Home Secretary on 15 May have been conveyed to Immigration Officers.
As the Home Secretary also pointed out, however, the old rule relating to returning residents was intended to allow persons resident here to resume residence after an absence of up to two years. It was not intended to enable people resident overseas to maintain settled status in the United Kingdom by paying short visits once every two years when they had no real intention of resuming residence here. The purpose of the rules change was to restate this basic distinction more clearly. The Home Secretary went on to say that what many of those who were worried about the change seemed to be arguing for was not a provision for returning residents, but a new status of perpetual permanent residence to be open to someone who has his permanent home elsewhere and who makes a fleeting visit to the UK once every two years.
Mr Au Yeung has not lived in the United Kingdom since 1980. He spent 8 days in the United Kingdom in June 1990. By no stretch of the imagination can he, or others in similar circumstances, be regarded as returning residents.
Yous,
Colin
CR MILLER
B2 Division