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Immigration backlog adds to pressure on recruitment

A growing immigration backlog is preventing UK travel and aviation businesses recruiting overseas staff to ease the post-pandemic labour shortage.

The backlog is “the worst ever” according to a leading business immigration lawyer, with Home Office staff who would normally deal with entry clearance applications diverted to deal with applications by Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war.

Matthew Davies, head of business immigration at Leamington-based law firm Wright Hassall, said parts of the system have been left under-resourced by the government’s response to the war.

He said: “Many frontline staff have been moved to deal with humanitarian applications from Ukraine, but there has not been enough investment to keep the rest of the system running.”

The government has suspended most paid-for priority services, meaning decisions which would normally take days now take weeks or months.

Davies said: “I’ve worked in business immigration for more than 25 years and this is the most challenging time I’ve known, with Brexit, the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine.

“Backlogs in various types of application are the biggest I’ve seen.

“It’s almost across the board in entry clearance, and extension and change of status applications are increasingly affected. Businesses are immensely frustrated at the delays.”

Lots of Home Office staff have been redirected to the Ukrainian visa regime

Davies noted the Home Office published details of its New Plan for Immigration in July, including a contactless, digital border and permission-to-travel scheme.

He said: “In most respects the digitisation of immigration applications is a good thing, but there are concerns about how well what we have already is working, and how well what is being proposed is going to work. Also, is it secure?

“One would have a higher degree of confidence if there weren’t so many problems in the current system.”

Davies insisted: “This is not the answer to the immediate issue. The thing we need is more specialist staff, more funding and more training for frontline immigration officers.”

The backlog is also affecting visa applications by inbound visitors. UKinbound chief executive Joss Croft told Travel Weekly that obtaining visas for long-haul markets is proving “challenging”.

He said: “Lots of Home Office staff have been redirected to the Ukrainian visa regime.”

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