UTIAC (i) Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 does not apply to children who are outside the United Kingdom.
(ii) Where there are reasons to believe that a child’s welfare may be jeopardised by exclusion from the United Kingdom, the considerations of Article 8 ECHR, the ‘exclusion undesirable’ provisions of the Immigration Rules and the extra statutory guidance to Entry Clearance Officers to apply the spirit of the statutory guidance in certain circumstances should all be taken into account by the ECO at first instance and the judge on appeal.
(iii) When the interests of the child are under consideration in an entry clearance case, it may be necessary to make investigations, and where appropriate having regard to age, the child herself may need to be interviewed.
(iv) Where the appeal can be fairly determined on the merits by the judge, it is inappropriate to allow it without substantive consideration simply for a decision to be made in accordance with the law.
(v) It is difficult to contemplate a scenario where a s. 55 duty is material to an immigration decision and indicates a certain outcome but Article 8 does not.
Blake J, P
[2011] UKUT 483 (IAC)
Bailii
Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 9
England and Wales
Immigration
Updated: 10 November 2021; Ref: scu.450087
