Labour Ministers Seek Compromise on 10-Year Indefinite-Leave-to-Remain Plan
Storm Dave Knocks Out Power and Shuts Transport Links Across the UK Easter Weekend
British Airways and Pegasus Cancellations Ripple Through Heathrow and Regional Hubs
Latest News
Home-Office Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Expansion Nears—Employers Urged to Prepare
A 5 April briefing on *ETA-England* confirms the Home Office will raise the ETA fee on 8 April and extend the digital waiver to almost all non-visa-nationals by April 2025. Employers that host overseas visitors should add ETA checks to pre-travel procedures now, as failure to secure authorisation will lead to denied boarding once the scheme is fully live.
UK visa, settlement and sponsor fees to increase 6-7 % on 8 April 2026
The Home Office has confirmed that almost all UK visa, settlement and sponsor licence fees will rise by 6-7 % on 8 April 2026. Employers and individual applicants have one weekend left to file under the lower tariff, after which a standard Skilled Worker visa will cost £769 and settlement will exceed £3,200. Corporates are scrambling to submit applications before the deadline and adjust mobility budgets for the new financial year.
EU postpones biometric checks for Eurostar and Eurotunnel passengers as EES deadline looms
The EU has quietly paused plans to collect fingerprints and facial images from Eurostar and Eurotunnel passengers from 10 April, easing fears of Easter chaos at Channel ports. Operators will create EES files but without biometric data, giving businesses a temporary reprieve from longer check-in times—though full implementation is still expected later this year.