Migration Watch UK: News

New Report shows Britain is ‘Open for Business’

Britain’s immigration system is remarkably business friendly, contrary to the stories put out by some of the financial press, says a new report by Migration Watch UK published today.

In fact thousands of skilled worker (Tier 2), Exceptional Talent, and Graduate Entrepreneurs visas remained unfilled, despite cries that talented people are being denied access to the UK to work.

‘Instead of thousands of bogus students streaming in to work in low paid job and keeping wages down, as happened under the last government, our report shows that we now have a genuinely business friendly regime with thousands of places available for those skilled workers who are really needed,’ said Migration Watch UK chairman, Sir Andrew Green.

The report examines the seven kinds of visas available, several designed specifically for global business leaders, investors and world-class scientists. The aim is clearly to ensure that Britain remains one of the top business destinations in the world (The World Bank found that in 2012 the UK was the 7^th best place for business friendly regulations, the third highest European country, behind Denmark and Norway).

6.2 million people visited the UK in 2011, of which 1.67 million came as business visitors. There is no limit to the number of Entrepreneurs, Investors, Students and Intra Company Transferees that can come to the UK.

Sir Andrew said: ‘There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that a better service is needed in individual cases but it is time that the financial press examined the facts more carefully before presenting an entirely false picture.

‘The government are, rightly, responding to overwhelming public pressure to get mass immigration under control. Exaggerated cries of alarm from parts of the business community send out an unnecessarily negative message which damages their own cause internationally.’

Family Permits for EU Citizens in Britain

A paper issued today by Migration Watch UK reveals that 100,000 dependants of EU nationals resident in Britain entered the UK in the last five years with no conditions attached but with full and immediate access to benefits.

The government’s reform of the Immigration Rules require British citizens to be earning £18,600 before they can bring in a spouse from outside the EU so as to avoid any cost to the taxpayer.   However, under EU law, they are obliged to provide favourable treatment to EU citizens including those who may never have been resident here prior to moving with their non-EU family.

Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said “This is a loophole that must be closed and soon.   It is absurd that EU citizens should be in a more favourable position than our own citizens.  Furthermore, 20,000 per year is a very large number to admit unconditionally, especially compared to the government’s target of tens of thousands for annual net migration.

Notes to Editors:

1 More precisely, this applies to EEA nationals.

2 Example: French or Polish citizens living in the UK can marry someone from anywhere in the world and can bring him or her to the UK even if they do not have a job and cannot support their spouse whereas a British citizen must now be earning £18,600 a year.

3 Examples of Abuse – An Indian national from Goa can obtain Portuguese citizenship if their parents were Portuguese citizens prior to 1961. They can then move straight to the UK with their family using an EEA family permit.  On arrival they can avail themselves, immediately, of all the benefits available to UK citizens. There is anecdotal evidence that this has been happening quite extensively. Many settle in Swindon, where around 9,000 Goans now live.

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Changing Minds – The Financing of the Pro-Mass Immigration Lobby

The Daily Mail recently reported on the Diana Memorial Fund’s financing of a pro mass immigration campaign.  The article highlighted the role of the Migration Observatory in this campaign, called “Changing Minds”. The Migration Observatory has not responded to our questions seeking clarification of their position. However, we have now looked further into this issue ourselves and have found a systematic attempt by a small group of charities to influence public opinion on immigration.  These charities are, of course, free to undertake such a campaign but it seems that the Migration Observatory which claims to be impartial is a key vehicle in their campaign.   Their website declares their funders but makes no mention of their connection with this campaign.  There must be some question as to whether such activity is appropriate to a major university.

To read the full Briefing Paper No 10.27 click here.

The British in Europe

There are 407,000 British workers in other countries of the European Union, compared to over 1.4 million workers from another EU country in the UK.

To see the full Briefing Paper No 4.21 click here.

