Immigration News
Caring Careers Training Officially Closed Down
20 July 2011
The now deserted offices of Caring Careers?Training in Bicester, Oxfordshire?
The Oxfordshire based NVQ training college Caring Careers Training (CCT) run by Andrew Battman which ripped off many Pinoys,?has been formally wound up after a report was submitted by investigators of the UK Companies House Insolvency Service
Investigators discover a link to Precision Training
Convicted visa crook Andrew Battman did not oppose the Companies House petition to wind up his companies
The company and its officers duped hundreds of students, many of them Filipinos, into paying for non-existent training courses.
The petition was presented to Registrar Ms Barber at the High Court in London this morning in respect of CCT and an associated company Caring Careers Ltd.
The main grounds for the winding up petition were that CCT had failed to provide adequate training, failing to keep and maintain adequate records, abandonment of the company and of insolvency.
British Government's 14 Year Long Stay Immigration Concession To Be Closed
19 July 2011
by Charles Kelly
Ministers plan to?shut down?what many see as an immigration loophole?which grants illegal immigrants a permanent stay in the UK after 14 years whether they entered the UK legally or not, the Telegraph reports.
Under a controversial?concession, those who elude the authorities for 14 years can apply for indefinite leave to stay in the UK.
Almost 9,000 illegal immigrants have been granted such a right since the policy was introduce by Labour in 2003.
[More]POEA Says Saudi Changes Having No Impact On Deployment
by JOVIC YEE (Correspondent)
MANILA
Philippine?Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)?Administrator Carlos Cao said the "Saudization" policy has no impact yet on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Cao told a press conference Wednesday the Saudization or nitaqat system-a nationalization-related labor policy that directs companies to prioritize Saudi nationals in employment-will not be implemented "drastically" and "on a full scale".
"If they move on a full-scale implementation, how can they send home the big number of migrant workers there," Cao said, adding that the Saudization policy is "a complex and complicated policy," which will be implemented in a "gradual and calibrated" manner.
[Full Story]
Confusion As Diplomat's Visa Fraud Trial Sees Major Charges Dropped
15 July 2011
A mammoth visa fraud trial against a British diplomat and a former recruitment consultant hit the buffers yesterday when a judge ordered that the most serious charges?alleging collusion between the two accused be dropped.
The trial at London's Southwark Crown Court, which had been expected to last at least eight weeks, is now?looking to be?finished?faster after defense counsel?for both accused got?Judge Pegden QC?to declare that there was no case to answer on at least two of the charges.
Diplomat Mark Griffith (left), who was an Entry?Clearance Officer (ECO), and Sam Fongho (right), formerly a recruitment consultant at north London firm Concept Care Solutions, had originally?been charged with five counts over the issuance of visas to enter the UK. The Crown prosecution team led by barrister Simon Wilde?alleged that the offenses had taken place at the embassy where Griffith was an?ECO and in collusion with Fongho.
[More]Glaring Loophole Allows Illegal Entry Into UK
12 July 2011
Concord no longer flies into Heathrow, but illegal immigrants and terrorists have an open door to the UK without passport checks?it has been revealed
By Charles Kelly?
Illegal migrants can apparently enter Britain without their passports being checked, it has emerged.
A Conservative MP has brought up the issue in parliament.
[More]UK's Immigration Advisory Service In Administration
11 July 2011
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The IAS's HQ in Great Dover St, London?is shut, as are its satellite offices
The Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) which is a helping immigrants and asylum seekers in the UK has gone bust after an audit raised concerns over financial irregularities.
[More]British Unemployed Lack Skills & Motivation To Be Hired
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Job centers in the UK are trying to help unemployed get work; skills shortages, poor basic literacy and lack of a decent work ethic mean British employers prefer migrants who actually want to work. Photo Credit: Paul Barlow
The British unemployed lack basic skills and a strong work ethic, encouraging companies to fill vacancies with immigrants, the Government has been told by a leading business representative, the Telegraph reports.
[More]IMMIGRATION MATTERS: YES, Tier 4 Visa Rule Changes On 4 July 2011 Will Stop Work & Dependants For Students At Private Colleges
By Cynthia Barker?
