Sacha Wooldridge

Partner @Birkettsllp All things economic migration & HNWI Private Clients #visas #policy #politics *all views my own*

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

It’s official!!! 🥳🍾🥂 Ecstatic to be made partner today @birkettsllp

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

This week I spoke to Global Mobility Lawyer on behalf of @birkettsllp on changes to the Right to Work check guidance for business https://t.co/XSJoh7aABr

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

My comments in @personneltoday for @birkettsllp on the net migration figures published today https://t.co/DqNEH5W2oP

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Wowee. Not surprising - definitely see the immigration rule changes hitting hard making it really tricky to come to the UK. But vital we remember that this is making it ever harder for British business to hire & retain the best international talent which will
impact productivity

[BBC Breaking News @BBCBreaking]

UK net migration fell to 171,000 last year, latest figures show, the lowest level since Covid pandemic

https://t.co/WISal6CHmA

[Andy Burnham @AndyBurnhamGM]

Politics isn’t working for places like ours.

I will change that.

#AndyBurnham #ForUs

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

@ILPAimmigration statement on the BBC report on a few bad actors that wrongly give diligent hardworking professionals in our field a bad name. https://t.co/2Pob3rFP8p

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Enjoyed chatting to @MTF_podcast answering listeners’ Questions about Seasonal Workers - Big Debate Bonus #farmlaw #ag #immigrationlaw #farming #seasonalworkers https://t.co/je7Q01wGQM via @YouTube

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Pleased to share my thoughts in @TheLegalDiarist on the ban for Afghan nationals obtaining work visas for the UK for @birkettsllp https://t.co/UTsj5drTGV

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Visa compliance and enforcement action in the care sector is huge right now - read here @birkettsllp guide on sponsor licence revocations for the health and care sector and impacts if they cant access an international workforce https://t.co/q0av5cNV3c

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

Shabana Mahmood is pressing ahead with asylum overhaul despite backlash in wake of Denton by-election defeat to the Greens, @matt_dathan reports

* Refugees arriving in the UK from today will now be granted only temporary status, ending Britain's decades-old approach to permanent protection of refugees

* Anyone who enters the UK from Monday will have their refugee status reviewed every 30 months and will be required to return home once their country is deemed safe. It marks the most significant change to Britain’s refugee laws since the Second World War

* In an interview with The Times, Mahmood made clear that she would press ahead with the plans on indefinite leave to remain and confirmed that the changes would apply retrospectively to those already in the UK.

* Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader, said that some of Mahmood’s policies on migration — particularly doubling the time it takes migrant workers to qualify for indefinite leave to remain to ten years — were “a real concern to our ethnic minority communities”. She added that the government’s rhetoric “came up a lot” during the by-election.

* Sources close to the home secretary hit back at Powell and her critics, describing their claims as “poorly founded”. “They fail to recognise the sheer scale and anger toward migration in recent years, both in working class and Muslim communities.” They warned that Labour must not learn the “wrong lessons” from the defeat by trying to be “more Green” or “more Reform”.

https://t.co/IQP31Z2b6f

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

More evidence today of the collapse in legal immigration

The number of work-related visas fell by 168,000 in the year to December, down by a fifth. It's ***half*** the 2023 level

There has been a huge drop off in the number of people coming to the UK on health and care visas while there has also been a significant fall in the number of skilled workers coming to the UK

It's a double-edged sword for the government. On the one hand Keir Starmer will be able to laud the fall in the number of migrants coming to the UK as evidence that his crackdown is working

He hopes it will help neutralise one of Nigel Farage's key attacks on the government

But at the same time it will have consequences for the public finances, given that the OBR scores migrants as a positive economic benefit

There is a big debate about that more generally - politicians of all colours have disputed the way the OBR does the figures - but it will pose a fiscal challenge for Reeves come the Autumn Budget

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Pleased to speak to @lisaocarroll @guardian for @birkettsllp re: changes for dual British nationals being required to obtain and travel only on a British travel document. Reality - it will be hard to enforce with complexity of British nationality law https://t.co/TNGO7AWYyQ

[Harry Horton @harry_horton]

Downing Street’s chief mouser, Larry the Cat, celebrates fifteen years in the job this weekend.

He’s been a symbol of continuity in a time of political turbulence.

Our @itvnews report tonight on when Harry met Larry

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Reminder an ETA is not a visa and no it doesn’t allow you to work in the UK. It also doesn’t let you use an eGate unless you can already

[UK Visas & Immigration Official @UKVIgovuk]

From 25 February 2026 eligible visitors to the UK can’t legally travel without an Electronic Travel Authorisation. Find out more at https://t.co/EjuG34rm94.

[UK Visas & Immigration Official @UKVIgovuk]

From 25 February 2026 eligible visitors to the UK can’t legally travel without an Electronic Travel Authorisation. Find out more at https://t.co/EjuG34rm94.

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Interesting from @ukhomeoffice guidance note. Prob is that this is at odds with Equality law - without a legislative requirement, employers can't prioritise British nationals even if they could fill a role from domestic labour force. It's unfair to leave employers conflicted

[Feargal Sharkey @Feargal_Sharkey]

1 million views, deserves 1 billion more. 👏👏👏👏

[Migration Observatory @MigObs]

Talks on a UK/EU Youth Mobility Scheme are "very advanced", according to the EU Commissioner for finance.

Our commentary tells you everything you need to know about Youth Mobility Schemes, including how agreements have affected net migration

https://t.co/grbpnfGHwF

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

I spoke to @thetimes for @birkettsllp about their investigation that uncovered rife trading on social media of fraudulent work visas - deeply frustrating that a few bad actors ruin the system for genuine business that need to hire the best talent https://t.co/MNLJxy8YDJ

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

Interesting move from Reform. Neither Jenrick nor Braverman exactly have a good or effective track record on immigration despite it being within their brief whilst in Government

[Sacha Wooldridge @SachaWoolLegal]

OMG #TheTraitors - Faith in humanity restored! The world needed that today 🥹🥹🥹🥹