By Free Movement

This is where we keep tabs on changes to UK immigration laws, rules and procedures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve been trying to keep this post continually up to date rather than covering new coronavirus developments as separate blog posts that may become rapidly out of date.

Material that has been added or updated from one version of this post to the next is labelled NEW or UPDATED. Use the page contents to jump quickly to a particular section.

For a while there, we were updating this page every couple of days, but things are starting to settle down and updates are accordingly less frequent. In between updates, you can keep an eye on the now weighty collections of coronavirus guidance from the Home Office and the Judicial Office.

Free Movement members with a specific question not addressed here may wish to check the forum in case it has been asked and answered there.

Visa extensions and other concessions

Some people who were in the UK when the pandemic hit were unable to leave before the expiry of their visa because of travel restrictions. The government had been extending people’s visas through a simplified online application process, but that concession is now pretty much at an end.

The first version of the coronavirus concession was introduced on 17 February 2020. It unilaterally conferred leave to remain until 31 March to Chinese citizens whose UK visas expired between 24 January and 30 March. It also allowed non-Chinese, non-EEA nationals in the UK who were normally resident in China to get an extension of leave by emailing in to request one.

The concession was updated to cover all nationalities on 24 March. People in the UK on an expiring visa were able to have it extended to 31 May.

Between 24 March and 6 April, the Home Office wanted applications for an extension under this policy to be submitted by email to the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre (see below). That set-up was then replaced with an online form.

On 22 May the Home Office extended the concession to 31 July and later bolted on a “grace period” allowing people to stay until 31 August. As the main coronavirus guidance page summed up the position:

To allow time to make the necessary arrangements to leave the UK, if you have a visa or leave that was due to expire between the 24 January 2020 and 31 August 2020, you’ll be able to stay within the UK to 31 August 2020.

The Home Office also said that it didn’t need to be notified if someone needed to stay on during the grace period.

What about now that the grace period is over? It is still possible to request additional time to stay in individual cases, although only if your visa expires between 1 September and 31 October. The Home Office calls this “exceptional assurance”:

If you are granted ‘exceptional assurance’ it will act as a short-term protection against any adverse action or consequences after your leave has expired. Exceptional assurance does not grant you leave.

Helpfully, when exceptional assurance was first introduced it was called “exceptional indemnity”. People requesting exceptional indemnity/assurance need to contact the coronavirus helpline to explain why they can’t leave by 31 October. The guidance emphasises that anyone whose leave expired before 31 August is too late to apply for exceptional assurance and “must make arrangements to leave the UK”.

The guidance also allows people to apply for further leave to remain in the UK even “where you would usually need to apply for a visa from your home country” — provided that if the applicant is “urgent”.

The Home Office announced on 31 March that around 2,800 doctors, nurses and paramedics with leave due to expire by 1 October would get a free one-year extension. Family members are included and there are no fees involved.

On 29 April, the department announced that it was extending the scheme to cover other frontline workers, including midwives, radiographers, social workers and pharmacists” with visas due to expire before 1 October.

A letter to the Home Affairs Committee on the same date confirmed that the extensions are available to anyone on the list of professions covered who is subject to immigration control, “not just sponsored migrant workers on a Tier 2 (General) or Tier 5 visa”.

The full list of eligible professions appears in a gov.uk guidance page:

biochemist

biological scientist

dental practitioner

health professional

medical practitioner

medical radiographer

midwife

nurse

occupational therapist

ophthalmologist

paramedic

pharmacist

physiotherapist

podiatrist

psychologist

social worker

speech and language therapist

therapy professional

Anyone whose visa expires after 1 October 2020 will have to pay for an extension as normal.

Family members of NHS workers who die from COVID-19 can get indefinite leave to remain for free. On 20 May, this was extended to cover “NHS support staff and social care workers” as well. This should be automatic, but those affected can contact UKVINHSTeam@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Another group of people under particular pressure during the crisis is families where one partner is on, or about to apply for, a spouse visa. Loss of earnings as a result of the coronavirus-induced economic crash may mean that the family fall foul of the financial requirements.

