The Guardian has revealed that Home Office officials have made more than 5700 changes to net immigration rules since 2010, making the visa system nearly impossible to navigate, according to senior judges and lawyers. The rules have more than doubled in length to almost 375,000 words, resulting in a complex system which has called “something of a disgrace” by Lord Justice Irwin and prompting a radical overhaul.
In 2012, more than 1,300 changes were made coinciding with Theresa May’s introduction of the hostile environment policy when she was home secretary. Amber Rudd, who took over after May, resigned this year over the Windrush scandal, the new home secretary, Sajid Javid, has promised changes, but they are yet to happen.
One document was published in March 2014 with 22 changes, only to be superseded three days later by a second version containing another 250 changes.
Nicholas Paines QC, a law commissioner reportedly told The Guardian: “In recent years there has been a policy of making the rules more detailed and specific.
“The intention was to produce more transparent outcomes for applicants. But inevitably, this has made the rules longer and more detailed, and the risk is that the objective of transparency is defeated.
“The Home Office want us to help put things right. We’re looking at introducing clearer, plainer language and how the rules are presented on the internet for applicants.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of individual changes to immigration rules should not be used as an indicator of the number of policy changes. Many changes to the rules involve minor corrections, such as changes to individual words.
“Changes to the immigration rules are made for a variety of reasons, including to deliver critical policies that support broader government priorities including health and the economy, and to respond to the needs of those who use immigration services. They are laid in parliament and significant changes are communicated to stakeholders.”
