In August 2012, the university became the first in the UK to be restricted in this way, after an investigation revealed that more than 25% of students sampled were not allowed to be in the country, while others did not have the necessary English skills.

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: “We have worked closely with university staff to ensure that London Met standards were improved. As a result the university now meets the required standards and we are able to grant a licence.”

Harper said the university will be on probation for a period of 12 months, “in order to build a track record of compliance with the rules for sponsoring students to study in the UK”.

During this time, only 1000 international students may be offered places at the university.

Malcolm Gillies, Vice-Chancellor at the London Metropolitan University described the announcement as “excellent news for our students and our university”.

But all is not forgiven. After the license was revoked in 2012, the university pursued legal action in a bid to overturn the ban. They will be continuing with this action in the High Court and the case is due to be heard before the end of the year.

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The UKBA says that there has been an increase in sham marriages since foreign nationals no longer need to apply to the Home Office to get married.

To counter this, UKBA has established routine liaison with registration office staff in order to identify suspicious weddings. Immigration Officers follow up with “Abuse Enforcement Visits” at the time the marriage is to take place and arrest the offending parties. Those detained are placed in immigration removal centres and face almost certain deportation.

Sham marriages on the rise

Between March 2011 and March 2012 197 arrests were made in the UK and 27 in Scotland, as a result of these visits.

In April, a Pakistani man was arrested at the registration office in Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, when he was attempting to marry a woman from Poland. His visa expired nearly two years ago.

According to Fiona McBeth of the UKBA, there are many different scenarios that lead to people attempting to marry for a visa.

“Sometimes you get a bride who has been duped – who thinks that the groom is madly in love with her and he is only doing it because his visa has run out. Sometimes the bride or groom is doing it for money – they will be paid and they think it is easy because their home country won’t know they are married so they can go home and get married at another time.”

Ms McBeth was also quoted as saying that often people with EU citizenship formed one half of the wedding party. If a foreign national marries a British national they have to apply to stay in the UK; it is easier to marry an EU national because if the EU national is exercising their treaty rights then their spouse is automatically entitled to the same rights.

Wrongful arrest

A couple wrongly suspected of a ‘sham marriage’ in 2011 had their wedding day ruined when police arrested them in front of their guests moments before the ceremony was to begin.

Neil McElwee and his pregnant Chinese fiancée Yanan Sun were held for five harrowing hours and were only released when their solicitor became involved.

For advice or information on UK visas, visit www.1stcontactvisas.com.

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Q: I am a 22-year old South African woman, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies. Before I start working full-time in South Africa (possibly in Marketing), I would like to spend a year in the UK.  I can live with my sister, who was transferred to the UK 2 years ago, through her (UK-based) company. I could also secure an Au Pair job with family friends for the duration of my stay…  What are my chances at being granted a Tier 5 visa for a year?

– Deborah, Cape Town

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A: Hi Deborah

Thank you for your enquiry.

Unfortunately the UK no longer offers the Working holiday visa for South Africans. Anyone wanting to work in the UK must either have a skilled job offer, or a parent / grandparent born in the UK.

The Tier 5 Youth Mobility scheme doesn’t apply to South Africans; however the Tier 5 creative and sporting category may be of interest to you if you’re a model or actress.

If you would like more information regarding our Nationality tracing service, please feel free to email us at immigration@1stcontact.com if you need further information.

1st Contact Visas

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Nick Clegg’s 2010 general election manifesto stated that those who had been in the country for a decade or more, speak English and have a clean criminal record would be allowed to stay in the UK.

But harsh criticism has since made Mr Clegg realise that the move would “risk undermining public confidence”. He said last week that at the time the Liberal Democrats were championing the idea, it seemed to make sense to allow overstayers to pay tax and contribute to society, rather than “living in the shadows”.

“Despite the policy’s aims, it was seen by many people as a reward for those who have broken the law,” he said. “That is why I am no longer convinced this specific policy should be retained in our manifesto for the next general election.”

Security bonds to prevent overstaying

In the same speech, he announced plans to run a pilot programme before the end of the year, which would see those from “high risk countries” coming into the UK paying a lump sum deposit, which would be held by the government and repaid when they leave, as long as they leave when they say they will. This would be in addition to fulfilling the normal criteria.

Crackdown on employers

Clegg said that the government was going to come down harder on unscrupulous employers who hire illegal immigrants because they are cheaper. He said he would personally like to see the cash penalty of £ 10 000 doubled.

Still many legal routes into the UK

If you would like to study or work in the UK, or suspect you might be eligible to apply for a British Passport, visit www.1stcontactvisas.com to find out more about the many legal routes into the UK.

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Home Secretary, Theresa May, said the agency had failed to balance the sheets in its five-year run and described it as a “troubled organisation” with a secretive culture.

May highlighted four main problems at the heart of the UKBA: the size; its lack of transparency; outdated IT systems; and the unsatisfactory policy and legal framework.

