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Immigration cases
Secretary of State for the Home Department v SK (Sri Lanka) [2012] EWCA Civ 16 (19 January 2012) Thu January 19
TM, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2012] EWCA Civ 9 (18 January 2012) Wed January 18
Naved (Student - fairness - notice of points) Pakistan [2012] UKUT 14 (IAC) (13 January 2012) Fri January 13
UKBA news
New application form and guidance for Bulgarian and Romanian applications Mon January 16
The UK Border Agency has published a new version of Form BR3, which is used to apply for an accessio
Update for Tier 4 sponsors: educational oversight and other changes Tue January 10
An update for Tier 4 sponsors about educational oversight and information about changes coming into
Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) - new procedure for Arts Council England endorsement Tue January 3
From today, applicants under Tier 1 (Exceptional talent) of the points-based system must follow a ne
Taiwan is added to the Tier 5 youth mobility scheme Thu December 22
From 1 January 2012, Taiwan will join the list of countries and territories that participate in the
London 2012 Games spectators: visa applications open from 1 January 2012 Tue December 20
From 1 January 2012 you can apply for visitor visas to come to the UK to watch the Games.
Getting Legal Advice
If you have come across this blog and website while searching for legal advice, we are sorry to say that it is not possible for us to give legal advice here.
Immigration lawyers in the UK are regulated by the Bar Standards Board, the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. You can search their websites for information about properly regulated lawyers.
As a guide, a lawyer who has passed the Legal Services Commission accreditation examinations in immigration and asylum law should know what he or she is talking about and will have a certificate to prove it. However, some good lawyers refused to sit these examinations and lawyers who do not provide Legal Aid (means tested government funded legal advice) do not need to sit the exams. Some not-so-good lawyers may have passed these examinations. They are not therefore an absolute guarantee of quality.
If you are searching for a good immigration lawyer, the first website to mention is the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) directory of members. ILPA do not regulate members so membership is no guarantee of quality, but it does suggest that the firm concerned has more than a passing interest in immigration law. The website of the Community Legal Service, is also worth checking. The website includes a search facility that enables you to look for firms in your own area, including those specialising in immigration and asylum work. You can also search for solicitors by area of speciality and geographical location by the Law Society website (the Law Society represents and regulates solicitors).
Not for profit organisations such as law centres, the Immigration Advisory Service, Refugee and Migrant Justice, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and Asylum Aid are reputable.
There are also some websites that offer basic immigration advice. The Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office both have a series of downloadable leaflets and online information, for applications made inside and outside the UK respectively.
