Automatic settlement for skilled workers to end

Here’s another update from the UK Border Agency.

As part of the government's commitment to reviewing the immigration system, last summer a consultation was launched proposing reforms to employment-related settlement, Tier 5 and overseas domestic worker routes.

Immigration Minister Damian Green has today announced the government's response to this consultation. The proposed changes will mean that skilled migrant workers coming to the UK under Tier 2 of the points-based system will no longer be able to settle in the UK simply based on the amount of time they have spent in the UK.

A new minimum pay threshold will also mean that only the brightest and best workers, who strengthen the UK economy, will be able to apply to stay in the UK permanently.

The new rules will break the link between coming to the UK to work and staying forever. Exceptionally talented people, investors and entrepreneurs will continue to have the option to stay. Skilled temporary workers wanting to apply for settlement will have to earn at least £35,000 or the going rate for their job, whichever is higher. Migrants doing jobs which are in shortage, and scientists and researchers in PhD-level roles, will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold. Temporary permission to enter and remain in the UK will be capped at 6 years, to reinforce the temporary nature of Tier 2.

Damian Green said:

'Settlement in the UK is a privilege. We are sweeping aside the idea that everyone who comes here to work can settle, and instead reserving this important right only for the brightest and best.

'Our reforms of the immigration system will ensure we are more selective not only about those who are allowed to come here but also those who are allowed to stay permanently.'

The government intends to:

• continue to provide a direct route to settlement for investors, entrepreneurs and exceptionally talented migrants under Tier 1.
• continue to provide a route to settlement for the best Tier 2 migrants, if they meet a minimum salary threshold of £35,000.
• allow those who enter as PhD-level scientists and researchers to qualify for settlement without having to meet the £35,000 minimum salary threshold.
• make all workers in shortage occupation jobs (currently including specialist nurses, teachers and social workers) exempt from the minimum settlement salary threshold of £35,000;
• allow Tier 2 migrants to extend their temporary permission to stay in the UK up to maximum of 6 years, and introduce a 12-month 'cooling off' period;
• retain a route for overseas domestic workers in private households, but only when accompanying a visitor and limited to 6 months' stay with no right to change employer;
• retain the current route of entry for private servants in diplomatic households under Tier 5 (Temporary worker - International agreement), with a maximum stay of 5 years and no ability to change employer or to settle.

The government also plans to make changes to the visitor rules to allow a defined group of professionals to undertake specific fee-paid activities for short stays of up to 1 month without formal sponsorship requirements.

The government is reforming all routes of entry to the UK in order to reduce net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands. It has already taken action to reduce numbers by restricting the number of migrants from outside the European Union who can come here to work, and introducing changes to the student visa system. The changes announced today will bring greater control over who is able to settle in the UK.

Full details of the proposals, a summary of responses to the consultation, and Damian Green's written ministerial statement can all be found on the Home Office website.

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Helpline for Irregular Migrants launching this month

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) is launching a helpline to assist undocumented migrants in the UK.

Please read on for further information.

"JCWI is delighted to announce the opening of a new advice line – for undocumented migrants in London.

Undocumented migrants do not fall into any of the UK’s legal immigration categories. This includes migrants who entered the country through an irregular channel or do not possess valid documents, migrants who have overstayed their visas, migrants with rejected asylum applications or cases where refugee status was revoked.

One of thousands

Abla (not his real name) is just one of the thousands of migrants who could have benefitted immensely from receiving advice on his irregular immigration status. When Abla was eight years old, his father brought him to the UK, and left him in the care of a family friend. Abla is now nineteen. Having spent the last eleven years in the UK, he completed his primary and secondary schooling here, excelled in extracurricular activities and even secured a place at a UK university. It was only last year, when filling out a student loan application that Alba discovered his irregular migration status – he had overstayed his valid visa.

Even though Abla cannot be held responsible for the decisions that adults made for him while he was a child, the UKBA has decided to reject his application to remain in the UK and has requested that he return to Ghana. Having long-lost all ties with his home country, not only does Abla have nothing to go back to, but the life he has worked so hard to secure for himself is being forcefully taken away. Abla’s story is a case in point for why an advice line such as ours has the potential to change lives. Had Abla received advice on regularising his immigration status before the age of eighteen, his chances of being granted leave to remain would have been significantly higher. We know of many other cases like Abla’s in the UK, in the hundreds if not thousands.

