Commenting, Alp Mehmet, Vice Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: “It seems Mr Johnson is considering an amnesty for illegal immigrants in order to avoid another Windrush. This makes no sense. Those wrongly caught up in Windrush had every right to be here and bear no comparison to people who have either entered illegally or stayed on illegally […]
Summary The UK already has a Points Based System (PBS) but it has failed to reduce, or even control, immigration. It needs reinforcement, not disruptive change. The Australian system operates entirely differently – its main purpose is to increase, not to reduce, immigration. The UK Experience A PBS was introduced in 2008 for work and […]
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 […]
The government has announced the introduction of a two-year post-study work route for foreign graduates of UK universities. 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 that only 5,100 took advantage of this […]
Summary Parliament are conducting further indicative votes today. The immigration implications of the four options are outlined below. As long as the UK leaves the EU and EEA it should be able to assert sovereign control over immigration although pressure for concessions might arise in future trade negotiations. (see our paper). Customs union Enshrines in […]
Summary The suggestion that Belgium has shown that inflows of EU citizens can be controlled despite free movement is simply wrong. While EU law makes provision for certain restrictions on entry and stay, the scope is limited and both technical and practical issues severely restrict its application in practice. Context EU Directive 2004/38/EC stipulates that […]
The government has consistently said that it will do everything in its power to avoid a hardening of the Irish border whatever the circumstances (although it has also been argued that, in the event of a no deal Brexit, a ‘hard border would be inevitable’). The government said in December 2018 that British / Irish […]
Summary: Freedom of movement to the UK would continue during any extension period. EU net migration has averaged 80,000 per year since the Referendum. The extension of Article 50 may substitute for the transition period. However, as Martin Howe QC has argued, unlike during the transition period (during which free movement would also continue), the […]
Summary: Depending on the primary salary threshold for skilled workers that is finally implemented as part of the post-Brexit immigration system, between 6.2 million and up to 8.8 million full-time jobs held by UK-born employees would be exposed to the potential for new or much increased global recruitment. This is based on analysis of the number of full-time […]
The Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Deal If the UK leaves the European Union with the Prime Minister’s withdrawal deal, free movement for EU workers will come to an end after a transition period. Nearly four million EU citizens who are already here, as well as those who arrive in the UK prior to the end of […]