1. law, govt and politics
2. immigration

WMSMP Updates March 2015
Subject
Announcement
Date/Source
WMSMP Team Update
The West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership Team has undergone a restructure over recent months.
Our newly reconfigured team now consists of:
Dally Panesar, Lead Officer ([email protected]) contact number: 0121 464 7174
Matt Daniels, Policy Officer ([email protected]) contact number: 0121 303 6154
Rubina Ahmed, Support Officer ([email protected]) contact number: 0121 675 9362
1 April
The Home Office have released guidance for migrants on the new Immigration Health Surcharge
The charge will come into force from the 6th April 2015. This will apply to individuals coming to the UK or applying for
leave to remain in the UK from outside of the European Economic Area.
Immigration Health
Surcharge
The current draft statutory instrument on the Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015 can be viewed via
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2015/9780111128473 . There are some implications in this Order related to
individuals who apply for leave to remain in the UK outside the immigration regulations.
st
Home Office
Communications
19th March
st
From 1 April 2015 OLCU (Legacy) Section 4 Team will cease to operate. The work previously undertaken by the
team will transfer to the Section 4 National Team in Leeds. From 23rd March 2015 the team in Leeds will take on any
st
new ASF1 applications for OLCU the remaining work will be transferred from 1 April 2015. Louise Murray will
st
continue to be a point of contact for OLCU Section 4 until 1 May 2015.
st
Section 4 Legacy Team
The Section 4 queries inbox and E-fax will remain active until 1 April 2015, however any ASF1 applications received
rd
by OLCU from 23 March 2015 will be forwarded to Leeds. The Section 4 National Team details are as follows:
Home Office
th
24 March
Email- [email protected] Fax: 0870 336 9485
Address: Section 4 National Team
st
1 Floor, Waterside Court
Kirkstall Road
Leeds
LS4 2QB
Compiled by WMSMP 02/04/15 for further information please contact [email protected]
1
Subject
Changes to Biometric
information
Announcement
New rules for how fingerprints, facial images and biometric information are managed will come into effect
from 6 April 2015
The new rules will mean that anyone registering or naturalising as a British Citizen will need to provide their biometrics
as part of their application. Non-EEA nationals applying for a residence card, derivative residence card or permanent
residence card will also need to submit their biometrics.
The changes will help align existing legislation and tighten up checks for those applying to stay in the UK. It will also
make it easier to verify people’s identities, for individuals to prove their status in the UK and for the Home Office to
identify those who do not have the right to be in the UK
Date/Source
Home Office
Communications
th
25 March
Immigration Fees – For
failed asylum seekers
Changes to the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations which will affect failed asylum seekers (FAS)
This affects those who are granted leave for non-protection based reasons. Applications for further leave, including
settlement, from FAS granted an initial period of limited leave following the refusal of asylum are currently processed
without charge. From 6 April 2015, all those who apply to renew non-protection based leave will be required to pay
the appropriate application fee, including FAS who apply for further leave, for example, for family or private life
reasons or on a discretionary basis. FAS will continue to benefit from a free initial period of leave where they are found
not to need protection, but qualify for other reasons. As now they will continue to be granted such leave with
immediate access to the labour market and access to benefits on the same basis as British citizens. Those who are
granted for family or private life reasons should use the FLR (FP) form and those granted discretionary leave should
use the updated FLR (DL) form. All application forms are available on the Home Office website at. These changes do
not affect asylum seekers or those who are granted asylum or humanitarian protection.
Home Office
th
25 March
Migrant Healthcare
Experiences of Pregnant Migrant Women receiving Ante/Peri and Postnatal Care in the UK:
Access to adequate maternity care safeguards a pregnancy, facilitates good maternal health out-comes and is
essential for communicable disease control. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines
for Antenatal Care1 recommends that first contact with antenatal services should be made as early as possible, with
full booking, interview and antenatal blood screening taking place by ten weeks’ gestation. However, data from the
Médecins du Monde2 network has shown that across their 25 European projects vulnerable pregnant women are
facing barriers to accessing healthcare with 65.9% having no access to antenatal care before attending one of the
clinics.
Migrants’ Rights
Network
th
29 March
Compiled by WMSMP 02/04/15 for further information please contact [email protected]
2
Subject
Announcement
Date/Source
Public Health England are developing practical resources to help enable patients with TB to access appropriate
housing so they are more likely to successfully complete treatment, and to enhance the role housing can play in the
diagnosis and prevention of TB in at risk groups.
Health - TB
Events
Do you have any examples of good practice or the barriers in working with housing at a strategic or practical level to
support vulnerable patients with TB or latent TB
Do you have any examples of good practice in working with housing to raise awareness?
Please help us to understand the issues and what resources will be post helpful by completing this short survey, which
should not take more than 6-7 minutes to complete:
https://surveys.phe.org.uk/TakeSurvey.aspx?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=820Kmm8K&Preview=true
If you would like to know more about this work, please contact: [email protected]
Rethinking integration: New perspectives on adaptation and settlement in an era of Superdiversity.
nd
A one-day interdisciplinary conference on the 2 July which will focus upon theories on and research into adaptation
and integration in an era of superdiversity. The conference will allow for the exchange of ideas and formulation of
future research agendas to inform academics, practitioners and policy makers which can enable the facilitation of
processes of adaptation and integration. The conference will feature invited plenaries and panels on topics related to
the processes of adaptation and integration in emerging superdiverse societies.
Public Health
England
31 March
Institute for
Research into
Superdiversity
March
Big Night In
Events
Over the past few weeks, seven refugee chefs have been working with The Spicery to put together a special pack, for
a Big Night In, filled with all the spices you need to cook an amazing meal for eight people for just £10. Click on the
link below to take part and support the new chefs on Saturday 2 May:
th
30 March
Signing up for the Big Night In today
Compiled by WMSMP 02/04/15 for further information please contact [email protected]
3