Confidential

Over half of irregular migrants in the UK are believed to live in London. These individuals will now have access to a completely free, completely confidential advice line. Through this service we hope to help so-called irregular migrants to regularise, thus making a huge difference to their lives.

There are an estimated 400,000 irregular migrants in the London area. Thousands of other migrants may be on the verge of irregularity due to increasingly restrictionist immigration policies. JCWI is aware that many such individuals are hesitant to disclose their status due to fear of detection. As one of the most marginalized and vulnerable groups in society, irregular migrants are often unaware of services that may exist to benefit them. The JCWI advice line will address this by offering free advice and assistance regarding their legal status and by referring individuals to outside services better suited to meet their particular needs.

Making a difference

Funded by the Trust for London, the advice line will give irregular or undocumented migrants an opportunity to contact a legal advisor to receive free and confidential advice. Although it would be dishonest to claim we could secure status for anyone, there are irregular migrants who, with the right advice and advocacy, will be able to have their status in the UK assured. The implications for employment, housing, education and access to other rights and services is potentially huge. If we are not able to take on a case, we will instead direct individuals to affiliate organizations providing advice to undocumented migrants on services ranging from health care to housing. The JCWI advice line has the potential to make a real difference in people’s lives.

Information gathered from the advice line calls will also provide JCWI with much needed information on the needs of the irregular migrant community and will give us a better understanding of the nature and scale of the problem. The information we receive will subsequently be used for policy development purposes. While a regularization scheme is not currently on the Government’s agenda, the data we gather can be used to provide services better-suited to the needs of irregular migrants, and inform other policy developments.

You Can Help

A major challenge in making this project work for the people it is designed for is raising awareness and the profile of this service. We ask all our members and readers to help achieve this – by spreading word of the helpline, copying the leaflets and publicity we are producing and getting the message to where it counts.

The advice line launches on Monday 27 February 2012 and will be available for use between 10am and 1pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays".

Article written by Svetlana Sytnik, who is currently working in the communications department at JCWI.

Feedbacks: Readers are free to send feedbacks on topics discussed on Migrants Watch UK, their experience on immigration matter or topics they would like to appear on this page by emailing: migrantswatch@hotmail.co.uk

Institute of Directors attacks crackdown on foreign students and Post Study Work visa abolition

Came across an interesting piece written by Charles Kelly on “Immigration Matters” and couldn't resist the urge to share it with you. Please read on and feel free to comment on it.

“UK government measures to close the Post Study Work visa route thereby restricting work foreign students can do following graduation is a “retrograde step” that will undermine Britain’s higher education sector, a leading business group has warned this week.

Simon Walker, Director General of the influential business leaders group Institute of Directors (IOD), blasted the moves saying:

“It is pure sophistry to manipulate immigration figures by shooing to the door highly-trained international students with MBAs to make way for unskilled migrants from the EU.”

So called ‘unskilled’ migrants from EU countries such as Poland and newer members from Bulgaria and Romania (on which work restrictions are imposed until 2014) might argue that they are often better educated and more highly skilled than the local work force.

The popular Post Study Work (PSW) visa scheme closes on April 5th 2012 and this is the last date that graduates, most of whom will graduate in July, can make an application.

The idea of the PSW and its processor schemes is that bright graduates would be given a chance to stay on in the UK and find employment.

Hundreds of Immigration Matters readers have posted comments complaining about the sudden withdrawal of PSW when many had invested over £30,000 at UK Universities. Many are also bitter about the date of withdrawal in April when very few of the current years students would have received certificates.

Earlier this week Immigration Matters reported that Under New student visa rules announced, which will take effect in a few weeks time, only graduates who have a job earning more than £20,000 a year from an approved employer may stay in the country after completing their studies.

Graduates with £50,000 to invest in a business may obtain an entrepreneur visa to stay, but in practice it is expected that this will only apply to a small number migrants.

On Tier 4 students from Middle Eastern and emerging market nations, Mr Walker added: “Other countries welcome such students: Britain makes it difficult and artificially expensive for them to enter, and now proposes to eject them ignominiously when their studies are finished.”

UK Universities support the IoD, as they have resisted attempts to reduce the number of foreign students. These make a substantial contribution to their incomes – 9.6 per cent of the higher education sector’s income in 2009-10 came from fees paid by non-EU students.

The universities are lobbying to have students removed from the migration statistics altogether. But Damian Green, immigration minister, said on Monday: “While many think of students as temporary visitors, around 20 per cent of student arrivals were still in the UK five years later.”

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Biometric residence permits are being introduced for more immigration categories

Here's another update from the UK Border Agency.

