Mohammed Hussain, 29, of Euston Avenue, Watford, was the last to be imprisoned when he was sentenced to 13 months on 3 February 2012 at a hearing at St Albans crown court. He had pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of the UK’s immigration laws.

Hussain, along with fellow Sri Lankan nationals Aslam Riyas, 27, and Mohammed Fayas, 21 – also of Euston Avenue – and Mohamed Ibrahim, 26, of Grant Road, Harrow, had all sourced fake passports and residence permits with the intention of using them to illegally secure employment in the UK.

Riyas and Fayas were jailed for 12 months and Ibrahim for 6 months at earlier hearings. Riyas and Fayas had both pleaded guilty to charges of possessing fraudulent documents. Ibrahim had pleaded not guilty, but was convicted of a charge of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of the UK’s immigration laws.

The UK Border Agency smashed the gang on 20 July after officers based at Heathrow airport intercepted a parcel containing fake passports and resident permits addressed to Hussain at his Watford home.

Officers from the agency’s criminal and financial investigations team executed a warrant at the address shortly after 8:30am. Inside, they found fraudulent documents in the names of Riyas, Fayas and Ibrahim.

Riyas, Fayas and Hussain were all arrested on site. Ibrahim was arrested in a separate raid on his Harrow address on 31 August.

UK Border Agency inspector Andy Radcliffe said:

‘Hussain was supplying fake documents to help others stay in the UK illegally and secure work to which they were not entitled. They were high quality fakes and prospective employers would have had no idea that what they were looking at was anything other than legitimate.

‘These offenders had only one intention, to take employment opportunities away from genuine jobseekers – clearly a serious offence.’

Hussain, Riyas and Ibrahim had all overstayed visas. Fayas had a valid student visa at the time of his arrest, which has subsequently been revoked. Work to remove them from the UK at the end of their sentences will be carried out.

The operation involved seconded police officers working together with warranted UK Border Agency officers to investigate organised immigration crime. Source: UK Border Agency.

See also:

Romanian man jailed for smuggling immigrants into UK

Church of England Vicar facing jail for 31 sham marriages for illegal brides and grooms

People smuggling gang ring leader jailed for 5 years

Sham marriage fixers jailed

EU and non-EU workers take more UK jobs as number of Britons in work plunges

Health care workers needed in UK now

Sham marriage vicar John Magumba jailed

UK Immigration crackdown on Tier 4 students sees 70% fall in applications to private colleges

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Labour’s Baroness Blackstone said the country risked being in a “very unfortunate position” when it came to attracting lucrative overseas students – worth billions of pounds to UK universities.

Her concerns were echoed by several peers at question time in the House of Lords, but Home Office minister Lord Henley said latest UCAS figures showed a 13% increase in university applications from students from outside the European Union.

Lady Blackstone said: “Some bona fide institutions – universities – have lost as many as 20% of their overseas students, particularly from India.

“The restrictions on employment when graduating will put us in a very unfortunate position compared to our main competitors the United States and Australia, which have much more generous arrangements for students who wish to work for a temporary period when they graduate.”

Last year’s changes to Tier 4 student visa rules and the abolition of PSW this April is already deterring Tier 4 students form India, which is one of the biggest markets for UK universities.

Labour Viscount Hanworth, a professor at Leicester University, said it was “inappropriate” to treat students along with other immigrants.

He told peers: “The measures designed to combat bogus institutions are also having a severe effect on reputable institutions in the higher education sector. Under normal circumstances, without the impediments created by the Government, their numbers would be expected to follow a steeply upward trend which would be highly profitable for the UK.”

Lord Henley told peers it was right to “clamp down on bogus institutions” that were being used “merely as a vehicle to get round immigration rules”.

He added: “It might be that there are some particular institutions that have lost out but we have seen proportionate increases elsewhere.”

He acknowledged there had been a fall in applicants from the Indian sub-continent, but added: “There have been areas where there have been significant rises – particularly Australasia where there has been an increase of some 20% and Hong Kong 37%.” Source: Press Association.

