Prime Minister defends immigration policy

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has addressed the intent and impact of recent changes to immigration policy in an outspoken speech. Speaking in Hampshire on 14 April 2011, Mr Cameron laid blame at the Labour Party's feet for allowing immigration to get 'too high' whilst answering critics of recent changes to the immigration rules.

In this speech Mr Cameron indicated that the settlement and citizenship processes would be reviewed ‘in coming months’. He also said that the recent changes to Tier 4 of the points based system for students should ‘cut the number of student visas issued by around 80,000 a year’.

The speech drew quick criticism from senior Liberal Democrat and Cabinet Minister Vince Cable, who said it ‘risks inflaming extremism’ and was ‘very unwise’. Mr Cable also reiterated that reducing net immigration down to tens of thousands a year was Conservative party policy and not coalition policy.

The full text of Mr Cameron’s speech is available on Guardian website. It provides a detailed and comprehensive response to the many changes made at the start of the month to Tiers 1, 2 and 4 of the points based system.

‘Good immigration, not mass migration’

Mr Cameron began with comments that he wants to ‘starve extremist parties of the oxygen of public anxiety they thrive on and extinguish them once and for all’. He also noted ‘significant numbers of new people ... perhaps not able to speak the same language as those living there … on occasions not really wanting or even willing to integrate … that has created a kind of discomfort and disjointedness in some neighbourhoods.’

He used this ‘disjointedness’ as the basis of his justification for measures such as increasing the English language requirements for migrants and limiting access to student visas. However, research from the University of Manchester indicates that deprivation and poverty are more to blame - this is not addressed in the Prime Minister’s speech. He accepts that ‘real communities are bound by common experiences’ and that ‘real integration takes time’, but he may be treating the symptoms and not the cause.

Mr Cameron was also keen to stress positive impacts of immigration, noting the number of foreign migrants who work in the NHS and education, or who have set up successful business. He said,‘immigrants make a huge contribution to Britain. We recognise that – and we welcome it.’

Yet Mr Cameron tried to cover two sides of the argument on this point, by focusing on the fact that the number of migrants from outside the EU ‘is the figure we can more easily control and should control’. With the new limits on skilled migration it seems likely that there will be fewer of these skilled professionals to make such a ‘huge contribution’ in the future.

Despite this contradiction, however, he highlighted that the real issue with migrants in the labour market is the ‘welfare system that for years has paid British people not to work.’ He also stressed that migrants ‘don’t simply displace job opportunities for a hundred British citizens’ because they also create wealth and opportunity themselves. Whilst this doesn’t entirely tally with the new limitations on migration, it is an attempt to identify one of the core issues for UK residents.

Skilled migrants

Following concerns and criticism from businesses during the public consultations, Mr Cameron clearly stated that, ‘Business leaders have told us that as a country, we should prioritise skilled tier two, workers with a job offer rather than highly-skilled tier one workers without a job offer. So that’s what we’re doing.’

Tightening immigration practice

A significant part of the speech was taken up with the issues people abusing the immigration system. This included addressing sham marriages, bogus colleges and people pretending to be dependents of students to enter the country.

To support these claims Mr Cameron noted the 155 arrests for sham marriages made in the last year, the estimated 150,000 illegal workers claiming benefits and the fact that only 131 of 744 colleges had achieved highly trusted sponsor status. Mr Cameron said that, ‘as of mid-January this year, the 613 private colleges who are not “highly trusted” have been able to sponsor 280,000 students between them’.

Also, with effect from Autumn 2011, people who owe the NHS money for treatment will have to pay their debt before they can apply to come to or remain in the UK.

‘Cultural sensitivity’

A new angle on Conservative policy, however, is the treatment of ‘cultural sensitivity’. In his speech, Mr Cameron strongly stated that forced marriages should be stopped - ‘This is the practice where some young British girls are bullied and threatened into marrying someone they don’t want to. I’ve got no time for those who say this is a culturally relative issue – it is wrong, full stop, and we’ve got to stamp it out.’

He also defended the increased English language requirements for spouses and partners of UK residents and his intention to defend the minimum age limit of 21 for applicants - ‘some marriages take place when the spouse is very young, and has little or no grasp of English. Again we cannot allow cultural sensitivity to stop us from acting.’

Settlement

Perhaps most importantly, Mr Cameron also indicated in his speech that the Home Office and UK Border Agency would next turn their attention to Indefinite Leave to Remain and naturalisation processes.

A consultation seems likely to follow later this year detailing suggested changes, but it is clear that changes will be based around how to ‘break that link between temporary visas and permanent settlement’.

It is unclear how this will be implemented, and what will happen to the Life in the UK test as a result. It is hoped that this will involve the study materials and the test itself being revised and brought up to date so that migrants who have to take it can be sure that it is relevant to their life.