Migration Watch UK: News

Prime Minister gets his facts wrong on immigration

In his pod cast on Friday 26 March, the Prime Minister said "Some people talk as if net inward migration is rising. In fact, it is falling - down from 237,000 in 2007, to 163,000 in 2008, to provisional figures of 147,000 last year".

The first two figures refer to Long Term Immigration and are correct. The last of these figures is wrong on three counts:

    -  It refers to the International Passenger Survey (IPS) which is only one element in the estimate of migration. These figures are adjusted for asylum seekers, migration from Ireland, those who come as visitors and apply to stay etc. As a result, the statisticians usually add about 38,000 to the annual IPS figure to produce the estimate for immigration.

    - The first two numbers are for calendar years but the third is a mid year figure up to June 2009.

    -  It is also a cumulative annual total covering the previous 4 quarters so it is different in kind from a calendar year figure, especially if there is seasonal variation.

Commenting, Sir Andrew Green Chairman of Migrationwatch said,"The clear intention was to produce a series of figures which looked like a decline even if they were not of the same kind. In fact immigration in 2009 could well be higher than in 2008 although nobody, including the Prime Minster, can yet know. This amounts to fiddling the figures for presentational purposes and is completely unacceptable, especially on such a sensitive subject.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1  The IPS figure quoted by the Prime Minister can be found at

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/IPS-estimates-of-long-term-international-migration-YE-Jun-09.xls

2  The ONS explanation of the difference between the two series can found at

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/Provisional-IPS-vs-LTIM.pdf

3  The calendar year figures can be found at

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15053

Lib Dems Talk Tough on Immigration – But Their Actual Policies Would be "Disastrous"

The Liberal Democrats immigration policy sounds tough but, in reality, is no better than the government’s "open door immigration policy" that has seen the biggest wave of immigration in our history, says a new report out today.

The policy was the first of the major parties to be scrutinised in detail by think-tank Migrationwatch as the parties set out their stalls for the upcoming general election.

‘The Lib Dems realise that this is an issue of deep public concern which could well affect the way people vote,’ said Sir Andrew Green, Migrationwatch chairman. ‘They therefore want to give the impression of proposing firm and decisive action - but, sadly this is entirely hollow. For all their tough talk, their policies will make little or no difference to the numbers coming to the UK.

The paper summarised Liberal Democrat policies as having three main strands - an emphasis on "control", a scheme for directing immigration to certain regions and support for illegal immigrants to be allowed to "earn regularisation".

See the Full Press Release.

Sham Marriages – March 2010

Introduction

1 There has been a great deal of confusion recently about the government’s powers to deal with sham marriages. Even the Minister of Immigration seems to have got it wrong in a television interview. Briefing Paper 8.38 sets out the full position.....

The BBC Report

5 On 7 January this year the BBC television 10 o'clock news included film of a covert investigation into a thriving business in which prospective "brides" were women from Eastern Europe taking advantage of their rights as EU citizens and the "bridegrooms" were illegal immigrants from outside the EU. The same report included an interview with Mr Phil Woolas MP, Minister for Immigration, who said that, as a result of a court decision, nothing could be done to prevent such a marriage taking place, no matter what suspicions there might be about its genuineness.

6 This was clearly a mistaken account of the legal position but, despite continuing press reports of sham marriages, the Minister has still not responded to an invitation from our Honorary Legal Adviser to correct the position. A fuller account of the relevant law can be found in Briefing Paper 8.13.

The Immigration Appeals System Revised - 2010 Version

This Briefing Paper 8.30 substantially amends and brings up to date the previous version dated March 2005 (now deleted), taking account of recent changes in the law

Introduction

1 The immigration appeals system has undergone major changes twice in recent years. Until April 2005 there was a two tier system, the first tier consisting of adjudicators sitting alone and the upper tier being the Immigration Appeal Tribunal. The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 [Referred to hereafter as “the 2004 Act”] created the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, which was in essence a single tier tribunal and began operation on 4 April 2005. This Tribunal has itself now been abolished and superseded by further reforms which took effect from 15 February 2010. The hearing and disposal of asylum and immigration appeals has been taken over by the unified tribunal service created by the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. Please refer to Briefing Paper 8.35 for details of the new tribunal.

Migration: An Economic and Social Analysis

TITLE PAGE AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of a joint research study by the Home Office Economics and Resources Analysis Unit and the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit.

This document was given restricted circulation in October 2000 and was obtained by Migration Watch in January 2010 under a Freedom of Information Act request to the Cabinet Office.

(The full text which runs to 81 pages could presumably be obtained from the Cabinet Office).

See Migration Watch's full Press Release.