Update on the Simplification Bill

Peter Wrench, Head of UKBA Simplification Team, spoke at today’s OISC conference and took questions afterwards. 

Long and short?  The Simplification Bill is headed down the tubes.  He didn't say that, it's my interpretation. 

They already cancelled the debate until January.  There's discussion about whether to pull it out of the Queen's speech.  But what he did say is that the Simplification Bill *MIGHT* be introduced next year in a different form and it wouldn't be about simplification.  What does that tell you?   

Well, doesn't that put the whole thing on it's head.  Some of the foundation principles of the "biggest shake-up of UK Immigration" were to be introduced in that.

It really isn't clear how the piece-mail changes are going to actually come together at all.  Just about the point where we think this whole thing is headed, they seem to not even know what they are doing.  So we go from knowing where we were going but not when or the details to even wondering what is going where if at all.  Does that sum it up?

This one is going down the tubes and the other one has a prayer booked.

Sometimes you have to smile http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=45690.msg643542#msg643542

I agree whole-heartedly that you have to keep an eye on it.  EVERY MINUTE.

A little lost here -- is the simplification bill the one that scraps ILR and introduces probationary citizenship?

No, but it is part of the omnibus of legislation, mostly it focused on simplifying the asylum process (see: kick them out quicker and faster without right to appeal).  But it had an effect on how immigration decisions were made and processes handled.

sorry, also confused, can someone provide a cite to this bill?  Have been looking for it in Hansard and at the UKBA site and can't find text of the bill.  It's not the draft Immigration and Citizenship bill from July 14?