Immigration News - Visa and Immigration appeals on the increase, long wait at Heathrow

Visa and Immigration appeals on the increase, long wait at Heathrow

LONDON June 16: Immigration delays and problems are not exclusive to non-EU travellers at London’s Heathrow airport.

Processing delays, as well as refusals, are increasingly being experienced by migrants applying for visa extensions, indefinite leave to remain and UK Naturalisation or British Citizenship.

Even EU citizens are not exempt from long waits to exercise treaty rights.

Yellow Card applications for Bulgarians and Romanians are taking up to six months on postal applications and getting an appointment to hand in the documents at the Croydon public office is like trying to get a ticket for the London Olympics.

A year ago it took 3 to 4 weeks to obtain a yellow card to study and work in the UK.

Anecdotal evidence from immigration advisers suggest an upsurge in immigration and visa appeal cases, as more refusals are dished out for cases which they say would have been granted in the past. Despite the abolition of student visa appeal rights, following the introduction of Tier 4 of the points based system in 2009, the waiting rooms at Taylor House and Hatton Cross First Tier Tribunal hearing centres look as packed as ever.