IMMIGRATION MATTERS
Amnesty for asylum seekers
By Charles Kelly
11 October 2009
A leaked secret memo reveals Home Office officials changed guidelines in order to grant indefinite leave to remain to 40,000 people because it is going to be too difficult to remove them, the Daily Telegraph reports.
They are among the backlog of 450,000 historic ‘legacy’ asylum cases which ministers have pledged to clear by 2011, even though many of the individuals would have eventually been removed.
It is alleged that some of the claimants have been in the country for as little as four years and will be allowed to stay because of the delays in processing claims.
Migrants on working visas must wait five years before being granted indefinite leave or residency. They also face stringent checks and must pass a Life in the UK test.
Many Senior Carers have been refused ILR because they have a gap in their work history - a gap caused by the UK Border Agency's change in policy on Senior Carer Work Permits and subsequent transitional arrangements, which eventually led to a further change in the rules allowing the workers to renew their permits and visas. Thousands were caught out by earlier changes in the qualification period required for ILR from 4 to 5 years.
Thousands of working migrants will be affected by the new rules on ‘Earned Citizenship’ and the transitional arrangements announced this year, which will result in many waiting up to eight years to earn the right to stay permanently in the UK . Full story…
