Challenging Retropective Immigration Rule Changes

Aim

A Call to Action: Challenging the Government's Retrospective Immigration Rule Changes

My name is Danish Farooq, and I'm writing to you today not just as an immigration professional, but as someone who understands the immigrant experience from both sides of the desk.

My journey in UK immigration law spans years of dedicated service as a legal advisor and consultant, working with multiple solicitors' firms before establishing Wesbridge Associates in 2024. Throughout my career, I've witnessed firsthand how immigration policy shapes lives, separates families, and determines futures. But my understanding runs deeper than professional expertise. I've lived the immigrant experience myself, navigating the complexities, uncertainties, and hopes that come with building a life in the UK.

This dual perspective, professional knowledge combined with personal lived experience, has given me comprehensive insight into both the letter of immigration law and its human impact. I've helped countless individuals and families navigate legitimate pathways to settlement, always operating within the framework of rules that, while sometimes challenging, were at least predictable and fair.

Why I'm Writing Today

The government's recent proposal to introduce retrospective changes to immigration rules represents something I never thought I'd see in British law: a fundamental breach of legal principles that have protected people for generations.

These changes don't just affect future applicants. They're being applied backwards to people already on established routes, people who made life-changing decisions based on clear rules that were in place when they arrived. This affects approximately 1.6 million skilled workers, including myself, who followed every rule, met every requirement, and built our lives here in good faith.

This isn't just bad policy. It's potentially unlawful. These retrospective changes appear to violate the doctrine of legitimate expectation. When the government sets out clear immigration pathways, individuals have a legitimate expectation that those rules won't be arbitrarily changed after they've already committed to that route. The discriminatory impact of these changes on specific groups raises serious equality concerns under the Equality Act 2010. And the retrospective law-making that disadvantages people who've already relied on existing rules contradicts basic principles of natural justice and fairness.

What I Propose

I intend to challenge this government proposal through judicial review proceedings, seeking an injunction to prevent these unlawful changes from becoming law. A judicial review would examine whether the government has acted lawfully in proposing these retrospective changes and could halt their implementation.

But I Cannot Do This Alone

Judicial review proceedings require substantial resources: legal expertise, court fees, and comprehensive evidence gathering. More importantly, this issue affects 1.6 million people. This must be a collective action lawsuit where all concerned skilled workers opt in and contribute to funding the challenge.

The strength of our case lies in our numbers and our shared experience. Every person affected adds weight to the argument that these changes cause real harm and violate fundamental legal principles.

My Question to You

If I take this action, if I commit to organizing and pursuing judicial review proceedings against these retrospective rule changes, who among you is willing to support this fight?

This means contributing financially to a litigation fund, providing evidence of how these changes affect you, standing together as a community of skilled workers who've contributed to this country, and being willing to have your voice heard in court proceedings.

The government is counting on us being too dispersed, too afraid, or too resigned to challenge this. They're wrong.

I have the legal knowledge, the professional standing, and the personal stake to lead this challenge. 

But I need to know: Are you with me?

Please respond if you're willing to support collective legal action. Together, we can defend not just our own futures, but the principle that governments cannot arbitrarily rewrite the rules after people have already played by them.

The time to act is now, before these proposals become entrenched law.

Danish Farooq

Senior Immigration Consultant 

Wesbridge Associates Limited

Regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA)

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made