In a written statement, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp, has confirmed that the Home Office has moved to ‘full enforcement’ of the UK’s new digital permission to travel regime from 25 February 2026. The statement provides that all travellers to the UK, other than British and Irish citizens and specified exempt groups, must hold a valid permission to travel prior to boarding. This must take the form of an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), an eVisa or other acceptable evidence where permitted.

The Home Office has launched a consultation on a proposal to change the Police Pension Scheme 2015 revaluation date from 1 April to 6 April. The change would align the revaluation date with the start of the tax year and aims to address a five-day misalignment that can distort annual allowance tax calculations by applying different Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures to opening and closing pension values. The consultation seeks views on whether alignment would reduce unintended tax charges caused by inflation volatility. The Home Office notes that similar changes have already been made to the NHS and Local Government Pension Schemes. It explains that alignment would ensure consistent CPI use and reduce artificial increases in pension input amounts. This would improve fairness, particularly for members with larger CARE pension pots. The Home Office states that the change would not affect overall pension entitlement for most officers. The consultation closes on 16 March 2026.

The Home Office has opened a consultation on the role of digital identities and technology in age verification for alcohol sales. It is also seeking views on amending the Licensing Act 2003 (LA 2003), which currently only requires physical identity documents to be produced for identification if a person is suspected to be under the age of 18. The Home Office is also addressing whether LA 2003 effectively covers transactions other than those that take place in person. The consultation closes on 30 March 2024.

The Home Office has launched a consultation on a new draft updated code of practice for employers on avoiding unlawful discrimination while preventing illegal working. The revisions reflect the forthcoming expansion of the right to work regime under section 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 (BSAIA 2025), which will extend coverage to worker contracts, individual sub-contractors and online matching services. The updated code is expected to come into force on 1 October 2026.

The Home Office is consulting on proposals to contingently relax licensing hours for licensed premises in England and Wales for the semi-finals and the final of the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026. The relaxation would apply only if England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, reaches those stages. Responses are sought by 15 January 2026.

The Home Office has launched a consultation on extending investigatory powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA 2002) to three public sector organisations: the Forestry Commission, the Intellectual Property Office and the Immigration Advice Authority. These bodies have applied to be designated as agencies whose staff would be authorised to exercise powers relating to the investigation and recovery of the proceeds of crime. The consultation seeks views on whether these bodies should be granted access to specific POCA 2002 powers to conduct confiscation, detained cash, detained property, frozen funds, money laundering and cryptoasset investigations. Currently, these agencies cannot exercise POCA 2002 powers directly and must rely on other designated agencies with financial investigation powers to investigate or recover criminal assets. The consultation closes on 22 January 2026.

The Home Office has launched consultations on amendments to the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2015 in England and the Police Pension Scheme 2015 in England and Wales to:

The Home Office has opened a call for evidence, seeking views to support a review of Home Office type approval (HOTA) of road traffic law enforcement devices. The aim of the call for evidence is to engage with stakeholders on how the HOTA of road traffic law enforcement devices can be improved and their experiences so far. The call for evidence closes on 14 February 2024.

On the morning of 2 April 2024, the Home Office has added a note to the Sponsor Management System (SMS) to say that it has changed the times that the SMS will be unavailable, to allow sponsors more time to assign Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) before changes in Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 590 come into force on 4 April 2024. Previously the Home Office had announced in a change to Part 2 of the Sponsor Guidance that the SMS would be down from 7pm on 2 April 2024 until 9am on 4 April 2024. This has now been delayed until 7pm on 3 April 2024. The SMS will now be completely down from that time until 9am on 5 April 2024.

Privacy International has uncovered via Freedom of Information requests the use of an algorithm called ‘Identify and Prioritise Immigration Cases’ (IPIC) by the Home Office for immigration enforcement. The AI tool automatically processes migrants' personal data to generate recommendations for immigration decisions, including EU Settlement Scheme cases, bail conditions, and deportations. Despite concerns over transparency and potential bias, the Home Office has been reluctant to disclose detailed information about IPIC's functioning, citing fears of system exploitation. The investigation raises significant questions about accountability in algorithmic decision-making within the immigration system and calls for greater transparency to ensure fair treatment of migrants and compliance with rule of law principles.

The Home Office has significantly ramped up its efforts to combat illegal employment exploitation across England, while holding rogue employers criminally liable for their actions. Immigration Enforcement teams have executed nearly 1,000 raids in London alone; concentrating on industries prone to exploitation, such as: car washes, nail bars, and construction sites.

The Home Office, National Crime Agency (NCA) and Home Secretary have announced the establishment of a High Street Organised Crime Unit as part of a £30 million enforcement programme targeting money laundering, tax evasion and illegal working over three years. The programme includes £20 million in funding to strengthen law enforcement activity, establish a new multi-agency co-ordination cell within the NCA and recruit 75 police officers across the NCA, Greater Manchester Police, West Midlands Police and a joint Kent Police and Essex Police Unit. Trading Standards will receive an additional £6 million to address illicit businesses in at-risk local authorities. A rapid review of local responders' powers is underway, beginning with a consultation on extending the duration of closure orders. The NCA estimates £1 billion is laundered annually through high street businesses such as barber shops, vape stores, mini-marts and sweet shops, from an estimated £12 billion in criminal cash generated annually in the UK.