Until 8 June there was no published concession for people in this situation. There is now a section of the guidance on Changes to the minimum income and adequate maintenance requirement. It says:

If you’ve experienced a loss of income due to coronavirus up to 31 August, we will consider employment income for the period immediately before the loss of income due to coronavirus, provided the requirement was met for at least 6 months up to March 2020. If your salary has reduced because you’re furloughed, we will take account of your income as though you’re earning 100% of your salary. If you’re self-employed, a loss of annual income due to coronavirus between 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2020 will generally be disregarded, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications.

Students

The Home Office released a separate guidance document about coronavirus and student visas on 20 April. It covers a number of temporary immigration concessions for those on Tier 4 and short-term student visas which “will be withdrawn once the situation returns to normal”.

The section of the document aimed at individual students covers things like:

Distance learning: now permitted. This is both for existing students and, since a 16 June update, for new students “provided they intend to transition to face-to-face learning as soon as circumstances allow”.

Extending an existing Tier 4 visa: students can do so in-country “provided they do so before the expiry of their current leave, or, if their leave expired between 24 January and 31 August and they were granted an extension, by 31 August, or by 1 October if they have been issued an ‘exceptional assurance’”.

Police registration: students normally required to do this need to check if their particular police force is facilitating it. If not, they can register “once social distancing measures are lifted”.

Time limits: “discretion may be applied” if someone applies for an extension that would take them over the normal maximum period allowed on a Tier 4 (General) visa.

Graduate route: “still scheduled to be launched in summer 2021″. Students who begin their course through distance learning can still switch into it so long as they ” enter the UK before 6 April 2021 and complete the final semester of their studies in the UK”.

For short-term students, in-country switching into Tier 4 “will be allowed on an exceptional basis” until 1 October, provided the person arrived in the UK before 31 July. “Those arriving on the Visit or Short-term study route after 31 July will not be permitted to switch into Tier 4”.

This guidance also makes some concessions for sponsors, discussed below.

On 27 March, the Home Office published a coronavirus guidance page for organisations that sponsor overseas workers or students under Tiers 2, 4 and 5 of the Points Based System. It promises:

We will not take enforcement action against sponsors who continue to sponsor students or employees despite absences due to coronavirus.

Sponsors are not required to report any absences from students or employees sponsored under Tier 2, Tier 4, or Tier 5, where those absences have been the result of the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak.

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Sponsors are also not required to withdraw sponsorship for affected students who have been unable to attend for more than 60 days or for employees who have exceeded four weeks of absence without pay.

As mentioned above, Tier 4 students can now do distance learning, although if they quit the course altogether this must be reported as usual.

Similarly, Tier 2 and 5 sponsors do not need to update the Home Office if workers are now working from home provided that the switch to home working is because of the pandemic.

In an update to the guidance on 3 April, the Home Office added that employers temporarily can cut the pay of sponsored employees to 80% of salary or £2,500 a month (whichever is lower). Although it is not spelled out, the implication is that if the salary drops below the minimum, sponsorship will not have to be withdrawn as it usually would be.

There is also a short section on what happens if a sponsor has issued a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) or confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) and the person sponsored hasn’t used it to apply for a visa yet. It says, in full:

The employee or student will still be able to apply for a visa. The start date for the course or employment stated on the CoS or CAS may have changed. We will not automatically refuse such cases. For example, we may accept a CoS or CAS if they have become invalid because the employee or student was unable to travel as a result of coronavirus. We will consider this on a case by case basis.

An important addition on 14 April allows students to start their studies / employees to start working even if they are still waiting for a Tier 2, 4 or 5 application to be decided.

These concessions are reiterated in another Home Office guidance document issued on 20 April, Coronavirus (COVID-19): Tier 4 sponsors, migrants and short-term students. That document also adds some new concessions for sponsors of students. It covers:

Educational oversight: can be done remotely; “flexible approach to unavoidable delays in inspection”.

Student absences: as above, do not need to be reported if due to Covid-19. Records of such absences must however be kept.

Distance learning: as above, now permitted, even for new students.