But the main motivation for her decision is poor performance, which she says has resulted in a backlog of more than 300 000 unresolved asylum and immigration cases.

Mrs May also said the agency was reactive and “all too often focuses on the crisis in hand at the expense of other important work.”

Blaming the previous government for introducing such an inefficient government agency, May announced that the functions of the UKBA will be handed back to the Home Office and essentially split in two: one division to deal with legitimate Visa applications and queries, and the other to deal with illegal immigrants, as well as, asylum matters. Both these divisions will be accountable to May and Immigration Minister, Mark Harper.

The decision was signed off by David Cameron and welcomed by MPs – hardly a surprise considering how much criticism the agency has received since its inception. But shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper felt differently, claiming that problems with immigration have deteriorated further on May’s watch.

“Enforcement has got worse, delays have got worse, 50 % fewer people are being refused entry at ports and borders, and you said the number of illegal immigrants removed does not keep up with the number here illegally – that’s because you’re letting rather more of them in.”

Mrs May revealed in her statement that the Home Office would present a new draft bill to parliament in its next session, aimed at simplifying immigration law and its guidelines.

We can only hope that the splitting of functions will make it easier for legitimate visa applicants. If you would like to make sure you aren’t refused by inefficiencies, use 1st Contact Visas.

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The South African Department of Internal Affairs announced that they were in talks with the UK government about revising the UK visa requirements introduced five years ago.

South Africa enjoyed visa-free status with the UK until March 2008, when the UK revoked this status after a British court heard that at least 6 000 illegal Asian immigrants had been smuggled into the UK on South African passports.

The South African government has said that internal corruption has since been eradicated and that strict measures have been taken over the last five years to clean up the national population register and redesign the security features of South African passports.

According to a government spokesman, South Africa has followed best practice procedures to monitor movements at all entry and exit points. At OR Tambo International Airport, the fingerprints of every traveller using a South African passport are checked against the national population register to ensure that the passport holder is indeed a South African citizen.

A decision by UKBA to restore South Africa’s visa-free status will no doubt be welcomed by thousands of South Africans, who for the last five years have had to pay dearly and deal with a lot of red tape in order to visit the UK on business or holiday trips.

For any UK Visa queries, please visit www.1stcontactvisas.com or call 0800 003 163 (from South Africa.)

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There has been a 9.9 % increase in the number of Chinese students applying to UK universities and a 19.3 % increase on applications from India, compared to a year ago.

These figures are quite the opposite to the predictions of universities and immigration advocates who criticised the government’s recent actions, accusing them of damaging the UK’s reputation and putting one of the country’s most profitable industries at risk.

Immigration Minister, Mark Harper, says the increase in non-EEA student applications is “further proof that the UK remains open to the brightest and the best and international students”.

“This shows that despite stories to the contrary, students continue to want to come to the UK to study at our world class universities,” he added.

The highest increases in applications are from Malaysia (25% increase) and Italy (a 22% increase). In absolute numbers, China has recorded the largest number of applications, at almost 7000.

If you would like to apply for a UK student visa, visit www.1stcontactvisas.com. Alternatively, you can call 0808 141 1664 (in UK); 021 657-2180 (in South Africa); or 1800 039 300 (in Australia).

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The UK Border Agency has also updated the Life in the UK test handbook which will include a bigger focus on; British culture and history, as well as, information on democracy, the UK legal system, British landmarks and British achievements in the fields of science, sport and culture. The revised handbook will be on shelves for 8 weeks prior to the introduction of the new test.

The test will be more comprehensive, with candidates tested on all sections of the new handbook, including the sections on UK history and the law. The handbook will also contain a much larger section detailing the privileges and responsibilities that come with permanent residence and includes handy ‘check that you understand’ boxes after each section, as well as, a glossary of key words.

You can find out more about the ‘Life in the UK’ Test at www.lifeintheuktest.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

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Gail was very well-known within the Antipodean and South African community, and will always be remembered as a very hard worker. It was not uncommon for her to see up to 50 people a day and despite her failing health, she continued to consult with clients up until early December.

As a registered nurse, Gail set up a Travel Clinic alongside the ex-Travel Deals Travel Agency in Acton in the 1990’s.

When the 1st Contact Group bought the travel agency in 2000, Gail decided to join the company and remained an integral part of the clinic and a dedicated and passionate part of the 1st Contact family.

Her colleagues are extremely saddened by her passing and the company has inaugurated a Memorial Shield in her memory.

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Forgetting to renew your visa in time is a common absent-minded mistake that many visitors to the UK make. This results in a very unpleasant experience and will result in you having to leave the UK permanently, and what’s more, you could also have serious travel and monetary repercussions.

It is also important to bare in mind that most visa categories take 6 months for a decision and your passport will be held permanently during this.

Don’t be faced with this type of situation – make sure you are up to date with the status of your visa and use 1^st Contact to secure a fast track appointment and get your UKBA decision the same day.

Majority of cases are concluded the same day, however IT or technical issues have been known to delay a visa every now and then.

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