There has been a lot of news here recently about the UK Govt introducing new caps on immigration - lots of figures being bandied around but little on the substance of how it will be accomplished. One area that has been mentioned is a cut in family immigration. Does anyone have any insights or thoughts about this?
Some of the questions in my mind are :-
1. Will this affect spouse/fiancee applications? It shouldnt do as the UK Govt is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights. If so, then what family immigration are they talking about?
2. When will these caps be introduced i.e. from what date. When the government talks about yearly immigration figures when does the year start and finish - eg is it April to March like the tax year?
3. There is also lots of news about cuts in UKBA staff - would this include Entry Clearance staff in embassies leading to a return to long waiting times for visas? If so, when will these staff reduction start from?
4. Will the Government have to pass new legislation (i.e. Acts of Parliament) or does it just instruct civil servants to implement its policies?
Anyone got a crystal ball?
Cheers
Alfie