BBC Newsnight Poll - Romanian and Bulgarian migration

This is a stunning survey, which the BBC has rather desperately tried to play down. The percentages look small but when multiplied by the size of the work force they produce large numbers. One percent of Romanians of working age (total 15.4 million) actively considering work in the UK amounts to 150,000 and four percent of working age Bulgarians (total 4.9 million) is another 200,000. Even if one takes only those making concrete plans, the number of Romanians is 61,000 and the number of Bulgarians 58,000 or nearly 120,000 in total.  Not all will come of course and polls of intentions are notoriously difficult but others may well come once their friends are installed. 

Commenting on the poll, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK said:

“These figures suggest that the Migration Watch central estimate of 50,000 a year is distinctly cautious. Numbers suggested on the scale by this survey would make it impossible for the Government to sustain their target of tens of thousands, assuming they reach it by the end of the parliament.”

Please visit our website at www.migrationwatchuk.org

Follow us on Twitter @migrationwatchuk.org

Legal Aid in Immigration and Asylum Cases

As always with these legal briefing papers it is stressed that they are not published as authoritative legal advice but for general guidance and information for users of the Migration Watch website.

Restrictions on the availability of legal aid are imposed by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. the provisions of which on legal aid were brought into effect in early April 2013. This is a substantial enactment dealing with three major subjects. Of its 154 sections 62 relate to legal aid, which is made the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor (otherwise the Secretary of State for the Justice Department), who is required by section 4 of the Act to appoint a civil servant as Director of Legal Aid Casework. Section 8 defines the general scope of civil legal services, including providing advice and representation in relation to legal proceedings.

To see the full Briefing Paper No 8.70 click here.

Revelations about Migration Observatory

Commenting on this weekend’s revelations about the Migration Observatory, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:

 "The Migration Observatory press release avoided the central point, namely their involvement in a programme called ‘Changing Minds’ together with a number of other pro-immigration organisations.

"I was astonished to discover that they are part of a coordinated effort by a group of pro-immigration charities which is clearly a propaganda operation designed to change public opinion on the present massive levels of immigration.

"The Migration Observatory has declared their three major funders but have not declared the common objective behind the funding."

 

18 Bogus Arguments for Mass Immigration

11 April, 2013

Immigration Mythology Briefing Paper 12.4 has been updated. The updated paper outlines the many myths that are put forward by the mass immigration lobby in support of the current levels of immigration and dispels each myth in turn.

What They Say: Extracts from the Media and Internet

The London Evening Standard - 28 March, 2013: Immigration: why the public is right by David Goodhart

“I had not given immigration much thought.…….though as a journalist of Leftish sympathies I was reflexively in favour of it…” “What changed that was hearing Tory intellectual David Willetts speak about the risk of too much diversity undermining the moral consensus on which the welfare state depends.”

“It seemed like such a good idea that I’d never thought of.”… “There was an element of intellectual opportunism about it. I thought he was on to a really, really big thing.”

“Unlike most members of my political tribe of north London liberals I have come to believe that public opinion is broadly right about immigration. Britain has had too much of it, too quickly, especially in recent years, and much of it, especially for the least well off, has not produced self-evident economic benefit.”

To see other extracts on What They Say click here

Sir Andrew Green Comments on NIESR report on Romanian and Bulgarian Migration

This morning the National Institute of Economic and Social Research published a paper which failed to estimate the number of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants who will come to the UK when transitional controls end on 1 January 2014. 

Commenting on the report Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:

“This report is a bucket of whitewash. In 60 pages it produces no estimate whatever of the likely future scale of Romanian and Bulgarian migration to the UK. It doesn't even address the only estimate published so far – by Migration Watch UK which has a strong record in these matters. It brushes aside any indication of an increase in migration from these countries whose workers are amongst the most mobile in the EU. Furthermore it avoids tackling the key question of how many Romanian and Bulgarian migrants now in Spain and Italy might transfer to Britain. “