It is not only the universities which are feeling the cold this winter. Last week the Centre Forum think tank warned that the government’s policy to cut immigration is having a devastating effect on private higher education where enrolments to some colleges had fallen by as much as 70% and many other institutions had gone bust.

Prohibiting some international students, those studying at private institutions, from working part-time to support their studies in the UK must be reversed, the Centre Forum think tank argued.

“Since these controls were introduced in 2011, enrolment numbers are estimated to have dropped by around 70 per cent,” the report said.

Cynthia Barker, Immigration Adviser for Bison UK, is receiving distressed calls from students on a daily basis.

She offers this advice for students who discover that their private college has had their Tier 4 Sponsors Licence suspended, revoked or has simply closed down due to financial pressures.

In order to continue their studies in the UK, an in-country student whose private college has closed down has no choice but to enrol at a more expensive government owned university or college, as this is the only option if they need to work part time or re-sponsor their dependants.

See also:

UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal

UK Immigration crackdown on Tier 4 students sees 70% fall in applications to private colleges

New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force

Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns

MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED

HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS

Important UK Border Agency update for Tier 4 sponsors – educational oversight and other changes

New Tier 4 sponsor guidance published for Highly Trusted Sponsorship – will your private college qualify?

Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown

UK university setting up a memorial scholarship in memory of murdered Indian student

Can family dependants of Tier 4 Students work while studying in the UK?

Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Looking for a Tier 4 college or University or need advice?

UKUS is a free University and College Admissions and advice service based in London, UK. Students interested in studying abroad can complete the Online UKUS Registration Form for more details.

Prohibiting some international students, those studying at private institutions, from working part-time to support their studies in the UK must be reversed, the Centre Forum think tank argued.

“Since these controls were introduced in 2011, enrolment numbers are estimated to have dropped by around 70 per cent,” the report said.

The report quotes Dr John Sanders, who was principal of London’s Cavendish College until its closure as an independent college this month.

“I find it incredible that the UK Border Agency considers the likes of Cavendish College to be a threat to immigration control,” Sanders said.

“There is now an enormous disparity in the treatment of international students in the private sector compared with those in public colleges and universities. The government clearly does not care how it reaches its net migration target.” Source: City Am.

UK Universities appear to be the beneficiaries of the private sector’s demise, with applications from non-EU students rising against a declining trend in the number of resident students, according to UCAS figures revealed this month.

For instance, in order to continue their studies in the UK an in-country student whose private college has closed down has no choice but to enrol at a more expensive government owned university or college, as this is the only option if they need to work part time or re-sponsor their dependants.

Earlier this month Immigration Matters reported that UK universities had seen a 13.7% increase in applications from overseas students from non-EU countries, despite changes to Tier 4 student visa rules and the abolition of PSW this April.

Immigration Matters has received hundreds of comments and emails from Tier 4 students who have been left stranded, and often broke, after their college had closed down or been removed from the Tier 4 Sponsors Register or ‘Register of Sponsors Licensed Under the Points-based System’.

Cynthia Barker, Immigration Adviser for Bison UK, is receiving distressed calls from students on a daily basis.

She offers this advice for students who discover that their private college has had their Tier 4 Sponsors Licence suspended, revoked or has simply closed down due to financial reasons.

‘The first thing to do is seek professional advice rather than panicking or hiding. Also talk to your college and find out exactly what is their status, as only they, the regulator and the UK Border Agency will normally have this information. There is no official list of suspended or revoked colleges published by the UK Border Agency, and websites which claim to publish lists of suspended colleges are usually out of date or publishing inaccurate and often misleading information.

‘If your college has been suspended from the Tier 4 sponsors register you can continue studying until they get their licence back or your visa expires.

‘However, if their licence has been revoked you will normally be given 60 days in which to find another Tier 4 sponsor.

Cynthia adds that many of the students have paid for courses in advance and do not have enough money left to prove maintenance in order to apply for a new visa.

Others are affected by the ‘3 year rule’ because they have failed to complete a course or make satisfactory academic progress with their previous college.

In some cases this is because the college has closed and the student can no longer obtain a progress report, but sometimes it is the fault of the student who has not taken the course seriously or has run away without paying their fees.

