Spring 2019 Summary: It is vital that post-Brexit changes to the immigration system help to restore public confidence in border control and also deliver a significant reduction in immigration levels. Proposals in the Immigration White Paper to loosen the Tier 2 (General) route for skilled workers are very concerning. Reliance on immigration is not the optimal means […]
During his leadership campaign, the Home Secretary called for the reintroduction of the two-year post-study work route for foreign graduates in any kind of employment. It is already the case that are no limits on the number of international students who can remain in the UK if they move into skilled roles. However, the fact […]
The proposal to admit an unlimited number of low-skilled workers from a range of countries is astonishing. A validity ‘limited to twelve months’ could well become a means of fiddling the immigration figures since they do not count as migrants unless they intend to be here for more than a year. Furthermore, there is no way in which their […]
The illegal immigrant population of the UK is rising by 70,000 per year – nearly equivalent to the size of the full-time British Army. That is the conclusion of a new paper (Illegal immigration – What can be done?) being issued by Migration Watch UK. The paper estimates the gross annual rise in the illegal […]
A recent Migration Watch UK paper shows that 82% of the total 6.6 million increase in the UK population between 2001 and 2016 was due, directly and indirectly, to immigration – that is to say a result of the net increase of those who were born overseas and their UK-born children. Put another way, immigration […]
The House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee has released its report on the topic of ‘Immigration and Scotland’. This is our response. It is very disappointing that the report’s conclusion saw fit to ignore the crucial fact, made in both oral and written evidence to the Committee, that the majority of Scots [55%] think that immigration levels over […]
The health sector had years to improve training of locals. Now they call for immigration. But that is not a solution. The only long-term answer is more training & better retention of existing staff We are regularly told that limits on skilled work permits are harming the NHS by preventing doctors and nurses coming in. […]
‘Exodus of the EU migrants’ said the front page of the Daily Express. ‘Brexodus’ exclaimed the Daily Star. BBC News led with: ‘Record numbers of EU nationals leaving the UK.’ As Julia Hartley-Brewer pointed out, the BBC headline was rich given the fact that the article quoted statistics for the period after the referendum showing […]
A Scottish Government report, published on 7 February, claims that cutting immigration could ‘cost’ Scotland’s economy £10bn per year from 2040. Firstly it should be pointed out that what is characterised as a potential ‘cost’ is not based on a claim that lower immigration would lead to an actual shrinkage in the economy but rather an […]
The impacts of international students in the UK Summary The benefits of international students are not in doubt – provided that they are genuine. There has been substantial abuse of the route since 2009 which has now been largely dealt with. The first year of exit checks has shown that 60,000 students extended their stay […]