With immediate effect, the general requirement under the Immigration Rules for certain foreign nationals to register with the police (the 'Police Registration Scheme') has ceased.

Under the UK Immigration Rules, certain foreign nationals are subject to an immigration condition requiring them to register with the police, and report certain changes of their circumstances, including move of residential address, and extension of immigration permission. Although these requirements are currently still included in the Immigration Rules, the UK authorities confirmed that they have been suspended and will be abolished.

This change applies to those who have already registered with the police and who have a condition to register with the police as part of their leave to enter / remain in the UK. They are also no longer required to communicate any updated personal details to the police.

For those who already registered with the police, they do not need to comply with the terms of the scheme or report any changes of circumstances anymore. They will not, however, have their registration fees refunded.

For those who were issued with a visa with the requirement to register and travelled to the UK, if they attend a local police registration office, they will be advised of the changes accordingly.

Individuals who fail to comply with the condition are no longer at risk of criminal prosecution and/or refusal of immigration permission.

The requirement will also be dropped from the visa condition when those foreign nationals apply for extension or variation of their visa in the UK.

It should be noted though, that anyone who is issued with a BRP card is still required to notify the Home Office if certain personal details of theirs change. They should follow a separate change of circumstances policy and report via: https://www.gov.uk/change-circumstances-visa-brp

Overall, the seemingly welcomed change will relieve certain foreign nationals of the unnecessary burden of registering in person with the police and make subsequent report accordingly.

We hope this article can provide a brief overview for our clients to understand the new change. We will keep you updated with any further news on this topic.

If you need any immigration advice, please do not hesitate to Contact Us.