Attendance monitoring: no need to report students for missing expected contact points if it’s because of coronavirus or if they are doing distance learning. If the latter, “where possible sponsors should use expected online contact points” but there will be no repercussions if this isn’t technically possible.

Basic compliance assessments: students who drop out because of COVID-19 don’t count.

Validity of CAS which have already been issued: “The Home Office will take a pragmatic approach to considering applications to study courses with significantly different start dates to those stated on CAS or expired CAS”.

Original documents: Appendix D record-keeping can be digital.

English language: sponsors can “self-assess students as having a B1 level of English” if a test centre is unavailable, although the latest version of the guidance stresses that many have now reopened and students should take a test as normal where possible.

The Home Office is no longer insisting that applicants provide a fresh set of fingerprints every time they extend leave. The main guidance page now says if previous fingerprints can be reused, applicants can send in a photo along with supporting documents. Where applicable, “this will mean you do not have to attend a UKVCAS or an SSC service point appointment to provide biometric information”.

On 3 September the Home Office published guidance on this and other changes to biometrics because of the pandemic. Note that it seems to be limited to certain non-asylum applications made before 1 August 2020.

Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre

As mentioned above, the Home Office has set up a coronavirus helpline. Email CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk or call 0800 678 1767 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Travel to the UK

Compulsory quarantine

International travellers arriving in England on or after 8 June 2020 were told to go into quarantine for two weeks:

To limit the spread of infection, arrivals must self-isolate for 14 days.

The quarantine requirement was dropped for people travelling to England from 59 countries and territories from 10 July, but kept in place for everywhere else. The number of exempt countries has since risen, but places can be taken off the list again suddenly (eg Spain on 26 July, Belgium on 8 August).

There are separate exemption lists for:

Journeys from within the Common Travel Area were already exempt, as were a number of specific occupations.

Expiring entry clearance

Until close to the end of April, the Home Office did not advertise any concessions for people who have secured entry clearance to the UK but can’t use it before it expires after 30 days. But on 28 April the guidance was changed. It now says:

If your 30 day visa to travel to the UK for work, study or to join family has expired, or is about to expire, you can request a replacement visa with revised validity dates free of charge until the end of this year.

Note that this does not cover visit visas. To get the free replacement, email the coronavirus helpline (see above) with “your name, nationality, date of birth and your GWF reference number” and put REPLACEMENT 30 DAY VISA as the subject line.

The replacement visa will be valid for 90 days.

All UK visa application centres overseas were closed for some time but as of mid-August most had now reopened.

To check whether the visa application centre for a particular country is open, go to the website of either TLScontact (for Europe, Africa and the Middle East) or VFS Global (for the rest of the world) and select that country from the dropdown menu.

If the visa application centre in your country is still closed, you can instead make an appointment in any other country, “subject to that country’s entry requirements”. This concession will be reviewed by 30 November; whether it is extended presumably depends on whether all VACs are back open again.

All visa application centres within the UK closed in late March. They are now reopening.

The list of centres that have reopened as of 15 September is as follows:

Bath 3 August Belfast (Core) 22 June Birmingham (Core) 1 June Birmingham (Passport Office) 3 August Birmingham Premium Lounge 1 June Bournemouth 3 August Cardiff 27 July Cardiff Bay (Core) 22 June Chelmsford 1 June Edinburgh 22 June Exeter 1 June Glasgow (Core) 22 June Gloucester 17 August Guildford 1 July Hull 20 July Ipswich 6 July Leeds 1 June London – Croydon (Core) 1 June London – Edmonton Green 20 July London – Enfield 20 July London – Edmonton Green 20 July London – Passport Office 3 August London – Lansdowne Road 13 July London – Mark Lane ESP 1 June London – Mark Lane Premium Lounge 1 June London – Stratford 7 September London – Victoria 1 June Luton 3 August Maidstone 1 July Manchester 20 July Manchester (Core) 22 June Manchester Fountain Street ESP 1 June Newcastle 20 July Norwich 13 July Nottingham 1 July Peterborough 7 September Reading 11 August Sheffield 1 June Southampton 1 June Sunderland 13 July Swindon 20 July Taunton 20 July Wolverhampton 7 September

Others will follow this month and next:

Aberdeen w/c 21 September Bristol (Bradley Stoke) w/c 19 October Cambridge w/c 14 September Coventry w/c 19 October Llandudno w/c 21 September Nottingham Library w/c 19 October Wakefield w/c 14 September

The dates in the last table are not a reliable guide; many previously advertised opening dates have been pushed back.

