Time Spent As Extended Family Member Without Recognition Does Not Count

In Selim Macastena v SSHD [2018] EWCA Civ 1558 the Court of Appeal considered whether the time spent in a  durable relationship with a woman, who is an EEA national with permanent residence, can be added to the 5 year requirement of continuous residence in order...

Upper Tribunal Rules on Protection Claims by Ukraine Draft-Evaders

As the war in Eastern Ukraine rages on, there has been a marked increase in the number of Ukrainians migrating to the UK. Many of them are young men seeking asylum, evading the military draft re-introduced in Ukraine on 1 May 2014. The scope of the draft was expanded...

Section 3C Explained: A Flowchart for Human Rights Applications

As direct access barristers working at Richmond Chambers, we have had countless lay clients approach us with one question: am I protected by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971?  This can at times be a complicated question, particularly when the Home Office...

Latest on TOEIC/ETS cases - Court of Appeal case of Khan

Those familiar with TOEIC/ETS deception cases will be aware that these cases have led to a considerable amount of litigation. The latest Court of Appeal case of Khan & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWCA Civ 1684 follows from the relatively...

Delay in Immigration Tribunal Decision-Making

Delay is a common concept in the context of decision making by UK Visas & Immigration.  In SS (Sri Lanka) [2018] EWCA Civ 139, the Court of Appeal recently considered delay in the promulgation of judgments/determinations in the Immigration Tribunal. Lord...

Immigration Appeal Adjournments in the First-tier Immigration Tribunal

Although waiting times for an immigration appeal in the UK are currently very long, with an average of 12 months, there may be circumstances where an adjournment is necessary to allow further time to properly prepare an appeal. This is explored further in this...

High Court and Court of Appeal criticise conduct of legal representatives

The High Court and Court of Appeal have been very vocal over the past week in their criticism of legal representatives’ preparation of immigration cases. As I set out in detail in an earlier post, in Parveen v SSHD [2018] EWCA Civ 932, promulgated on...

Immigration Lawyers Must Focus On Facts Not Law, Says Court Of Appeal

Yesterday the Court of Appeal considered the case of Parveen v The Secretary State for the Home Department [2018] EWCA Civ 932, on appeal from an oral permission hearing in the Upper Tribunal to judicially review the decision. Underhill LJ’s final paragraph...

Section 3C leave & Judicial review - Has it come to an end or not?

In the current version (8.0) of her policy, titled “Leave extended by section 3C (and leave extended by section 3D in transitional cases)”, published on 6 March 2017, the Secretary of State for the Home Department mentions on four occasions that...

How to challenge a visit visa refusal by Judicial Review

The largest category of entry clearance visas granted are visit visas issued to those who want to visit the UK. We are receiving an increasing number of enquiries from those who have been refused a visit visa and want advice on how to challenge this. There...

Does the protection of section 3C extend to out of time appeals?

Whether a migrant is protected under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 (“s.3C”) is often not too complicated to figure out. If they have made an in-time application and a decision is received after the expiry of their leave, then their leave is automatically...

Sham marriages, marriages of convenience and the burden of proof

The effectiveness of freedom of movement for EEA nationals depends on the right of their partners to reside with them. However, their ability to exercise this right may be obstructed by the increasingly enthusiastic efforts of the Home Office to prevent abuse by...