"From Wednesday 29 February, all applicants in the UK will need to obtain a biometric residence permit if they are applying to stay here for more than 6 months. This includes applicants for permission to settle here (Known as 'Indefinite Leave to remain').

To obtain a permit, applicants will need to enroll their biometric information (fingerprints and facial image).

If you are applying in the UK on or after this date (whether applying by post, in person or online), you should use the correct application form. Please pay careful attention to the date shown on the cover of the application form.

If you are applying in person at one of our public enquiry offices under our premioum service, and you have booked as appointment on or after 29 February, you must bring the correct form with you to avoid delay".

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New student rules to welcome the brightest and best while tackling abuse

The Immigration Minister Damian Green announced today new rules designed to welcome to the UK the brightest and best brains from around the globe.

The new rules that is expected to come into effect around 6^th April 2012 is meant to tackle abuse of the student visa route and ensure that only the brightest and best students are allowed to stay and work in the UK.

We have been expecting something like this to happen since the Post Study Work route, which currently allows students to work in the UK for 2 years after their studies, is scheduled to be phased out in April 2012.

The new rule is a selective system of sort that will allow only the most talented International graduates to apply to stay in the UK to work.

The new rule, according to the Minister, is designed to “reform the system to deliver immigration to benefit Britain”. He also continued in his statement that “Only those who graduate from a university, and have an offer of a skilled job at a salary of at least £20,000 (or more in some cases) from a reputable employer accredited by the UK Border Agency, will be able to continue living and working in the UK in order to benefit the British economy”.

According to the Immigration Minister, “The rules are part of a radical overhaul of the student visa system, which will:

·         encourage growth - a new Graduate Entrepreneur route will open, with up to 1,000 places for students working on world-class innovative ideas who want to stay and develop them but do not meet the requirements of the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route;
·         boost the economy - young entrepreneurs or small company directors will get the chance to stay on in the UK after their studies if they have £50,000 to invest in their business;
·         ensure that students can support themselves - for the first time since 2008, there will be an increase in the amount of money that students and working migrants (and their dependants) must prove they have to support themselves financially during their time in the UK; and
·         tackle abuse - restricting work placements to one-third of the course for international students who are studying below degree level will ensure that those coming to the UK are here to study, not to work (as was often the case in the past). Additionally, the time that can be spent studying at degree level will be restricted to a general limit of 5 years”.

All prospective international students as well as those already in the UK are strongly advised to seek for legal advice before making or submitting any application to the appropriate authorities.

Feedback: Readers are free to send feedbacks on topics discussed on Migrants Watch UK, their experience on immigration matter or topics they would like to appear on this page by emailing: migrantswatch@hotmail.co.uk

370,000 migrants on the dole. Really?

Got this piece sent in today that makes an interesting reading. It lends credence to the article I wrote and shared with you on this Blog last week with the headline “Bashing the Immigrants”. Please read on and feel free to send in your comments on it.

“For those of you who’ve awoken to today’s misleading article by the Telegraph entitled ‘370,000 migrants on the dole‘, and the equally bad piece by Chris Grayling, we thought we’d get out a quick post to try to clear up some of the poor reporting around this issue.

1. The DWP report counts British citizens amongst the 370,000 figure. As such the real figure for numbers claiming benefits is likely to be far LOWER (p.3 of the report). Indeed if you read on in the report the suggestion is that the figure could be cut by over a half  (p.11) thus giving a more accurate actual figure of 199,800 i.e. out of the 5 and 1/2 million people claiming benefits that would work out at around 3.2% of total claimants.

2.  The percentage of what is classified as ‘non nationals’ for benefit purposes shows that  migrants actually proportionally claim far  LESS in the way of benefits than UK nationals. The rate for so called UK nationals is 16.6 % and for foreign nationals it’s 6.6 % (see page 4 of the report).

3. The report and statistics are not confined to  ’dole’ benefits’ and instead also cover Disability Living Allowance, Carers Allowance, Bereaved (widow’s benefit), Pension Credit, and others, so that yet further lowers the figure for so called ‘dole claims’.

4. The report shows that there’s a staggering LOW Fraud for benefit claims by ‘foreign nationals’ (p.11) in the region of around 2%.

5. Non- EEA migrants are not generally entitled to ANY non-contribution based benefits, and Brits in the EU have reciprocal entitlements to benefit claims in those countries. Moreover, why shouldn’t migrants who’ve worked and contributed to the UK through taxation on their income be it as salaried or self employed people, claim benefits when they fall upon hard time just like anyone else?