The non-outsourced Service and Support Centres have also re-opened but are offering a reduced number of appointments.

As mentioned above, some applicants may no longer need to attend an appointment in person if they have given their fingerprints to the Home Office before. There is more information about that change on the Sopra Steria website.

Immigration tribunal hearings

A weekly operational update from HM Courts and Tribunals Service advises on the general state of play with the First-tier and Upper Tribunals. Bail hearings have continued over video link, but substantive appeals scheduled after mid-March 2020 were cancelled. Case management hearings have been going on over the past few months to work out whether the appeal could be heard remotely, settled in some way or scheduled for a face-to-face hearing when that became possible again.

For appeals that need a face to face hearing, the tribunals are now starting to reopen for a limited number of in-person hearings at each location. Those appearing are reportedly being asked to provide the details of who will be coming in advance and declare that nobody has coronavirus.

A YouTube video recorded at Hatton Cross shows off some of the new safety arrangements for in-person hearings:

Arrangements in each hearing centre

In early July we got in touch with all the hearing centres, who helpfully provided us with an update on their reopening plans as of the first week in July. The idea in most centres was to open a couple of rooms initially and try to ensure that social distancing is maintained in the building and during the hearing itself.

Birmingham: reopened for face-to-face hearings on 6 July in two hearing rooms only. The satellite venue at Coventry Magistrates’ Court should be back up and running from 22 July. The team also hope to reopen the Nottingham satellite in August but “a definite date has yet to be finalised”.

Bradford: face-to-face hearings resumed on 6 July in a “reduced number of hearing rooms”; we understand that this number is two, plus two more for remote hearings and a fifth for bail hearings. Arrangements are “subject to ongoing review”.

Belfast: commencement of face-to-face hearings is subject to Laganside Court re-opening. The Northern Ireland Courts Service is currently carrying out a review on when this could feasibly happen.

Glasgow: the IAC is moving to the shiny new Glasgow Tribunals Centre on 27 July and expect to begin face-to-face hearings from 10 August, but only in one court per day initially.

Harmondsworth: still staff only; no plans to reopen at present.

Hatton Cross: aiming to resume face-to-face hearings in August. Four rooms will be available initially “with a view to increase should this be successful”.

Manchester: no reply from the tribunal, but our man on the ground says that face-to-face hearings restart on 13 July. Initially only one room will be in use, but the plan is to move to two and then eventually three.

Newcastle (formerly North Shields): starting up again on 9 July. “A reduced number of hearing rooms are available at this time due to social distancing measures and will be subject to ongoing review”.

Newport: three hearing rooms have been made available for face-to-face hearings; “this will be reviewed on an ongoing basis in line with government guidelines in relation to social distancing”.

Taylor House: already back open with face-to-face hearings scheduled throughout July, but only four hearing rooms will be in use (at most). Consultation rooms have been closed and empty hearing rooms used for consultations instead. There is hand sanitiser everywhere and “touch points” such as door handles are being cleaned regularly. All seating is now two metres apart and parties are being asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before the hearing is listed. More details in the Plan for face to face hearings at Taylor House Hearing Centre (Word doc download).

Yarl’s Wood: Arrangements are in place for face-to-face hearings to restart “soon”. Social distancing measures have been put in place in the waiting areas and hearing rooms. “Risk assessments will be conducted regularly and extra cleaning will take place during breaks between hearings”.

Remote hearings

Other appeals will be heard remotely. The Senior President of Tribunals issued an emergency practice direction on 19 March which says:

Where it is reasonably practicable and in accordance with the overriding objective to hear the case remotely (that is in any way that is not face-to-face, but which complies with the definition of ‘hearing’ in the relevant Chamber’s procedure rules), it should be heard remotely.