Finally, Cynthia reminds Tier 4 students that they must be studying to legally remain in the UK.

‘I have come across hundreds of students who have not yet registered with another college, are not in full time study, but have continued to work illegally.

‘If you get caught you will be deported and banned from returning to the UK for up to 10 years, and your employer could be fined up to £10,000.’

See also:

UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal

New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force

Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns

MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED

HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS

Important UK Border Agency update for Tier 4 sponsors – educational oversight and other changes

New Tier 4 sponsor guidance published for Highly Trusted Sponsorship – will your private college qualify?

Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown

UK university setting up a memorial scholarship in memory of murdered Indian student

Can family dependants of Tier 4 Students work while studying in the UK?

Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Looking for a Tier 4 college or University or need advice?

UKUS is a free University and College Admissions and advice service based in London, UK. Students interested in studying abroad can complete the Online UKUS Registration Form for more details.

Hot bacon in a sandwich with lots of ketchup and butter is what Britons love most about the nation. 

The snack topped a poll of the 50 greatest national treasures, with a traditional roast dinner in second place and a nice cup of tea third. 

In the survey of 60,000 Britons, our proud national history was the fourth most popular followed by the BBC, then Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. 

Big Ben, London

The beautiful countryside was rated eighth best thing about Britain while fish and chips came ninth and Yorkshire pudding completed the top 10. 

The Queen was at No 15 while Aston Martin cars, Shakespeare, cheddar cheese and Harry Potter all made the list. 

William Shakespeare

T-Mobile commissioned the poll to coincide with a new television advertisement which celebrates everything great about Britain. 

In the survey of 60,000 Britons, our proud national history was the fourth most popular followed by the BBC, then Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. 

The beautiful countryside was rated eighth best thing about Britain while fish and chips came ninth and Yorkshire pudding completed the top 10. 

The Queen was at No 15 while Aston Martin cars, cheddar cheese and Harry Potter all made the list. 

T-Mobile commissioned the poll to coincide with a new television advertisement which celebrates everything great about Britain. 

The advert will air tonight during ITV1’s Take Me Out and Channel 4’s Million Pound Drop. 

T-Mobile spokesman Spencer McHugh said: “When it comes to our great loves, food is clearly on top and the bacon sandwich is a worthy winner of the top spot.” 

Referring to the 50th placed “sport” of cheese rolling in which participants chase a whole Gloucestershire cheese down a steep hill, he said : “Whether we’re eating it between bread or rolling it down a hill it’s obvious that we are a nation of food lovers. 

“The traditional British icons are alive and well, but it’s also great to see the more quirky side of the British character coming through.” By Sarah Westcott for the Daily Express. 

TOP 50 BRITISH LOVES: These are a few of our favourite things 

1. Bacon sandwiches  

2. Roast dinners 

3. Cup of tea 

4. British history 

5. BBC 

6. Big Ben 

7. Buckingham Palace 

8. Countryside 

9. Fish & Chips 

10. Yorkshire Pudding 

11. English fry up 

12. British sense of humour 

13. Cheese  

14. Lake District 

15. The Queen 

16. Sunday lunch 

17. Aston Martin 

18. Cornish pasties 

19. Stonehenge  

20. National Heritage 

21. Pubs 

22. The Tower of London 

23. Wimbledon 

24. Baking 

25. Strawberries and cream 

26. The Pound  

27. Black cabs 

28. The Beatles 

29. The coastline 

30. Bargains 

31. Shakespeare 

32. James Bond  

33. Red phone boxes 

34. Football 

35. Crumpets 

36. The Houses of Parliament 

37. Red buses 

38. Harry Potter  

39. Ice cream vans 

40. The Red Arrows 

41. Driving on the left 

42. Cricket 

43. Concorde 

44. Real ale  

45. The Royal Family 

46. The Queen’s English 

47. Festivals 

48. Stephen Fry 

49. Harrods 

50. Cheese Rolling

Lancaster University is to set up a scholarship in memory of Anuj Bidve the Indian student whose unprovoked murder in Manchester evoked widespread sympathy and outrage.

How will the new ‘minimum salary for residency’ proposals affect you?

