Migrants worry over new immigration rules
A group representing skilled migrants from India and other non-European Union countries has said that Britain’s efforts to tighten immigration should not result in the retrospective application of new laws.
The government recently unveiled a draft bill that seeks to further tighten immigration rules, including the new concept of migrants being granted ‘permission’ to enter or stay in the UK.
Amit Kapadia, Executive Director of the Highly Skilled Migrants Forum, said introducing new laws often resulted in targeting existing migrants who were responsible tax payers and law-abiding residents.
Migrants have to satisfy the requirements of the points-based system before they can enter, work and stay in the UK.
“In view of the current economic climate, there could be instances of migrants losing their jobs and we believe that these circumstances must be taken into consideration when deciding on whether or not they will be ‘permitted’ to continuously live in this country,” Kapadia said.
The new shortage occupation list, he said, would significantly reduce the number of foreign employees, which will affect many existing migrants’.
“It is not justified on the government’s part to exercise its powers of expulsion indiscriminately especially if these migrants were unaware of the changing circumstances when they first made their application,” he added.
“It is our concern that the new draft bill, which intends to introduce the new streamlined power of expulsion, would further abuse human rights laws and would unfairly penalise honest and hardworking migrants just as the Citizenship Act passed in July 2009 will do.”
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Reader Comments
It remains sad that Labour is pushing out on a daily basis panic immigration policies,majorly detrimental to Africans.I blame African leaders who travel regularly to EU and America,yet remain blind to the essence of spending the peoples money on the people.Thier stealing act has sent man into exile.Part of the insult they get is the continuos changes of immigration laws against them.Even China,despite its interest in Africa is messing Aficans up.Please our leaders should wake up.
The whole essence of the Points Based System is that it is flexible and points requirements can be altered to reflect the economic situation in the UK at any given moment.
I don’t see why migrants should be permitted to stay if they lose their job, especially if they are Tier 2 which ties them to that job and that job only. They are not allowed to switch jobs unless they are re-employed by a company of the register of sponsors.
They may well have paid tax etc before they lost their job, but they would also have benefitted from free healthcare and their children free education, so they are paying for what they have used.
They should leave the country as soon as they lose their job. They are only here because of that job. Their visa is not valid once they no longer have it.
How are young British graduates supposed to find employment when we are filling vacancies with (often) cheaper workers from abroad?
I am a work permit holder working for the NHS as a nurse in intensive care since 2006. I work in an industry where there has not been substantial job losses associated with the economic effects of the recession. I am a tax payer, obey the law, and felt I have contributed to the community I serve. The latest proposals of earned citizenship will make it harder for would be peremenant residents who have been in the UK several years (such as myself) from being able to settle in the UK. It is interesting to note how the latest proposals to immigration law change seem to effect those who have contributed the most to the UK economy. Fair enough if you’ve lost your job in the UK, but why should it be made more difficult for those who are law abiding and interested in making Britain their home?