Foreign permit shake-up slated

The government is turning its back on foreign businessmen in the UK, according to leading immigration lawyers who are in revolt at planned procedural changes for foreign clients' work permit applications.The Home Office wrote to law firms last week explaining that existing rules allowing firms to apply by post for up to six permit applications per week - which are dealt with in an allotted time slot - are to be shelved owing to a lack of resources.Firms will be allowed only one postal application per week from3 September, and further applications must be made in person by the applicants at the immigration and nationality department - Lunar House in Croydon, south London.

Julia Onslow-Cole, head of business immigration at City firm CMS Cameron McKenna and co-convener of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association's employment and business sub-committee, said she deplored a move that 'could see us returning to the bad old days ofpeople queuing in sleeping bags from three in the morning outside Lunar House'.Ms Onslow-Cole said she had asked a civil servant at the Home Office if top executives were expected to queue for permits, and he said they were.She said the policy was contrary to the government's stated aim of making Britain attractive to foreign business, and would paralyse certain businessmen who would be prevented from travelling abroad.A director at an affected client company said: 'It is outrageous.

None of our directors will go down to Lunar House.'Philip Trott, head of immigration at Bates Wells & Braithwaite and the sub-committee's other co-convener, said many solicitors have lined up their six slots until November with applications for permits.

He added: 'You cannot run a government department by dictat.'Mr Trott said there are 'heavies' in Lunar house, who sift out complicated applications and stop people from queuing.

Referring to his client companies, he said: 'Can you imagine the managing director of Shell or EMI queuing at Lunar House?'Ms Onslow-Cole has convened an emergency meeting with Home Office officials at Camerons' offices this week.Jeremy Fleming