The UK Border Agency is pushing ahead with further Immigration Rule changes coming into effect on 4 July 2011, which will have serious consequences for Tier 4 students studying at private colleges.
[More]Balita Pinoy Launches Its News Agency To Cater For Citizen Journalists
Balita Pinoy?is?launching its news agency, which is essentially for?'Citizen Journalism' - the news service?where?you tell the stories.?Send us?your news stories, images and video.
These will then be placed up in Balita Pinoy, and also where newsworthy on a wider scale, will be offered to other agencies, newspapers and magazines for sale. The fees from such sales will be split 50:50.
There are many times every minute of every day when something happens and news reporters from the major agencies are not there on the scene to record it. Or in fact the big boys may be there but miss something newsworthy while you get it recorded on camera or video.
Nearly everyone now has a cellphone with a camera/video facility in it. Put it to use.
You may also have a story of your own local community or group you wish to get more exposure, send it to BPNA to get it aired.?
You could also be an established journalist who wants to get more exposure, or have a story their editor will not publish.This type of freedom of speech gives the man?or woman on the street a voice and a platform.
Whether they're in Albay or Zamboanga, or for OFW's, in Alaska or Zimbabwe. Anyone, anywhere may contribute.?
[Click For Full Details]British Government Plans To Break Link Between Temporary And Permanent Migration And Scrap Domestic Worker Concession
By Charles Kelly?
UK Immigration Minister Damian Green has outlined sweeping reforms and stricter visa criteria for applicants who want to stay or settle in the UK.
Plans include closing or reforming routes for overseas domestic workers who are currently protected from exploitation by the ?Domestic Workers Concession? introduced by the previous government.
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IMMIGRATION ADVISOR'S REGISTER
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A UK visa is getting harder to get, leaving more opportunities for applicants to get ripped off or be forced to put up with inadequate advice
Immigration advice is?a specialist matter, and Balita Pinoy's Immigration Adviser's register is only of those who are licensed by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner or are qualified and registered lawyers.
[More]BRITISH IMMIGRATION CAP: CRITICIZED RULE CHANGES RE-IMPLEMENTED
21 December 2010
British Government moves to slam doors?on High Court defeat??
After getting a drubbing in the High Court last week when two judges ruled that British Home Secretary Theresa May had been "unlawful" in changing the rules as they applied to Tier 1 and Tier 2 visas, the Home Office have moved fast to alter the rules again.
Immigration Minister Damian Green (above) has moved very quickly to reverse the defeat by laying rules before the British Houses of Parliament, as was required by a previous act of parliament.
Essentially, Tier 1 applications from outside the UK will not be allowed from 23 December 2010, and Tier 2 applications will have a limit of 10,832 imposed, this limit will take place immediately.
[Full Details]??TIER 4 STUDENT VISAS: CONSULTATION PERIOD ANNOUNCED
20 December 2010
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A press release from the British Embassy in Manila, sent out on the same day the Home Office got roasted in the High Court over the immigration cap, sets out?the?basic position over student visas; come to the UK but make no plans to stay long term, and we would like to hear your thoughts.?
[More]UK IMMIGRATION MATTERS
19 December 2010
The London Eye
Interim Immigration Cap Unlawful Rule High Court Judges
[More]UK IMMIGRATION CAP: FALL-OUT TO COME IN THE NEW YEAR
19 December 2010
Bernardo Baobaoen, a Filipino carer, with the banner he unfurled inside the courtroon
The temporary cap limiting the number of skilled workers (Tier 1 & Tier 2) from outside the European Union which was introduced in June was illegal and introduced unlawfully, the High Court in London ruled.
British Home Secretary Theresa May (Interior Minister) had introduced the cap as an interim measure before a permanent cap to be in place from April 2011. It was challenged on the grounds that ministers had 'sidestepped' parliamentary scrutiny before announcing the temporary cap.
The legal challenge was brought in the form of a Judicial Review (held before two Appeal Court judges) by the English Community Care Association (ECCA) and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), and was upheld by the judges.
