On 9 February, the Government published its Integrated Communities Action Plan for England. The Plan does not include any express proposal to criminalise “bare” religious marriages undertaken in the absence of any civil registration. The relevant extracts in relation to religious issues are as follows:

“Ministers of religion

We will amend the Immigration Rules to prohibit Religious Workers (granted a Tier 5 visa) from acting as a Minister of Religion. In doing so, individuals wishing to come to the UK and fill roles which meet our definition of a Minister of Religion will be required to do so via Tier 2, which requires demonstration of a higher level of English.

Lead Department: Home Office – Delivery date: Changes to the Immigration Rules implemented in January 2019. Continue reading →