British Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday have unveiled a major post-Brexit immigration shake up which Mrs May said is aimed at a level playing field for nationals from all countries by ending freedom of movement once and for all for EU citizens. Though Indians may benefit from the new rules as it focusses on highly-skilled migration as opposed to low-skilled migration, the Prime Minister has added that 'future employers' need to sponsor families of highly-skilled professionals, which may be a major hindrance in the long run. Sajid Javid has warned that new migrants will face tougher citizenship tests to integrate better and live by British values. Business leaders have accused Mrs May of “taking a wrong turn” after she set out her plans for a new post-Brexit immigration system.
Moreover there are already existing issues for the highly-skilled migrants, many of who are facing Windrush-like hostility from the government, where their right to settle in the UK has been denied on the basis of small tax discripancies with HMRC. Many are booked under Section 322(5) which 'falsely' call these immigrants as 'severe threat to the country's security'. Many have no rights to NHS, let alone right to work or 'in-country' appeal against Home Office decisions.
The Prime Minister said Post-Brexit Britain will be an outward facing nation - but it is important the UK attracts the people the country needs to compete on the global stage whilst ensuring that immigration is reduced to sustainable levels.
She said: “Two years ago, the British public voted to leave the European Union and take back control of our borders. When we leave we will bring in a new immigration system that ends freedom of movement once and for all. For the first time in decades, it will be this country that controls and chooses who we want to come here.
“It will be a skills based system where it is workers’ skills that matter, not where they come from. It will be a system that looks across the globe and attracts the people with the skills we need.
“Crucially it will be fair to ordinary working people. For too long people have felt they have been ignored on immigration and that politicians have not taken their concerns seriously enough.
“The new skills based system will make sure low skilled immigration is brought down and set the UK on the path to reduce immigration to sustainable levels, as we promised. At the same time we are training up British people for the skilled jobs of the future.”
New proposals
The proposals follow a report from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) that recommended high-skilled workers are given priority over visa applications from low-skilled workers. The report was based on an immigration policy that had a level playing field for EU nationals and applicants from other countries.
A White Paper detailing how the new system will work will be published this autumn, ahead of an Immigration Bill next year.
Under the shake up there will be routes for short-stay business trips and tourists and for those who want to live and work for longer in the UK.
Under plans being developed people arriving for a short stay from 'low risk' countries would see passports scanned at e-gates in airports, train stations and ports, for so-called ‘fly-in, fly-out’ visitors. Currently EU citizens get fast-tracked through e-gates while tourists or businessmen from countries like India, Japan and Australia have to queue for passport control.
All security and criminal records checks would be carried out in advance of visits, cutting down red tape for travellers. These in-country security checks would be a similar system of prior authorisation to that operating in the United States.
For those wanting to live and work in the UK longer term, there will be a new immigration system for applicants with the skills that help meet Britain’s needs. Applicants will need to meet a minimum salary threshold to ensure they are not competing for jobs that could otherwise be recruited in the UK.
Successful applicants for high skilled work would be able to bring their immediate family but only if sponsored by their future employers. Currently any company trying to recruit foreigners need to have a sponsor visa, that costs thousands. On top of that they need to pay home office a sponsorship fee per applicant, whixch costs a minimum of £2000. The applicant also needs to get a minimum of £35,000 as salary- a threshold that may go up. Also with companies asked to sponsor families for foreign employee- this may discourage companies to hire foreign employees.
The new system will not include a cap on student visas, which are a separate system to work visas and are granted on the basis of academic ability, the ability to speak English and the ability of students to support themselves financially. However there is no promises of post work visa for students, even after continuous campaigning by the Universities UK.
The ability of people from trading partners to deliver services and student exchange programmes will form part of future trade agreements.
The Government has already announced rights for the existing three million EU citizens already living and working in the UK will be safeguarded – even in the event of no deal.
Integration v/s segregation
Promoting the plans Mrs May refused three times to spell out if the plans would cut arrivals to Britain to the target of 100,000. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Sajid Javid also warned that migrants would have to integrate. He mentioned in his speech a requirement to 'instill' British values into newcomers.
He said, “We welcome newcomers. In turn, we expect them to live by our British values. And it is only right that we make it clear to all new citizens what we are for, and what we are against. The existing “Life in the UK” test for new citizens is not enough. Maybe it is helpful for people to know the name of the sixth wife of Henry VIII.
“But far more important to me, is that they also understand the liberal, democratic values that bind our society together.
“Citizenship should mean more than being able to win a pub quiz. We need to make it a British values test - and that’s exactly what I will bring in. It’s about signing up to those values that we share and live by together.
“It’s about starting as you mean to go on. It’s about integration, not segregation. And I’m determined to break down barriers to integration wherever I find them.
“Take for example, the most basic barrier of all: language. When I was the Communities Secretary, we found that over 700,000 people in the UK cannot even speak a basic level of English...How can we possibly make a common home together if we can’t even communicate with each other?”
Highly-skilled migrant group to protest against Home Office
Many people who have applied for their ILR, have not received back their passports for years, some even waiting for over 2-3 years to hear a decision, some losing families in India, Pakistan, in the mean time. Some are even awaiting to bring wife or family over, spending days alone, awaiting the Home Office to give a decision.
To protest against Home Office and its hostile environment, for inhumane delays to the home office decisions and disproportionate refusals to visas, appeals and work rights, the Highly-Skilled migrant group is organising a peaceful protest from 11am-2pm on 10th October outside the Houses of Parliament.