[More & Video Report]Posted at: 01:51 | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
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TIER 1 & 2 IMMIGRATION CAP: HOME OFFICE ACTIONS UNLAWFUL SAY JUDGES IN SENSATIONAL ACTION
16 December 2010
Home Secretary's actions declared unlawful say judges - Full judgement to be read out 2 pm Friday in the High Court
London
The media scrum of the world's press outside the High Court in London today was for the bail hearing of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, but added to the sense of drama for the Home Office's defeat over the immigration cap
In a surprise move, two Appeal Court judges have allowed a judicial review against the Home Office
[More]PINOY SLAVERS JAILED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN US COURT
14 December 2010
Florida couple sentenced in forced labor conspiracy to exploit Filipino guest workers
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
Sophia Manuel and Alfonso Baldonado Jr., owners of Quality Staffing Services Corporation, a labor supply contractor in Miami have been jailed for trafficking Filipino workers and keeping them in sub-human conditions.
[More]UK IMMIGRATION MATTERS & NEWS
12 December 2010
British MP's Voice "Profound Concern" Over Home Office?Plans To Bar Foreign Students
London Scenes: The?Norwegian Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square; a gift from the City of Oslo to London
Members of the UK Parliament express alarm as the Home Secretary announces plans to close the door on up to 120,000 international students from outside the EU.
[More]UK CARE WORKERS COURT CASE: TOP LAWYERS TO COMMENCE BATTLE
10 December 2010
Top legal brains go head-to-head over UK Care Workers/Immigration Cap fight
[More]UK TIGHTENS THE SCREWS ON STUDENT VISAS
9 December 2010
Government lays down plans to reform UK student visa system and launch public consultationBy Charles Kelly?
Immigration Minister Damian Green (pictured above) has announced a new public consultation of the reform of the student visa system today and promised ?tougher entrance criteria, limits on work and an end to students staying in the UK to look for a job'.
[More]HIGH COURT BATTLE STARTS 15 DECEMBER OVER IMMIGRATION CAP
British Government keystone immigration policy under threat as Judicial Review gets go ahead
7 December 2010
A?Battle Royal is set to commence?on the 15th December in London's High Court (above) when a major challenge to the British government's immigration policy will take place.?
A Judicial Review which puts the UK government in the firing line has been allowed to go ahead by a judge, which has meant a three day hearing is to take place leaving the Home Office's immigration policy in tatters if it wins.??
A trade body representing care home operators in the UK has taken the unusual step of financing a challenge to the British government over its immigration cap for non-EU migrants which it claims will seriously put at risk care homes in Britain.
UK legal firm Aston Brooke are representing ECCA in their legal challenge.
[FULL DETAILS OF LEGAL CHALLENGE]UK IMMIGRATION MATTERS & NEWS
6 December 2010
UK Immigration Cap Already In Place For Care Industry
By Cynthia Barker
London Views: Battersea Power Station
This week the government announced a cap of 21,700 on the number of skilled workers from outside the European Economic Area allowed into the UK. The cap represents a cut of 6,300 on the figure for 2009.
[More]UK'S STRINGENT NEW IMMIGRATION CONTROLS REVEALED BY HOME SECRETARY
5 December 2010
A number of new measures will strictly control the numbers that can come to the UK and work from outside Europe, UK Home Secretary Theresa May recently announced.
[More]EU TRYING TO TAKE OVER UK IMMIGRATION LAWS
5 December 2010
UK & Canadian Immigration News
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London Views: See if you can spot London; a satellite image from NASA of frozen Britain. This week unprecedented frozen weather in November hit the UK causing chaos, 7 people reported dead
European Union bureaucrats are planning to take ?unprecedented control' over Britain's immigration and criminal justice systems, according to a report this week by Open Europe. But the report fails to mention that migrants are already exercising rights to stay (or bring in extended family) in the UK under EEA law.
[More]IMMIGRATION NEWS FOR THE UK & CANADA
21 November 2010
London Views: Traffic crush looking down Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament. Photo credit: Joseph Plotz
Non-EU migrants should be cut by 25%, says MAC
[More]BLOOD ON THE CARPET AS UK GOVERNMENT TO SLASH MIGRANT NUMBERS
18 November 2010
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Many Filipinos who were hoping to see the Royal wedding next year will be out of luck - the government is to act on a committee report and slash migrant numbers into the UK
The number of migrant workers coming to Britain from outside the EU should be cut by between up to 25% next year, a British government committee has decided.