A First-tier Tribunal user guide, last updated on 31 July, goes into more detail on remote hearing arrangements. It says that the plan for August through December 2020 is that “judges will continue to identify cases where a face-to-face hearing is required, and those which can appropriately be conducted remotely”. Appendix 1 to the user guide gives some guidance on how to use technology like BT MeetMe and Cloud Video Platform, as well as the rules for remote hearings (“everyone must treat remote hearings as seriously as if they were in a Tribunal Centre”).

The user guide was first published on 11 June, along with a practice statement (No 2 of 2020) on arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, which includes instructions on lodging appeals online.

There are three annexes to the new practice statement:

Directions on cases lodged using MyHMCTS Different directions on cases not lodged using MyHMCTS Directions for appellants with no lawyer

For Upper Tribunal arrangements, the key document Presidential guidance note No 1 of 2020: Arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic. It states that “If a hearing is necessary, the ‘default’ option during the pandemic is, therefore, that the hearing should be conducted remotely“.

Asylum

Intake

Registering an initial asylum claim must still be done in person, but no longer has to be at Lunar House in Croydon. The Home Office announced on 22 April that “the AIU in Croydon will continue to function as normal but will additionally be supported by limited operations in Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Leeds, Solihull and Cardiff”.

Asylum seekers in Great Britain can make an appointment to register their asylum claim by calling 0300 123 4193. (In Northern Ireland, they are advised to turn up at Stockman House between 9am and 5pm.) Walking in without first making an appointment is discouraged but possible if the person “has nowhere to live” and needs to get into the asylum system to get accommodation.

The Home Office has published the Preliminary information questionnaire for asylum claims on its website.

However, those making further submissions with a view to have their case considered as a fresh claim have since 18 March been able to lodge them by email (CSUEC@homeoffice.gov.uk) or post instead of turning up in Liverpool in person.

It took a global pandemic to suspend a foolish and harsh policy, but at last @ukhomeoffice suspending punitive requirement to make further submissions in person. — alison harvey (@aliromah) March 18, 2020

Interviews

Substantive asylum interviews were cancelled from 19 March. They are now resuming remotely in line with Home Office guidance published on 6 August. The document says that “there will be a phased resumption of interviewing which utilises remote interviewing via video conferencing, but we are aiming to resume face to face interviews as soon as we are able to do so”.

In the first phase, asylum applicants will be asked to attend in person but ushered into an interview room where they will talk to the caseworker and interpreter over video link. Legal representatives can come along if the room is “large enough to adhere to social distancing”. Otherwise, they can join remotely.

The guidance states that

Where it becomes clear… that the claimant is unable to participate fully in the interview process, you must suspend the interview and establish the reason why, seeking advice from a senior case worker or technical specialist as necessary.

A second phase will eventually see face-to-face interviews resume, while the final set of interviews to return to normal will be those involving children.

Asylum support

On 15 June, asylum support rates increased from £37.75 a week to £39.60 a week.

In addition, asylum seekers and refugees were temporarily allowed to stay in government accommodation for longer than usual. Junior Home Office minister Chris Philp wrote to the British Red Cross on 27 March:

… I have taken the decision that, for the next three months, we will not be requiring people to leave our accommodation because their asylum claim or appeal has been finally decided (as would normally be the case). This decision will be reviewed ahead of the end of June 2020.

The Home Office has since confirmed that it intends to resume evictions but did not say when. Philp said on 29 July that “we are resuming cessations in a careful, phased way”.

Other resources

The Refugee Council and Refugee Action are keeping detailed tabs on coronavirus-induced changes to the asylum system. If you have a question not covered in this section, it may be answered there.

Enforcement

Immigration detention

The top line, as a senior official told the Home Affairs committee of MPs on 18 March, is that:

there is no plan to have a wholesale systematic release from our immigration removal centres.

An urgent legal challenge by the charity Detention Action aimed at securing the release of all immigration detainees was rejected by the High Court on 25 March. The court recorded various Home Office commitments to “reduce the number of persons in immigration detention”. These measures, plus grants of bail, have had the effect of reducing the number of detainees held under immigration powers, from over 1,500 at the start of January to 700 in late April.