Following yesterday’s announcement by the UK Immigration Minister, Damian Green, that under new proposals migrants seeking permanent settlement, or Indefinite Leave to Remain, will be required to earn between £31,000 and £49,000 per annum, Immigration Matters has been inundated with questions from worried work permit holders such as Senior Care Workers, Nurses and Domestic Workers.

Human rights decisions led to ‘ridiculous and damaging’ situation, says UK Immigration Minister

The UK Immigration Minister Damien Green has warned that the way courts interpret the human right to family life has led to a “ridiculous and damaging situation” and risks a “dangerous” stand off between parliament and judges.

Settlement in UK to be linked to a minimum salary of £31,000 says Immigration Minister

The UK is set introduce a minimum earnings figure of £31,000 in order to qualify for permanent settlement or Indefinite Leave to Remain, the Immigration Minister announced. If applied to existing migrants, the minimum threshold would affect nurses, senior carers, chefs, care managers and many other occupations where the basic pay rate is less than £31,000.

UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal

The number of UK University applicants has dropped by 8.7% compared with last year, official figures show. With student agents in Asia reporting that students are now more attracted to study in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the US, UK Universities may have to do more to attract overseas non-EU students to fill places – or start closing campuses and making redundancies.

UKBA Postal biometric appointments and residence permit reporting change to online service

As announced last month the UK Border Agency has now closed their telephone booking line for postal applicants in the UK who want to make appointments to enrol their biometric information.

Romanian workers offered UK jobs while 2.7 million claim benefits

British employers are offering thousands of jobs to Romanian workers as UK unemployment soars to a record high, the Daily Star claims. A recruitment agency in Bucharest is advertising 2,434 vacancies for British jobs according to the report. The news that employers are recruiting in Romania will surprise many as, despite being members of the European Union, Romanians cannot work in the UK as employees without permission.

Sham marriage vicar John Magumba jailed

Another Church of England vicar has been jailed for carrying out sham marriages to allow immigrants to gain residency rights to remain in the UK, the BBC reports

Britain will limit settlement to ‘brightest and best’ migrants under new plans

Britain is set to change the rules in order to give priority to the “brightest and the best” immigrants who can ‘contribute’ under new plans to cut the number of foreigners settling in the UK, the Immigration Minister has said.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

“The scholarship is a fitting and lasting way of remembering Anuj, who was an outstanding said Lancaster University’s vice-chancellor Professor Mark E Smith.

Bidve, 23, was studying engineering at Lancaster when he was killed in Salford on December 26.

The annual scholarship will fund an engineering MSc for a student graduating from the University of Pune in India, where Bidve studied. The scholarship, which is for fees and accommodation, has been agreed in line with the wishes of Bidve’s family, the BBC reported.

The UK university said it hoped the first student to receive the award would come to Lancaster in October 2012.

Bidve was on a visit to Manchester with a group of university friends when he was shot in the head at close range as he walked along Ordsall Lane.

A 20-year-old youth nicknamed “Psycho Stapleton” has been charged with Anuj’s murder and remanded in custody until a plea and case management hearing on March 20. He is due to appear at Manchester Crown Court in March.

Three other people arrested on suspicion of Anuj’s murder have been granted bail until March pending further inquiries. A fourth man, aged 19, had his bail cancelled.

Bidve, a postgraduate student of Microelectronics at the university, was shot in the head at close range, a day after Christmas, as he walked along Ordsall Lane with friends in Greater Manchester.

Despite the tragic incident, the UK is still a safe place for overseas students and migrants. Attacks of this nature against any of the hundreds of thousands of overseas students and migrant workers are rare.

This week Immigration Matters reported that UK universities had seen a 13.7% increase in applications from overseas candidates from non-EU countries, despite changes to Tier 4 student visa rules and the abolition of PSW this April.

Overseas students are worth billions of pounds to the UK economy

See also:

UK University applicants drops 8.7% but non-EU students increase, UCAS figures reveal

New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force

Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns

MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED

HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS

Important UK Border Agency update for Tier 4 sponsors – educational oversight and other changes

New Tier 4 sponsor guidance published for Highly Trusted Sponsorship – will your private college qualify?

Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown

Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Looking for a Tier 4 college or University or need advice?

UKUS is a free University and College Admissions and advice service based in London, UK. Students interested in studying abroad can complete the Online UKUS Registration Form for more details.

Mr Green also announced that he wanted to break the link between temporary and permanent migration and look at the way courts interpret the human right to family life, which he said has led to a “ridiculous and damaging situation” and risks a “dangerous” stand off between parliament and judges.

The government is also proposing to set a minimum income level for any sponsor seeking to bring in a foreign spouse – and said the recommended level was between £18,600 and £25,700.

The news will be of grave concern to the thousands of skilled workers on Work Permits and Tier 2 Working Visas who are earning less than £31,000.

Whilst the UK has never guaranteed working migrants permanent residency under the terms of their work permits, most were expecting to one day qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after working in Britain for 5 years.

The Minister has not announced any transitional arrangements for those already here. But if the new rules are applied to all existing migrants, the minimum threshold would not be reached by most nurses, senior carers, chefs, care managers and many other occupations where the basic pay rate is less than £31,000.

Some of the questions being asked are:

• Will the new earnings test apply to all existing work permit holders or new entrants after a certain point?
• Does my dependant husband’s income count towards the minimum salary requirement?
• How long do I have to be earning £31,000 for or is it my current salary level that counts?
• If I cannot qualify for ILR will I be able to extend my work permit after 5 years?
• If I have children born in the UK do I have a right to stay under Article 8?

The answer to most of these questions are only known to ministers and Home Office officials at this stage because full details of the reforms have not yet been revealed.

The government is committed to reducing net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’ by 2015 and major reforms to the immigration points based system will be needed to reach these targets.

The changes do not affect EU migrants from Eastern European countries such as Poland and Slovakia, or Bulgarians and Romanians exercising Treaty Rights to obtain Yellow Cards.

See also:

Settlement in UK to be linked to a minimum salary of £31,000 says Immigration Minister

Human rights decisions led to ‘ridiculous and damaging’ situation, says UK Immigration Minister

Romanian workers offered UK jobs while 2.7 million claim benefits

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Mr Green said the situation is “not healthy for anyone” and calls the whole concept of human rights in to question.

The Government is currently examining how parliament can provide clearer guidance on how Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights show be interpreted with a view to restricting its use.

It follows concerns that foreign criminals and other illegal immigrants are able to use the right too easily to fight deportation.

In 2010, more than 400 criminals were allowed to stay in the UK after winning appeals, mainly on human rights grounds such as the right to family life.

Last month, it emerged Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is drawing up plans to stop illegal immigrants using time spent in Britain unlawfully to bolster their claims to stay.

She aims to stop those facing deportation demanding a right to family life because of the length of time they have been in the country, when most of it was spent here illegally.

In a speech to the think tank Policy Exchange in London, Mr Green said most people would not agree that rights had been breached in many recent high profile cases.

“That leads to the ridiculous and damaging situation where the whole concept of Human Rights is called into question,” he said.

“This is not healthy for anyone. It is also dangerous for there to be a long-term stand-off between Parliament and the judges, which is why we want to give better Parliamentary guidance on what should be considered in these kind of cases in future.”

In a wide ranging speech on immigration, Mr Green also revealed some high earning migrants may be allowed to take up jobs in the UK without them first being advertising to others.

Under the resident labour market test, employers looking to recruit from outside the EU must first advertise for a month in jobcentres.

But Mr Green is keen to make it easier for the most talented migrants to come and has asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to look at the issue.

He is also considering allowing talented “entrepreneurial” international students the ability to stay on and continue to develop their ideas after their studies.

It is part of the Government’s bid to redefine the foundation of immigration policies to ensure the brightest and best can still come.

He said immigrants must “add to the quality of life in Britain” if they wish to live here and not just “benefit by Britain”.

The Government has pledged to cut net migration from the current 242,000 to the “tens of thousands” last seen in the 1990s, with crackdowns on forced and sham marriages, bogus students and an annual cap on immigrants coming from outside the EU.