[Details & Full Report]TIER 4 UK VISA DETAILS & OTHER IMMIGRATION MATTERS
London Views - Snowdon Aviary in London Zoo
Photo Credit: Heena Mistry
IMMIGRATION NEWS?
The UK Border Agency has recently implemented a number of important changes to Tier 4 visas.
[FULL DETAILS & OTHER IMMIGRATION NEWS]UK CARE WORKERS - JUDICIAL REVIEW BEFORE 21 DECEMBER ORDERS JUDGE
9 November 2010
The English Community Care Association (ECCA) has instructed Aston Brooke Solicitors to initiate a judicial review against proposals put forward by the Secretary of State Theresa May which could cap the numbers of care workers after 2011.
[More]IMMIGRATION MATTERS - UK & CANADA
??London Views - Albert Bridge?the second oldest original bridge over the River Thames?that has?never been replaced lit up at night
The latest on immigration news concerning the UK & Canada?
[More]
UK IMMIGRATION - TIER 2 SPONSORSHIP CHANGES
2 November 2010
The UK Border Agency has published refined criteria which will be applied to Tier 2 (General) sponsors' requests for additional certificates of sponsorship.
The criteria have been refined to give sponsors greater certainty.
[More]UK STUDENT VISAS - CHANGING COLLEGES & OTHER IMMIGRATION NEWS
Immigration Matters
London Images: A view across the gardens to the Palm House in Kew Gardens
By Cynthia Barker Probably the most common questions in my mailbox relate to student visas.
[More]IMMIGRATION NEWS ROUND-UP
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Tier 1 Visa October limit is reached for overseas applications say UKBA
[More]?
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVISORS: NEW REVELATIONS SHOW "FAILON NGAYON" PROGRAM FOOLED BY COMPLAINANTS
22 October 2010
Suspicions are growing that part of the campaign to discredit International Student Advisors (ISA) has been fuelled by students trying to get out of repaying loans made to them before they left the Philippines to travel to the UK.
[More]TIER 2 VISAS: ADDITIONAL DATES ADDED BY LEGAL TEAM OVER JUDICIAL REVIEW
19 October 2010
In view of the overwhelming response. Aston Brooke's are extending their Judicial Review conferences regarding the Tier 2 Visa issue.
So many people have expressed an interest both in the Judicial Review and securing their Tier 2 Visas that 3 extra dates have been added, these are:
22 October, 29 October and 5 November - Full details below
[FULL DETAILS]
ABS-CBN's "FAILON NGAYON" BLUNDERS AFTER SHAMBOLIC INVESTIGATION INTO "ILLEGAL RECRUITER"
16 October 2010
Ted Failon (top) fronted an "expose" into International Students Advisors which was seriously flawed
What looked on the face of it an investigative program's expose of a rogue company ruthlessly exploiting Filipino's wishing to go abroad has now been exposed as an incompetent shambles.
ABS-CBN's Saturday evening flagship program "Failon Ngayon", fronted by Ted Failon, went after British-Filipino company International Students Advisors (ISA) in the wake of the PNP's CIDG conducting a massive raid on the company's Manila headquarters which also ended in shambles when the Fiscal ordered the immediate release of all those arrested. This raid itself followed a failed (and almost certainly illegal) attempt by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to close down ISA which resulted in the closure attempt being thrown out by the Mandayulong court.
[More]NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS ATTACK UK MIGRATION CAP
12 October 2010
Nobel prize-winners join the lobby calling for a re-think on the UK Government's proposed limit on skilled migration
Michael Crick (l) was British, James Watson (c) was American and Maurice Wilkins from New Zealand; DNA might never have been discovered had a migration cap been in place in the 1950's
[More]
BRITISH TIER 2 VISAS - JUDICIAL REVIEW FINAL CONFERENCE
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12 October 2010
Tier 2 visa judicial review - final conference this Friday full details below
Aston Brooke has been holding regular conferences to allow students, work permit and Tier 2 holders to stay in the UK, in preparation for the Judicial Review which is to be lodged against the Home Office to force them to alter their stance.
[FULL DETAILS]UK IMMIGRATION NEWS - NEW LAWS ON EQUALITY COME INTO BEING
7 October 2010
NEW EQUALITY RULES NOW IN FORCE IN THE UK?The rules apply whether you are a UK resident worker or on a work permit or student visa.
