BRITISH Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced that “migration numbers will fall” when he sets out plans to reform the United Kingdom’s (UK) immigration system.
The new policy, proposes changes, include tightening English tests and cutting the recruitment of overseas care workers and stipulation that migrants will also need to reside in the UK for 10 years before they can apply for permanent residency, as against the current five years.
According to the BBC, the number of people coming into the country, minus the number leaving (net migration) hit 728,000 in the year to June last year.
But Starmer stated that Britain must “compete for the best talent in the world” and that the government cannot just “pull up the drawbridge,” adding: “We have to ask why parts of the economy are ‘almost addicted to importing cheap labour.”
He said the White Paper sets out that every area of the immigration system, from work, family to study, “will be tightened up, so we have more control.
“I’m doing it because it’s right, it’s fair, and what I believe in.”
At a news conference, the premier said an immigration system “almost designed to commit abuse” and one that encourages some business to bring in low paid workers, rather than investing in “our young people,” does not champion growth or justice, noting that though migration is part of Britain’s national story, migrants should commit to integration, including through learning English.
Starmer revealled that from 2019 to 2023, net migration “quadrupled” under the previous government, reaching a record high of nearly one million in the year to 2023, almost the size of the city of Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city.
“That’s not control, it’s chaos,” saying hee doesn’t think that “you can do something like that by accident, it was a choice,” noting this was a “one nation experiment” on open borders.
Starmer stressed that the change will “finally take back control of our borders,” he noted at the conference, attended by cabinet ministers, including the chancellor; home secretary; business secretary; education secretary and health secretary.
He outlined Labour’s long-awaited migration rules that had now been published in a White Paper, just as Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, laid out some of the government’s plans to curb net migration.
Cooper HYPERLINK “https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx2jnr1mkv8t?post=asset%3A029363e9-f394-4431-8762-773d9c252f69” \l “post”pledged up to 50,000 fewer visas for low-skilled workers, but refrained from committing to a target for net migration, saying “it is time to end” the visa route for overseas care workers.
Cooper pledged to enforce stricter standards on graduate visas, arguing some universities haven’t had proper checks in place, citing issues with some international students overstaying visas or failing to complete their studies.
Many care companies supporting older and disabled people in their own homes, and in care homes, view overseas staff recruited in the last few years as a “lifeline.” Even with care workers being brought in from other countries, official estimates, external showed there were 131,000 vacancies in social care in England last year, meaning that the government’s plans to stop care visas are causing real concern.
“The sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs and mounting vacancies,” said Professor Martin Green of Care England, which describes itself as the largest representative body for independent care providers.
“Taking (international recruitment) away now with no warning, no funding and no alternative is not just short-sighted; it’s cruel.”
Application of people asking for sanctuary due to dangers faced in their home country are all processed by the Home Office in the UK. An asylum seeker does not have the same rights as a British citizen or a refugee while they await the outcome of their application.
In the case of people who has been forced to leave their home country, the Home Office decides which asylum seekers get refugee status. In the UK, this status lasts for five years and they can work and receive some benefits.
Migrant is a catchall term for someone who moves from one area to another, either permanently or temporarily, due to war, natural disaster or persecution, or because they have chosen to study or live elsewhere.
On the other hand, you might hear the term “legal immigrant” and “illegal immigrant” used. Legal immigrants are those who have entered the UK with permission, whereas illegal immigrants arrived without it. Some illegal immigrants make claims for asylum once they arrive.
Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, told ‘BBC Breakfast’ that Labour’s White Paper does not include a target for the number of people legally migrating to the UK and his party wants net zero immigration, adding: “There needs to be a target on where they want immigration to go to.”
He stated that people were coming into an “already overpopulated” island that is seeing poor quality in public services and housing.
Tice claimed that the UK is “not short of people” but “short of the incentives to work,” noting: “Mass immigration has led to the suppression of wages, and it’s caused the quality of life to reduce for everybody.”
The ONS figures show that of the 1.2 million people who came to live in the UK in the 12 months to June 2024, only five per cent (58,000) were British nationals.
Amy Clark, a Commercial Director for a care home chain in Cornwall, said the sector was “very reliant on foreign workers,” and ending recruitment from overseas would create “significant problems.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today programme,’ Clark said the “big problem” would be “if we weren’t able to recruit any overseas staff, because recruiting locally is very, very difficult.”
To tackle the issue properly, she stated that government would need to look at the benefit system, saying this makes working on a wage slightly above the national minimum “unattractive” and that overseas staff are “highly valued” members of the team who provide good care.
However, the changes are likely to require a change to primary legislation, delaying implementation until the next parliamentary session next year.
Already, reactions have followed the announcement, with shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Starmer’s announcement “will not go far enough,” saying legal migration has been far too high in recent years, arguing that high levels of low-skill migration puts too much pressure on the country and the economy.
Philp, asked about Labour’s plans to end the visa route for overseas care workers, said social care is important and “it only takes a matter of a few weeks” to train to work in this role.
When pushed on where the funds to train people in the UK will come from, he said people who come into the country already get that training and the government needs to get people back into work and end “benefit dependency.”
On the issue of family visas, he noted that under the Conservative proposals, people can bring family members over, but there would be a yearly limit set every year by Parliament.
The Conservative Party said the idea that Starmer “is tough on immigration is a joke,” promising to push Parliament to introduce a cap on migration.
Tory Leader, Kemi Badenoch, said her party got it “wrong” on immigration during its 14 years in government, pledging to reduce net migration, the difference between those entering and leaving, which hit a record of 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
She called Labour’s plans “too little,” claiming Tory plans would have lowered net migration by about 400,000.
On its part, the Liberal Democrats said the immigration system was in “tatters” and it looks forward to scrutinising the government’s plans.
Meanwhile, Reform UK claimed its strong performance in the local elections in England was due to public anger about both legal and illegal migration.
In the year to June 2024, net migration stood at 728,000. This was lower than the previous year, when it had climbed to a record of 906,000.
Next Thursday, the latest data will be published and it is expected to show a drop in figures, as the government previously announced a cut in visas granted last year.
Looking ahead, the Office for Budget Responsibility predicts this number could fall to a low of 115,000.
The main type of visas now being applied for are seasonal worker visas, which allow someone to come to the UK to work for a limited period of time.
Starmer is promising to overhaul what he described as a “broken” immigration system and the government’s proposals will “create a system that is controlled, selective and fair” and is aimed at “lower net migration, higher skills and backing British workers.”
He said: “For years, we have had a system that encourages businesses to bring in lower paid workers, rather than invest in our young people. That is the Britain this broken system has created.
“Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up, so we have more control. Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall.
“The changed system will recognise those who genuinely contribute to Britain’s growth and society, while restoring common sense and control to our borders.
“This is a clean break from the past and will ensure settlement in this country is a privilege that must be earned, not a right. People who come to the UK should “commit to integration.”
The current net migration numbers are “beyond unsustainable,” one senior government figure stated.
Put simply, there is a political imperative to get the numbers down and they hope they have found a way to do it that helps people feel better off, rather than having a negative economic impact.
So, it is expected that the most prized immigrants, the most highly skilled and the most high earning, will be able to secure permanent residence much quicker than others.
The White Paper is the work of the last six or seven months and ministers hope to deliver some things quickly, including cutting by 50,000, the number of lower skilled and care workers coming to the UK pretty much straight away.
Other plans are expected to be set out in an immigration Bill at the next King’s Speech, hoping that by the time the next general election is close, in 2028 or 2029, the prime minister can point to a trend that bucks what has been seeen so far this century.
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