The MAC, the Government’s immigration advisers, found there were up to 23 fewer jobs for British workers for every additional 100 working migrants coming from outside the EU. Source: The Telegraph.

The UK is set introduce a minimum earnings figure of £31,000 in order to qualify for permanent settlement or Indefinite Leave to Remain, the Immigration Minister announced yesterday.

Mr Green also told the BBC that he was proposing to set a minimum income level for any sponsor seeking to bring in a foreign spouse – and said the recommended level from MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) was between £18,600 and £25,700.

See also:

Settlement in UK to be linked to a minimum salary of £31,000 says Immigration Minister

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

• Further changes to family migration
• Reforms to settlement and greater selectivity
• Breaking the link between temporary and permanent migration
• Completing changes to eliminate abuse of the student visa route
• review of the annual limit on skilled economic Tier 2 migrants
• Contribution-based system rather than points-based

As expected, the UK Border Agency has confirmed earlier rumours published by Immigration Matters on reforming the route to settlement with the creation of a ‘sustainable selective immigration system that encourages the brightest and best to come to the UK’.

At a speech at the Policy Exchange, the Immigration Minister Damian Green expressed a desire to ‘raise the tone of the immigration debate’ and start building a national consensus on how immigration can be made to work for Britain.

He will be pressing on with sweeping reforms that impose restrictions on those migrants the country does not need, while developing a greater selectivity to attract those migrants the country wants.

Damian Green said:

‘We need to know not just that the right number of people are coming here, but that the right people are coming here. People that will benefit Britain – not just those who will benefit by Britain.

‘We have laid the foundations for a sustainable system where we get numbers down and keep them down. Now we shall make it work for Britain.’

The government has committed to reduce net migration numbers from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands. In the latest published quarterly figures, compared to a year previously, there are early signs of a positive impact on numbers following restrictions imposed by this government on non-EEA workers and students.

The government will soon be announcing further changes to family migration and reforms to settlement, breaking the link between temporary and permanent migration or UK naturalisation and citizenship. It will also be completing its changes to eliminate abuse of the student visa route and is currently reviewing the annual limit on skilled economic migrants.

In his speech the Minister expressed his intention that the long-term transformation of British immigration policy will introduce greater selectivity.

He added that the ‘points based system’ of the past should ultimately be replaced by a ‘contribution-based system’ where migrants are checked to ensure they will add to quality of life in the UK.

This is already starting with the development of more selective routes for entrepreneurs, investors and those with exceptional talent alongside existing routes for entertainers, trainees and researchers.

The Minister confirmed the introduction of a new route for international graduate entrepreneurs – international students who have engaged in innovative entrepreneurial activity during their studies and want to stay on afterwards to develop their business ideas.

The government will also improve the system for some short-term business visitors and entertainers to ensure world-class performers are encouraged to come to the UK. Source: UK Border Agency.

In an earlier interview with BBC Radio Kent Mr Green said he wanted ‘to be much more intelligently selective about who we let come here”.

He added:

‘Anyone individual seeking permanent settlement should be able to command a salary of between £31,000 and £49,000.’

Mr Green also told the BBC that he was proposing to set a minimum income level for any sponsor seeking to bring in a foreign spouse – and said the recommended level from MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) was between £18,600 and £25,700.

The news will come as a bitter blow to the thousands of skilled workers on Work Permits and Tier 2 Working Visas who were expecting to one day qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), although the Minister has not announced any transitional arrangements for those already here.

If applied to existing migrants, the minimum threshold would affect nurses, senior carers, chefs, care managers and many other occupations where the basic pay rate is less than £31,000.

See also:

How will the new ‘minimum salary for residency’ proposals affect you?

Britain will limit settlement to ‘brightest and best’ migrants under new plans

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

They also reveal a sharper drop among more affluent candidates than among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The decision to let UK universities raise undergraduate fees to a maximum of £9,000 a year for resident students provoked widespread public anger and battered the credibility of the Liberal Democrats.

However, figures from the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (Ucas) published on Monday show that the number of 18-year-old UK applicants – the largest single group of candidates – has decreased by 3.6%, representing a drop of just under 8,500 people. The number of 18-year-olds in the population has declined by 11,000 this year, to 772,000, according to the Office for National Statistics, a fall of 1.4%.

