Colin Yeo
@colinyeo.bsky.social
Barrister, blogger and author of Welcome to Britain: Fixing Our Broken Immigration System. Fully updated paperback out now.
Pinned
Colin Yeo
@colinyeo.bsky.social
· Nov 12
An immigration lawyer reviews Paddington in Peru: A very British bear - Free Movement
They grow up so fast. As we will see, Paddington himself has almost certainly reached the age of ursine majority, whatever that might be. When I took my
freemovement.org.uk
“It isn’t unusual for a former asylum seeker like Paddington to become British. In fact, 70% of all refugees granted asylum over ten years ago ultimately went on to naturalise as British. What are the requirements that Paddington must have fulfilled?” freemovement.org.uk/an-immigrati...
From yesterday: Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low | Sonia Lenegan
Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low - Free Movement
Bail for Immigration Detainees has published their latest report looking at access to legal advice for people in immigration detention and has found that
freemovement.org.uk
November 27, 2025 at 2:31 PM
From yesterday: Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low | Sonia Lenegan
In case you missed it: Do I need a visa if I’m transiting through a UK airport to another flight? | Alex Piletska
Do I need a visa if I’m transiting through a UK airport to another flight? - Free Movement
If you are travelling to the UK solely for the purpose of taking a connecting flight or other mode of transport to another country, you may need a transit visa.
freemovement.org.uk
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
In case you missed it: Do I need a visa if I’m transiting through a UK airport to another flight? | Alex Piletska
Reposted by Colin Yeo
I'm not sure how much it is appreciated that there will be significant emigration coming. Those here on graduate visas coming to an end, the toughening up of skilled worker rules re. salaries/sponsorable roles and the 'earned settlement' changes to come. Lots of people are going to leave.
November 27, 2025 at 11:08 AM
I'm not sure how much it is appreciated that there will be significant emigration coming. Those here on graduate visas coming to an end, the toughening up of skilled worker rules re. salaries/sponsorable roles and the 'earned settlement' changes to come. Lots of people are going to leave.
Reposted by Colin Yeo
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
Reposted by Colin Yeo
The Labour government has been so busy telling people that immigration has caused "incalculable damage" and that people on settlement pathways don't deserve it, that they've forgotten to tell the public that immigration levels have dramatically fallen under them. Oops!
November 27, 2025 at 10:47 AM
The Labour government has been so busy telling people that immigration has caused "incalculable damage" and that people on settlement pathways don't deserve it, that they've forgotten to tell the public that immigration levels have dramatically fallen under them. Oops!
Reposted by Colin Yeo
The easiest thing the Labour government could've done on immigration: Just take credit for numbers that are falling anyway! You don't need to change anything!
Instead, the way they've talked about migration has allowed the public to think immigration is going *up*.
Utter political incompetence.
Instead, the way they've talked about migration has allowed the public to think immigration is going *up*.
Utter political incompetence.
Most of the public think net migration increased last year, when in fact numbers halved.
New findings from the Ipsos/British Future Immigration Attitudes Tracker show that 56% of the public thinks immigration increased last year. Just 1 in 6 realise it was down
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
New findings from the Ipsos/British Future Immigration Attitudes Tracker show that 56% of the public thinks immigration increased last year. Just 1 in 6 realise it was down
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
November 27, 2025 at 10:44 AM
The easiest thing the Labour government could've done on immigration: Just take credit for numbers that are falling anyway! You don't need to change anything!
Instead, the way they've talked about migration has allowed the public to think immigration is going *up*.
Utter political incompetence.
Instead, the way they've talked about migration has allowed the public to think immigration is going *up*.
Utter political incompetence.
From yesterday: Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail | Sonia Lenegan
Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail - Free Movement
A person refused a skilled worker visa because they were on immigration bail at the time of their application has lost their challenge in the Court of Appeal.
freemovement.org.uk
November 27, 2025 at 10:30 AM
From yesterday: Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail | Sonia Lenegan
Reposted by Colin Yeo
Net migration fell sharply agaim to 204,000 in the year to June 2025, having been 344k in 2024 and 848k in 2023. But falling immigration has been the biggest secret - and it is time for the media and political debate to catch up with this change
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
UK net migration fell to 204,000 in year to June - live updates
Net migration, the difference between those entering and leaving the country, was 345,000 in 2024 according to revised figures.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Net migration fell sharply agaim to 204,000 in the year to June 2025, having been 344k in 2024 and 848k in 2023. But falling immigration has been the biggest secret - and it is time for the media and political debate to catch up with this change
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
Reposted by Colin Yeo
The quarterly immigration system statistics are out, covering the period ending September 2025: www.gov.uk/government/s...
Immigration system statistics, year ending September 2025
Quarterly statistics on people coming to the UK, extensions of stay, citizenship, asylum, detentions, and returns.
www.gov.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:33 AM
The quarterly immigration system statistics are out, covering the period ending September 2025: www.gov.uk/government/s...
I'm not going to do a thread on the immigration and asylum stats but I've just been having a glance through. This jumped out. Asylum removals now higher than at any point during the Coalition and Conservative governments. www.gov.uk/government/s...
November 27, 2025 at 9:41 AM
I'm not going to do a thread on the immigration and asylum stats but I've just been having a glance through. This jumped out. Asylum removals now higher than at any point during the Coalition and Conservative governments. www.gov.uk/government/s...
