from AM (Zimbabwe) and impermissibly speculated on causation. Deportation order restored.

"Exclusive: Home Office accused of ‘safeguarding failure’ as hundreds of migrant children initially assessed as adults" — The Independent

"Government releasing 11 documents relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as trade envoyThe Home Office has also published asylum figures this morning. These show that the number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in hotels stood at 20,885 at the end of March…" — The Guardian

"The latest quarterly immigration statistics show immigration into the United Kingdom falling across the board. Fewer migrants generally, fewer asylum claims, fewer small boat crossings, fewer students, fewer family members and fewer workers. Net migration stood at 171,000 for…" — Free Movement

UKVI updated its Nepal country policy and information note on political affiliation (May 2026). This guidance is used by decision-makers in asylum and human rights applications. Available in HTML and PDF (50 pages).

"Decline to 171,000 last year will encourage ministers in what is seen as a battleground issue against ReformUK politics live – latest updatesNet migration to the UK fell by nearly 50% to 171,000 last year, according to official figures released on Thursday, in what will be seen…" — The Guardian

"The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels stood at a new low of 20,885 at the end of March 2026, down 35% year-on-year, Home Office figures show." — The Independent

Home Office published statistical compliance documents for Migration transparency data (21 May 2026), covering Border Force, UKVI, Immigration Enforcement, and Passports/Citizenship performance, with voluntary Code of Practice for Statistics compliance.

Home Office has published immigration statistics data tables updated to year ending March 2026, covering asylum claims, decisions, pending cases, outcomes, support services, refugee family reunion, resettlement and local authority breakdown. Modified 21 May 2025.

Home Office published Immigration System Statistics for year ending March 2026 on 21 May, covering arrivals, work, study, family, asylum, small boats, settlement, EUSS, citizenship, detention and returns. Data tables and breakdowns available on GOV.UK.

Home Office published Migrant Journey 2025 report on 21 May 2026, the sixteenth annual release tracking how migrants' visa and leave status changes over time across main entry routes and pathways to settlement. Summary tables and detailed datasets available at GOV.UK.

Home Office published regional and local authority data on immigration groups for the year ending March 2026, covering Homes for Ukraine arrivals, Afghan Resettlement Programme participants, and asylum seekers receiving support, broken down by region and local authority.

Home Office immigration system statistics user guide updated 21 May 2026 to accompany publication of 'Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2026'. Latest quarterly release now available.

Home Office published asylum and resettlement summary tables for year ending December 2025, along with safe and legal (humanitarian) routes summary tables for the same period, updated 21 May 2026.

Home Office has published updated FNO statistics (21 May 2026) with new breakdowns by most common nationality, offence group and sentence length group, following upgrades to foreign national offender data collection and infrastructure.

"'Reform UK has poisoned Britain's immigration debate by feeding voters a steay diet of fear, distortion and selective facts'" — The Mirror

"British Future said politicians “need to take responsibility” for the growing disconnect between the true migration figures and public perception of immigration" — The Independent

"Study, published as latest migration figures are released, shows incorrect perceptions driving immigration debatePeople mistakenly believe net migration is rising in Britain despite figures dropping to their lowest level in years, a leading thinktank has found.New research from…" — The Guardian

"As a result of the statement of changes to the immigration rules (HC 1691) laid on 5 March 2026, the minimum duration of leave granted to refugees or those with humanitarian protection has been reduced from five years to 30 months. This change applies to anyone whose protection…" — Free Movement

Bleep bloop.

"Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) Level 2 Casework Adviser We are looking for a Level 2 IAA Level 2 Casework Adviser who believes in making a difference in the lives of vulnerable migrants by advocating for fairness and compassion in immigration processes. Shropshire Supports…" — Free Movement

"Exclusive: Greater Manchester understood to support home secretary’s push to limit legal and illegal migrationAndy Burnham is backing Shabana Mahmood’s controversial changes to the immigration system, his allies have said, in a blow to those in Labour who hope to soften them.The…" — The Guardian

"Eritrean man was due to be forcibly removed to France under ‘one in, one out’ schemeAn Eritrean asylum seeker who was due to be forcibly removed to France today under the “one in, one out” scheme has had his ticket cancelled after making a serious attempt on his life, the…" — The Guardian

UKVI updated "Living in the UK: applying from overseas" guidance on 20 May 2026. Most successful UK visit visa applicants and other visa types will now receive eVisas only, with VAC identity checks updated accordingly. Vignettes may not be issued for study or work visas from 15 July 2025.

"One of the changes wrought by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 was the creation of a mechanism for the Home Office to conduct age assessments where age is disputed. The assessment is delegated to a “designated person”, in reality social workers directly employed by the Home…" — Free Movement

Age disputes under sections 50–51 Nationality and Borders Act 2022: Upper Tribunal rules challenges must be brought in the Tribunal per Transfer Direction, with the Secretary of State for the Home Department as the proper respondent—not the National Age Assessment Board.

Gurkha family sought UK entry citing historic injustice. Upper Tribunal found no causal link between injustice and appellant's circumstances, dismissing appeals and upholding the First-tier Tribunal's decision.

UK Ancestry caseworker guidance updated 20 May 2026: all applicants granted entry clearance on the UK Ancestry route from that date will receive an eVisa only. Guidance to be read with Appendix UK Ancestry.

"Hatred of migrants has became normalised and 'understandable'" — The i

"In July 2025 the Home Office amended the definition of ‘continuous qualifying period’ in Annex 1 of Appendix EU to offer an another way for a pre-settled status holder to complete a five year continuous residence period. The change created an alternative set of absence rules for…" — Free Movement

"Another candidate, Q Manivannan, did run despite also being in the UK on a student visa and they were elected as an MSP." — BBC News

"A Unite the Kingdom rally, organised by far right activist Tommy Robinson, is set to take place in London on Saturday" — The Independent

"Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter! The Chişinău Declaration was adopted on Friday at a Council of Europe meeting in Moldova. The negotiations, which the UK has been a party to, have been centred around the way in which the European Convention on Human Rights is…" — Free Movement

UKVI released a new CAS allocation form (19 May 2026). Sponsors must submit it with their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies request to give caseworkers needed details and avoid processing delays.

UKVI updated the Study priority service request form (19 May 2026) for licensed student sponsors to request prioritisation of eligible cases. Submit to [email protected]. Originally published 11 November 2025.