Migration Watch UK have today issued a paper (EU Immigration, Post-Brexit – A Comprehensive Policy) on the prospect for temporary visas for EU migrants to work in jobs at lower skill levels than presently required for admission of non-EU nationals, such as bricklaying, plumbing and construction among others, for a maximum of three years after […]
Summary 1. A major benefit of Brexit will be our ability to control migration from the EU, now running at about 160,000 a year (net). The focus should be on preserving access for the highly skilled by means of work permits similar to those now issued to highly skilled non-EU migrants.[1] 2. For some occupations […]
In a blog for UK in a Changing EU, Professor Jonathan Portes draws attention to a new report from the Office of National Statistics about migrant workers in the UK labour market. While the report contains much interesting information, Professor Portes uses it to make assertions about Migration Watch proposals for immigration in the future […]
Business lobby have been crying “wolf” Despite frequent complaints from businesses the annual cap on Tier 2 work permits has had virtually no impact on their ability to recruit the brightest and best from around the world. That is the conclusion of a report being issued by Migration Watch UK, which finds that the annual cap of […]
Summary: 1. The Scottish Government has claimed that Scotland needs continued free movement of people for EU citizens when the UK leaves the European Union, to deal with a ‘skills gap’.[1] But new analysis of the Labour Force Survey suggests that the proportion of Scotland’s total highly-skilled workforce comprised of EU migrants is roughly similar […]
Lord Green is Chairman of MigrationWatch UK. November 30, 2016 It is now abundantly clear that some opponents of Brexit are seeking to use parliamentary procedures to delay and obstruct the forthcoming negotiations in the hope that they can engineer another referendum with a different result. Indeed, the Liberal Democrat leader has virtually said as much. […]
Summary 1. There is a perfectly feasible way forward on immigration which meets the main concerns of all participants, except for some relating to new arrivals of low paid migrant workers. Early publication of the UK’s objectives (but not the strategy) would help calm concerns without weakening our hand. Introduction 2. In advance of the […]
The Scottish Government’s recent paper(read here) on the implications of Brexit for Scotland’s economic performance suggests restrictions on European migration could increase skills shortages with adverse implications for the economy. The paper provides neither references nor any evidence to support this assertion. In fact, the impact of immigration on the Scottish economy is far less than on […]
1. Much attention has been paid to the apparent failure of the government to reduce non-EU migration. However, it would seem that this is very largely due to the significant number of students who have remained in the UK, legally or otherwise. 2. Non-EU net migration has averaged 172,000 in the last ten years, as […]
Jeremy Warner is right to suggest that current record levels of net migration are a crucial part of the national debate as the EU referendum approaches (‘Immigration is what will decide the outcome of the referendum, as it will in Holland too’, Daily Telegraph, 29th March 2016, see article). He expresses uncertainty as to whether […]