The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) has used its first bulletin of 2026 to spell out what the newly-assented Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act means for employers, advisers and migrants.
The Act, which received Royal Assent on 2 December 2025, lifts many measures straight out of counter-terror legislation to allow law-enforcement agencies to intervene earlier against people-smuggling gangs. For global-mobility teams the most immediate impact is stricter data-sharing at the border and wider use of advance passenger information. Companies moving talent into the U.K. should therefore expect more carrier liability checks and a higher risk that travellers without the correct digital status (eVisa or ETA) will be denied boarding.(gov.uk)
Companies that need hands-on assistance with these digital-status checks and other post-Brexit entry requirements can tap VisaHQ’s corporate visa service. Through its United Kingdom hub (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/), the firm offers real-time eligibility assessments, bulk application processing and dedicated account managers, helping HR teams keep travellers moving while staying compliant.
![Border Security Act and “earned settlement” take centre stage in Immigration Advice Authority’s January 2026 bulletin]()
Equally significant is the Government’s consultation on “earned settlement”. Ministers are floating a default ten-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain—double the current five years for most work routes—and a tougher suitability test, including A-level (CEFR B2) English and a spotless criminal record. The IAA urges stakeholders to feed evidence into the consultation before it closes on 12 February 2026, warning that the proposals could reshape assignment planning, especially for long-term secondments.(gov.uk)
The newsletter also flags refreshed competency guidance for immigration-advice providers, a new complaints process and recent tribunal rulings on sponsor-licence suspension. Employers are reminded that the IAA’s own audits will align with the Act’s new powers, meaning that document retention, right-to-work procedures and record-keeping will face closer scrutiny.
Practical takeaway: multinational employers should review mobility policies now—particularly the points at which temporary assignments convert to permanent moves—to ensure pathways to settlement remain viable if the ten-year rule is adopted. HR teams should also budget for additional ETA/eVisa checks by carriers once the digital-border provisions go live later this year.
The Act, which received Royal Assent on 2 December 2025, lifts many measures straight out of counter-terror legislation to allow law-enforcement agencies to intervene earlier against people-smuggling gangs. For global-mobility teams the most immediate impact is stricter data-sharing at the border and wider use of advance passenger information. Companies moving talent into the U.K. should therefore expect more carrier liability checks and a higher risk that travellers without the correct digital status (eVisa or ETA) will be denied boarding.(gov.uk)
Companies that need hands-on assistance with these digital-status checks and other post-Brexit entry requirements can tap VisaHQ’s corporate visa service. Through its United Kingdom hub (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/), the firm offers real-time eligibility assessments, bulk application processing and dedicated account managers, helping HR teams keep travellers moving while staying compliant.
Equally significant is the Government’s consultation on “earned settlement”. Ministers are floating a default ten-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain—double the current five years for most work routes—and a tougher suitability test, including A-level (CEFR B2) English and a spotless criminal record. The IAA urges stakeholders to feed evidence into the consultation before it closes on 12 February 2026, warning that the proposals could reshape assignment planning, especially for long-term secondments.(gov.uk)
The newsletter also flags refreshed competency guidance for immigration-advice providers, a new complaints process and recent tribunal rulings on sponsor-licence suspension. Employers are reminded that the IAA’s own audits will align with the Act’s new powers, meaning that document retention, right-to-work procedures and record-keeping will face closer scrutiny.
Practical takeaway: multinational employers should review mobility policies now—particularly the points at which temporary assignments convert to permanent moves—to ensure pathways to settlement remain viable if the ten-year rule is adopted. HR teams should also budget for additional ETA/eVisa checks by carriers once the digital-border provisions go live later this year.