But total applicant numbers, including overseas and mature candidates, are 7.4% lower than at the same point in 2011, Ucas says. The number of applicants from the UK has decreased by 8.7%.

There has been a sharper drop among male applicants. The proportion of men is down 8.5% on last year, while female applicants are down 6.7%.

A 13.7% increase in overseas candidates from non-EU countries was also found, however this could change in the coming year due to changes to Tier 4 student visa rules and the abolition of PSW this April.

Mary Curnock Cook, the chief executive of Ucas, said: “Our analysis shows that decreases in demand are slightly larger in more advantaged groups than in the disadvantaged groups. Widely expressed concerns about recent changes in HE [higher education] funding arrangements having a disproportionate effect on more disadvantaged groups are not borne out by these data.”

The application rate from the most disadvantaged fifth of the population is down 0.2% in England, Ucas said. Among the wealthiest quintile, it is down 2.5%. This analysis is based on a ranking of neighbourhoods according to the participation of young people in higher education.

Demand will continue to outstrip the supply of university places this year. There are already 50,000 more applications this year than there were acceptances at universities in 2011. Competition will be more intense as the number of government-funded places at English universities will drop by 10,000.

David Willetts, universities minister, said: “The proportion of English school leavers applying to university today is greater than ever before, barring last year. It is encouraging that applications from people from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds remain strong, with only a 0.2% decrease.

“Even with a small reduction in applications, this will still be a competitive year like any other as people continue to understand that university remains a good long-term investment in your future.”

Wendy Piatt, the director general of the Russell Group, which represents some of the most competitive universities, including Oxbridge, said: “Demand for higher education is not only strong – it’s actually rising over the long term. This year 540,073 prospective students have applied, which is 16% more than the 464,167 who applied just three years ago in 2009.

“More than half a million potential students have rightly recognised the benefits of going to university. Prospective students know a good degree remains a smart investment.

“It’s not surprising the number of applications is lower than last year, but there are a number of reasons for that. Demographic changes mean there are fewer 18-year-olds in 2012 than in 2011 and we also know there was a peak in applications last year as fewer people chose to take gap years.”

There are big falls in the number of mature students applying this year: nearly 2,400 fewer 30- to 39-year-olds, and more than 1,000 fewer students over the age of 40. Going back to study full-time is an expensive choice as the government does not provide fee or maintenance loans for second degrees. The proportion of the population that has never been to university is naturally dwindling.

The number of 19-year-olds applying is down 12.6%, from 137,531 to 120,151. Source: The Guardian.

The effects of fee hikes, albeit deferred, for UK students and the abolition of the Post Study Work Visa (PSW) will mean that lower ranked UK Universities will start to feel the cold wind of change.

Government owned colleges and universities have received a massive boost following the demise of the private sector. After 4 July Tier 4 Immigration Rule changes last year overseas students can only work and sponsor their dependants if they study at government owned institutions.

With student agents in Asia reporting that students are now more attracted to study in Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the US, UK Universities may have to do more to attract overseas non-EU students to fill places – or start closing campuses and making redundancies.

See also:

New Tier 4 student visa rules now in force

Student visa crackdown damaging our reputation abroad, Universities UK warns

MORE CHALLENGES FOR TIER 4 STUDENTS AS ‘3-YEAR RULE’ APPLIED

HIGHLY TRUSTED PRIVATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO WORK AS GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INSTITUTIONS

Important UK Border Agency update for Tier 4 sponsors – educational oversight and other changes

New Tier 4 sponsor guidance published for Highly Trusted Sponsorship – will your private college qualify?

Post Study Work Visa to be abolished April 2012 as part of student visa clampdown

Free service launched to help overseas students study at UK Universities

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa, ILR/Settlement, Citizenship, dependant visa or an appeal against a refusal please email: 

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit www.immigrationmatters.co.uk

Looking for a Tier 4 college or University or need advice?

UKUS is a free University and College Admissions and advice service based in London, UK. Students interested in studying abroad can complete the Online UKUS Registration Form for more details.