Requirement to register with the police suspended

Nationals from certain countries coming to the UK for more than 6 months have, for a number of years, been required to register with the police within 7 days of entering. This requirement has now been suspended.

Anyone aged 16 and over holding a nationality specified as having to register is no longer required to do so. This suspension applies to those who have already registered and those who will need to register as part of their visa conditions. In some instances, those who have not already travelled may be contacted by the UK authorities to be issued with a new visa. Otherwise, the requirement, which is usually recorded on a migrant’s entry clearance vignette and/or Biometric Residence Permit, will be removed the next time the visa is extended.

The requirement to update the police registration certificate with new addresses, passport and visa details is also no longer in force. However, the need to inform the UK Home Office of these changes remains in place.

Migrants who have an appointment but have not paid any fees yet will no longer need to attend their appointment. Unfortunately, those migrants who have already paid their appointment fee before 5 August will not get their money back, as the requirement was still in force at the time.

This policy change was officially communicated by the Home Office to the general public around 4 August. However, the scheme still exists in the UK Immigration Rules, so is currently still valid law. We can assume for the moment that an official repeal of the scheme will be undertaken shortly. We further assume that there will be no consequences for those who rely on the information that the scheme has been abolished.

While the Home Office has advised that it is not necessary to retain the certificates, we would, for the time being, suggest that anyone who is in possession of one keeps it in a safe place.

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