The High Court also accepted that “measures are being put in place to address the specific risks arising for those in closed communities such as detention centres”. Details are available in the judgment (released towards the end of April) and in a Detention Action press release.

As of 29 June, there had been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the immigration detention estate, according to the Home Office.

Nonetheless, with many countries closing their borders and flights widely unavailable, judges have been looking favourably on individual bail applications. The Home Office has even tried to lean on judges to stem the flow of bail grants.

95%. Since going into lockdown on 23 March, we’ve had 55 hearings, 52 grants & 3 refusals. Shameful that the Home Office continues to waste resources & cause unnecessary suffering during a pandemic. Thanks to our staff & probono barristers for all their hard work. https://t.co/NcIBuasMpY — BID (@BIDdetention) April 30, 2020

Practitioners may wish to stress that removal is not imminent if flights are not available; that re-offending risk is low due to proactive police enforcement of movement restrictions; and the COVID-19 risk to detainees themselves. There is new statutory guidance, Detention considerations: COVID-19, on how coronavirus is factored into the existing Adults at Risk policy.

Visits to immigration removal centres were banned in late March. In mid-July, that policy was adjusted to allow social visits in “exceptional circumstances” or where there are “compelling compassionate reasons”. Legal representatives can drop by “only in exceptional circumstances and if no other means of contact (Skype, phone, email) can be used instead”.

Removals

As with immigration detention, there was no general policy of suspending removals. Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that 285 people were removed between 1 April and 30 June 2020.

Bail reporting

Reporting as a condition of immigration bail was “paused” between 17 March and 20 July. The Home Office website now says that some reporting centres are open again and that “you’ll get a text message, email or letter when you have a new appointment”.

Anyone worried about missing an appointment now that reporting is resuming can email the relevant reporting centre to make sure their correct contact details are on file.

Hostile environment

Right to work checks

As the labour market collapses under the weight of pandemic restrictions, the Home Office emphasises that employers must still carry out checks on the immigration status of employees to see if they have the legal right to work in the UK.

But those checks can now be carried out remotely. Guidance published on 30 March says that employees can submit a copy of their passport or ID rather than the original, and verify it by showing the employer the original on a video call.

An accompanying press release says that the changes are “effective immediately”.

The Home Office has made right to rent/work checks digital – so landlords and employers can use scanned docs to check if workers/tenants are allowed to work or rent in UK.



It’s still an offence to employ or let to people who don’t have legal immigration status. pic.twitter.com/pRij39i8Nc — Bethan Staton (@bethanstaton) March 30, 2020

The process for conducting a right to work check during the pandemic is as follows:

Ask the worker to submit a scanned copy or a photo of their original documents via email or using a mobile app

Arrange a video call with the worker – ask them to hold up the original documents to the camera and check them against the digital copy of the documents

Record the date you made the check and mark it as “adjusted check undertaken on [insert date] due to COVID-19”

If the worker has a current Biometric Residence Permit or Biometric Residence Card or status under the EU Settlement Scheme you can use the online right to work checking service while doing a video call – the applicant must give you permission to view their details.

If the above is not possible, use the Home Office Employer Checking Service.

When the emergency is over, employers will have to re-check people hired under the temporary procedure.

Right to rent checks

Much the same procedure applies for landlords checking the immigration status of new tenants:

Ask the tenant to submit a scanned copy or a photo of their original documents via email or using a mobile app. Arrange a video call with the tenant – ask them to hold up the original documents to the camera and check them against the digital copy of the documents. Record the date you made the check and mark it as “an adjusted check has been undertaken on [insert date] due to COVID-19”.

Chai Patel of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants says that “this will probably increase further the racial discrimination faced by ethnic minority Brits and migrants under right to rent. Landlords are iffy enough about non-British passports in person, likely to be even more cautious on Skype”. The Home Office says that employers should “take extra care to ensure no-one is discriminated against”.

