Rights of residence of EEA nationals and their family members

ARCHIVED: this Overview is no longer maintained as it covers the implementation of EU free movement law in the UK prior to IP completion day, on which date domestic legislation implementing EU free movement law was revoked, subject to certain savings and modifications. For further details, including of the relevant savings and the position of CJEU case law, see Practice Note: What does IP completion day mean for Immigration?. The Practice Note has been retained in archived form for historical interest, because EU law as previously implemented in the UK remains relevant in certain limited situations. For historical versions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016, SI 2016/1052, including immediately prior to revocation, see Legislation.gov.uk. For the ongoing development of EU free movement law in EU Member States, see: Immigration, employment & share incentives (EU Law)—overview.

European free movement law—sources of law and general principles

Free movement of persons is one of the four freedoms that underpin the single market doctrine of the EU. The other three freedoms are of goods, services and capital, and all four ...

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Latest Immigration News

Scottish Care survey reveals critical reliance on international workers for social care

Scottish Care recently published their Immigration Survey Findings which sought to understand the anticipated impact of ending the recruitment of international care workers. The survey, carried out between 15th and 19th May 2025 across 225 social care organisations in Scotland underscored the sector's vital reliance on international workers. The findings reveal that these organisations employ at least 11,294 international staff, constituting an average of 32% of their workforce, with some organisations reporting that international staff make up over 90% of their employees. Significantly, nearly 7,000 international workers are currently employed on visas. When queried about the potential termination of international recruitment, providers expressed profound concern, citing the severe difficulties in attracting local staff and the likelihood of a critical staffing shortage that would compromise safe staffing levels and the quality of care provided to vulnerable individuals. Additionally, providers indicated that reliance on costly agency staff to mitigate vacancies could strain finances and potentially precipitate service closures, particularly in remote areas, instigating a systemic crisis in the social care sector.

Immigration weekly highlights—22 May 2025

Welcome to the 22 May 2025 highlights from the Immigration team, which provides links to key news stories from the last week, as well as a round-up of new and updated content in Immigration.

Home Office estimates 300,000 eVisas accounts still to be created as at end April 2025

The Home Office has published its latest statistics covering the creation of UKVI accounts, which enable online immigration status (eVisas) to be accessed. These show that between March 2024 and April 2025 there were 4,305,068 UKVI accounts created, while the Home Office estimates that there are 300,000 persons with UK immigration status who require to obtain a UKVI account who still have not done so. There has been no announcement extending the deadline for continued use of expired Biometric Residence Permits for travel on or after 1 June 2025, so it is imperative that those remaining persons do take steps to obtain one.

ONS reports record fall in UK net migration following visa restrictions

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that net migration to the UK fell to 431,000 for the year ending December 2024, down from 860,000 in 2023. This is a drop of nearly 50%. The Migration Observatory at Oxford University attributes this decline to early 2024 policy changes, including higher salary thresholds for work visas and additional restrictions on dependant visas for care workers and students. It also notes that the figure is still ‘well above the pre-Brexit peak of roughly 300,000’. Immigration over the year decreased from 1,326,000 to 948,000, while emigration rose to 517,000. These changes reflect the implementation of new visa policies, with further restrictions proposed in the government's immigration White Paper. The proposed measures include ending the overseas recruitment of social care workers and restricting work visas for middle-skilled jobs.