[More]UK TIER 2 POLICY GUIDANCE RULE CHANGES
3 October 2010
The following are excerpts from the new Tier 2 policy guidance document which has been released by the UK Border's Agency.
[More]IMMIGRATION NEWS
2 October 2010
UK BORDERS AGENCY STEPPING UP RAIDS
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Interim destination after arrest, a Borders Agency detention center (above), then onto a plane out of the UK?
[More]
UK's INTERIM IMMIGRATION CAPS: MINISTERS FACE HIGH COURT BATTLE VIA JUDICIAL REVIEW
26 September 2010
26 September 2010
A London based company, Aston Brooke Solicitors, have launched a Judicial Review to fight against the new immigration caps brought by the British government.? Acting on behalf of the English Community Care Association which represents care home operators in the UK, they will be challenging the new caps which will affect students, work permit and Tier 2 visa holders from outside the European Union
Aston Brookes will also be holding a series of 3 conferences at their offices in Harrow, beginning 27th September, then the 1st and 8th October.
[FULL DETAILS OF THE CHALLENGE & CONFERENCES]IMMIGRATION NEWS
Vince Cable Says Immigration Cap Damaging British Industry
In his blog, BBC Business Editor Robert Preston adds his voice to the growing?business and political?lobby over concerns that the immigration cap is having on commercial life in the UK
[More]CHANGES IN CANADIAN LAWS TAKING EFFECT vs CARER HIRING
The following press?release shows that changes in Canadian laws are having an effect on the recruitment of carers from outside Canada. Whether it was intentional is not known, but the?effects are being seen already
[More]IMMIGRATION NEWS
KGB HAD ILLEGAL?IMMIGRANTS WORKING AT HOUSE OF COMMONS? (Story below)
Major Immigration news and information
[FULL DETAILS & MORE STORIES]PINOYS DEPORTED AFTER MAJOR RAID ON NURSING HOME
1 September?2010
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By Charles Kelly?
Nine illegal foreign workers, arrested during an immigration operation at a care home in Poulner, Ringwood Hampshire in southern England, have been deported
[More]SENIOR CARERS IN THE UK: GOOD NEWS ON RENEWING VISAS
Landmark Decision: Aston Brooke wins the fight to grant Overseas Senior Carer Work Permit Holders settlement in the UK without a Judicial Review
By Kashif Majeed
Aston Brooke Solicitors has been at the forefront of catering and protecting the interests of senior carers over the last few years and had recently taken on the fight against the UK Border Agency to grant work permit holders who have the right to stay in the UK.
[More]TIER 4 SPONSORSHIP SUSPENSIONS HIT BY HIGH COURT RULING
27 May 2010
NVQ COLLEGES GET?PERMISSION FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW AFTER JUDGE CRITICIZES BORDERS AGENCY
Judge says Home Secretary's decisions "make no sense" and "legally flawed"?
Intense lobbying from British universities, along with other scandals, had set the Home Office on a massive drive to close down independent colleges offering NVQ training by removing colleges ability to grant sponsorship of non-EU students.
This push for closure, which has meant increased inspections by the Borders...
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ROGUE IMMIGRATION ADVISER CONVICTED IN A BRITISH COURT
12 May 2010
Former BUPA executive Angelique Blin?convicted of visa/immigration charges?- desperate attempt at claiming "ministerial exemption" proved false
London
Angelique Blin who traded under the name of Overseas Angels was finally convicted in a London court yesterday. Formerly with British health care giant BUPA (originally called?the British United Provident Association) heading their group's HR department bringing into the UK foreign nurses and healthcare workers, Blin branched out on...
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NEW UK GOVERNMENT WILL MEAN TIGHTER IMMIGRATION CONTROLS
12 May 2010
First coalition in 70 years will mean a cap on immigration, no amnesty
London
Britain's first coalition government since the Second World War has been formed between the Conservatives (Cons)?and the Liberal Democrats (LibDems).
Led by Cons leader David Cameron who became Prime Minister Tuesday night, LibDem leader Nick Clegg becomes deputy PM. The deal struck gives the LibDems 5 seats in the cabinet.
More crucially, there was a lot...
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