New from FM: Adult siblings in Gaza case unable to establish family life under article 8 | Sonia Lenegan
Adult siblings in Gaza case unable to establish family life under article 8 - Free Movement
The Court of Appeal has reiterated that for adult siblings to be able to establish family life for the purpose of article 8(1) there is a requirement for
freemovement.org.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:30 AM
New from FM: Adult siblings in Gaza case unable to establish family life under article 8 | Sonia Lenegan
New from Free Movement: Adult siblings in Gaza case unable to establish family life under article 8 | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/adult-siblin...
Adult siblings in Gaza case unable to establish family life under article 8 - Free Movement
The Court of Appeal has reiterated that for adult siblings to be able to establish family life for the purpose of article 8(1) there is a requirement for
freemovement.org.uk
November 27, 2025 at 8:31 AM
New from Free Movement: Adult siblings in Gaza case unable to establish family life under article 8 | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/adult-siblin...
From yesterday: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 | Sonia Lenegan
Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 - Free Movement
Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter!
freemovement.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
From yesterday: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 | Sonia Lenegan
This is a massive problem with Labour’s immigration proposals. All migrant families affected will be made considerably poorer (because of extra immigration fees over several years plus dampened job prospects) and many (most?) of those families have children.
Great to hear Rachel Reeves acknowledge that "there are many reasons why people choose to have children then find themselves in difficult times. The death of a partner. Separation. Ill health. A lost job. I don’t believe that children should bear the brunt of that."
So why should migrant children?
So why should migrant children?
November 26, 2025 at 5:22 PM
This is a massive problem with Labour’s immigration proposals. All migrant families affected will be made considerably poorer (because of extra immigration fees over several years plus dampened job prospects) and many (most?) of those families have children.
Reposted by Colin Yeo
Great to hear Rachel Reeves acknowledge that "there are many reasons why people choose to have children then find themselves in difficult times. The death of a partner. Separation. Ill health. A lost job. I don’t believe that children should bear the brunt of that."
So why should migrant children?
So why should migrant children?
November 26, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Great to hear Rachel Reeves acknowledge that "there are many reasons why people choose to have children then find themselves in difficult times. The death of a partner. Separation. Ill health. A lost job. I don’t believe that children should bear the brunt of that."
So why should migrant children?
So why should migrant children?
New from FM: Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low | Sonia Lenegan
Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low - Free Movement
Bail for Immigration Detainees has published their latest report looking at access to legal advice for people in immigration detention and has found that
freemovement.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
New from FM: Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low | Sonia Lenegan
In case you missed it: Visit visa application wrongly refused four times by Home Office | Sonia Lenegan
Visit visa application wrongly refused four times by Home Office - Free Movement
Decision making in visit visa applications is consistently awful and refusals very difficult to challenge given the remedy is an expensive judicial review.
freemovement.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 12:31 PM
In case you missed it: Visit visa application wrongly refused four times by Home Office | Sonia Lenegan
New from Free Movement: Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/access-to-la...
Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low - Free Movement
Bail for Immigration Detainees has published their latest report looking at access to legal advice for people in immigration detention and has found that
freemovement.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 12:31 PM
New from Free Movement: Access to lawyers for people in immigration detention reaches a new low | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/access-to-la...
From yesterday: Withdrawn certification decision does not reinstate leave in deportation cases | Nick Nason
Withdrawn certification decision does not reinstate leave in deportation cases - Free Movement
In August 2018, following the Supreme Court judgment in R (Kiarie & Byndloss) v SSHD UKSC 42 (which challenged the lawfulness of s94B certification
freemovement.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
From yesterday: Withdrawn certification decision does not reinstate leave in deportation cases | Nick Nason
New from FM: Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail | Sonia Lenegan
Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail - Free Movement
A person refused a skilled worker visa because they were on immigration bail at the time of their application has lost their challenge in the Court of Appeal.
freemovement.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
New from FM: Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail | Sonia Lenegan
New from Free Movement: Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/skilled-work...
Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail - Free Movement
A person refused a skilled worker visa because they were on immigration bail at the time of their application has lost their challenge in the Court of Appeal.
freemovement.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 8:32 AM
New from Free Movement: Skilled worker visa correctly refused because applicant was on immigration bail | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/skilled-work...
In case you missed it: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #95 | Sonia Lenegan
Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #95 - Free Movement
Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter!
freemovement.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 8:25 PM
In case you missed it: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #95 | Sonia Lenegan
New from FM: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 | Sonia Lenegan
Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 - Free Movement
Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter!
freemovement.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 5:57 PM
New from FM: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 | Sonia Lenegan
New from Free Movement: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/free-movemen...
Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 - Free Movement
Welcome to the weekly Free Movement newsletter!
freemovement.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 4:56 PM
New from Free Movement: Free Movement Weekly Immigration Newsletter #96 | Sonia Lenegan freemovement.org.uk/free-movemen...
In case you missed it: Navigating the unmarried partner route under Appendix FM | Cathryn Davies
Navigating the unmarried partner route under Appendix FM - Free Movement
In this article we take a look at unmarried partner applications since the changes made to the definition in January 2024, removing the cohabitation
freemovement.org.uk
November 25, 2025 at 12:31 PM
In case you missed it: Navigating the unmarried partner route under Appendix FM | Cathryn Davies