As yet another year is coming to a close, which once again seems to have happened ridiculously quickly, we at Cross Border Legal Solicitors would like to send our best wishes for the festive season to you and your families. We hope 2024 brings success and good fortune in all endeavours you pursue. It has been a pleasure getting to know and assisting all our clients and their families this year.
Matters Immigration…
2023 has been a year of great tribulations and increased expense to migrant families, prompted by a significant hike in net immigration, which in this pre-election year has caused the government to propose a raft of measures to reduce it.
This has included increasing application fees and the cost of priority services in April and October, changing the rules of Student Visas to stop students from switching to a work visa before the completion of their studies, which came into effect in July 2023, and removing their ability to bring Dependants, which will start in January 2024.
The government has increased the Immigration Health Surcharge by passing new legislation, which will come into effect in January 2024. As things stand, they are still pursuing the Rwanda policy, which the Supreme Court has held to be unlawful. Still, the government now has a new proposal in parliament that they hope will deter people from crossing the channel to claim asylum via France. They have also proposed a significant increase to the income requirements for Spouse and work visas, which has been of particular concern to many of our clients. We are hoping this one will not be implemented as proposed…
There have been some positives, with the government expanding the shortage occupation list in July in reaction to the acute shortage of workers in the construction and fishing industries. This now includes jobs such as bricklayers, carpenters, and fishermen.
The firm…
Cross Border Legal Solicitors are grateful for another blessed year; we have successfully assisted numerous clients in obtaining visas and reuniting with their families. We helped others come out of the shadows by regularising their stay in the UK. We also had a recent client whose case was picked up by the BBC and other media as an example of how bad things can get.
It was heart-warming to see their local community showing their support and demonstrating that the general British public is not affected by the same anti-immigrant sentiments as the government.
A big thanks to all…
Thank you for being a customer and/or supporter of our Solicitor Law firm, Cross Border Legal; we have been genuinely humbled by the continued positivity on social media, numerous feedback testimonials, and the trust bestowed upon us to deal with very personal matters, by people who we may have never met in person. We are delighted to have you as customers, supporters, followers, and friends. We look forward to serving you in the New Year.
Closing to recharge…
Office Closed for Holiday: Please note that we will be out of the office from noon 22nd of December 2023 until the 2nd of January 2024, without access to email or phone for general inquiries, Santas orders, etc… If this is an extreme emergency, please call 999! (If you are a current client with a genuine immigration emergency, you know how to contact me directly.)