NHS coronavirus testing

Regulations have been passed adding “Wuhan novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)” to the list of diseases for which no charge is to be made for NHS treatment, regardless of the patient’s immigration status. This change will have most significance for short term visitors and for migrants without lawful status, who normally have to pay for NHS care. Those lawfully resident are already entitled to use the NHS.

There are separate regulations for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, since healthcare is a devolved matter.

Government guidance makes clear that a coronavirus test that comes back negative is still free under this exemption:

This exemption from charge will apply to the diagnosis of the condition, even if the outcome is a negative result. It will also apply to any treatment provided for a suspected specified condition, up to the point that it is negatively diagnosed.

This guidance covers the NHS in England, but it would be surprising if the position in the other jurisdictions were any different.

No recourse to public funds

Migrants whose visa stipulates that they can have “no recourse to public funds” are in a difficult position. Without access to benefits to make up for loss of work, many face destitution.

Government guidance issued on 23 April says that there is some support available to migrants with no recourse to public funds, including:

Coronavirus testing and treatment

Deliveries of food and medicine if “shielding” as a particularly vulnerable person

Statutory sick pay

Contributory Employment and Support Allowance

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Self-employment Income Support Scheme

The Home Office also says that it has launched a £1.5 million pilot fund to accommodate victims of domestic violence who have no resource to public funds.

But as the House of Commons Library says, “the Government hasn’t announced a blanket policy to change NRPF restrictions”. Those subject to the no recourse condition must still apply to have it lifted in order to access to the wider welfare system.

From an immigration perspective, that is not an application to be taken lightly:

Not only does removing NRPF punt you off a 5-year route to settlement and on to the 10-year route, but the Home Office has also made it clear that if you manage to change back, it will not count any of your previously accrued residence and your clock starts back at 0. https://t.co/QL7WTzlj6j — John Vassiliou (@john_vassiliou1) April 16, 2020

The High Court found on 7 May that aspects of the no recourse policy are unlawful. As a result, the Home Office updated its policy on applying to have the condition lifted where the person is only “at risk of becoming destitute”, as opposed to already destitute.

Asked about no recourse to public funds on 27 May, the Prime Minister said that “clearly people who have worked hard for this country, who live and work here should have support of one kind or another… I will find out how many there are in that position and we will see what we can do to help”. It now appears that no help will be forthcoming.

EU Settlement Scheme

The telephone helpline for EU settled status enquiries was closed for some time, and documents were not being accepted by post. But both services are now back up and running, according to a Home Office email bulletin of 22 May:

We are pleased to confirm that Home Office support services and application routes have now all fully reopened in line with public health guidance. This includes the reopening of the postal route for submitting identity documents for applicants who are unable to use the EU Exit: ID Document Check app to verify their identity.

However, for those who prefer to scan their own ID document if unable to use the app, rather than posting it away, scanning service locations remain closed.

Although the number of applications fell sharply, in March and April there are at present no plans to extend the application deadline. The Home Secretary said on 29 April that “we see no reason to extend the deadline when there’s still over a year to apply”.

Citizenship

On 16 April, the Home Office added the following message to around 20 gov.uk nationality application pages:

It is taking longer than usual to process applications because of coronavirus (COVID-19). This will not affect the decision.

The department also says that would-be citizens now have six months to book their citizenship ceremony instead of the usual three. Ceremonies, being a mass indoor gathering, are not likely to be widely available, although they can now take place virtually.

The immigration minister said on 11 August:

It is for each Local Authority to determine when they will be able to resume Citizenship Ceremonies in line with current government advice relating to social distancing and public safety. A small trial of remote ‘virtual ceremonies’ has recently taken place successfully and further work is now being done to make these more widely available.

The process of becoming a British citizen is not legally complete until the person has attended a citizenship ceremony: section 42 of the British Nationality Act 1981.

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner postponed all exams from lockdown until September 2020, when they began again online. They will remain online until at least March 2021.

The OISC office itself remains closed. All correspondence should be by email rather than post.

There is a Covid Q&A for OISC advisers.

This article was originally published on 20 February 2020 and is being continually updated with the latest information.