6. Statistics from various  research reports   tend to show that migrants are NET CONTRIBUTORS to the PUBLIC PURSE

7. More generally migrants also bring in a load of other benefits to the UK including the relocation of large companies. Indeed the Migration Advisory Committee previously found extensive evidence from Japanese companies such as Hitachi, Honda and Mitsubishi that if these companies were prevented from recruiting workers from Japan; they would have to scale back their UK operations significantly. On average, for every one Japanese national, these companies employ 73 UK residents.”

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BASHING THE IMMIGRANTS

Immigrants have been bashed by a certain section of the society these days so much to that they have apparently become punch-drunk.

Immigrants are seen by certain people as the devil incarnate to the point that they are quick to blame them for every ills of the society. When the sun fails to shine on time it’s the fault of the Immigrants. When their dog barks continuously, it is the fault of the Immigrants. Even when they went on their usual binge drinking and wakes up with a hangover the next day, yes you’ve guessed it, Immigrants are to blame.

What I find rather confusing is the fact that Immigrants that are meant to supposedly be taking up jobs meant for the lazy work-shy of the society are also being blamed for milking the welfare system. What an oxymoron!

How a set of people who are perceived as taking over most of the jobs meant for the populace are at the same time being accused of choosing not to work and living off the state is beyond logic.

A section of the media ran a headline last week screaming “One British job is lost for every four Immigrants”. It attributed its story to a survey carried out by the Migration Advisory Commission. Yet, in the same report, Migration Advisory Commission confirms what most sensible people had believed all along that Migrants pay more in tax than they use in services.

The following day, the same media ran a story about some graduate suing the government for having ‘the audacity’ to force them to work at Poundland. This is the same type of jobs Immigrants are being accused of taking off British “jobseekers”. Jobs that the “Brits” considered beneath them to take up. Any wonder then that “One British job is lost for every four Immigrants”?

I have read many statements from employers, people that know better concerning the issue of the so-called “One British job (that is being) lost for every four Immigrants” that the reason for this is simply about work ethics.

Immigrants are habitual hardworking people. Their motive is simply to work hard to earn their living in order to take care of their family (home and away). And employers (I believe) rightly recognise this trait in them. I also believe firmly that anyone that travels thousands of miles to a foreign land to earn a living will display similar trait; else their journey will turn out fruitless.

It is a known fact, whether some people believe it or not, that Immigrants do contribute a lot to the economy of this country and it is high time we all wake up to this reality and stop this xenophobia permeating the fabric of our society.

History is littered with facts of how in the 1950s the Government actively encouraged immigration to help rebuild the UK after the 2nd World War.

Britain even invited large numbers of Immigrants from the West Indies and Ireland to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War.

It is also a well known historical fact that Protestant Huguenots from France came to Britain to escape religious persecution in the 16th and 17th Centuries.

A large number of Jewish Migrants also came to the United Kingdom between 1880 and 1910 to escape violence at home.

And in the 1970s, Britain admitted approximately 28,000 of Indian Migrants fleeing war in Uganda and about 22,000 of Refugees from South East Asia.

What I am saying is that Britain is - and has always been - proud of its tradition of providing a safe haven for people fleeing persecution and conflict.

All the people mentioned in the historical facts above are Immigrants. Which begs the question: If Immigrants were good and essential for this country then, why not now?

On the flip side of the coin however, many corporations in this country have outsourced many of their jobs abroad to places like India and the like. These Immigrant bashers don’t seem to see anything wrong with this policy and the attendant loss of revenue in taxes. Yet it is Immigrants who are working and paying taxes into our economy that is being maligned.

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research - a highly respected institute charged with the responsibility of researching into the Economic and Social activities of this country - finds in its research that immigration has little or no effect on unemployment, yet some people still believe the crazy and illogical theory that reducing immigration is the antidote to reducing the inherent high level of unemployment. How bizarre.

If there is one thing this country is known for around the globe, it is its hospitality and tradition of providing a safe haven for people fleeing persecution and conflict. Its ability to embrace peoples of different Race, Culture, Religion, Ethnicity etc. That is why London, for example, is the most cosmopolitan city in the world. It is a shame however, that this is now in danger of being eroded by this new found culture of Immigrant bashing.

I think it is high time that all well-meaning people of this great country rise up to defend the very tradition that this country is known for and put a stop to this Migrant bashing nonsense forever.

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