The meeting was organised as a result of a discussion at the May meeting of the Joint Ministerial Council (Domestic).

Scottish Ministers have consistently stated the case for Scotland-specific flexibilities which recognise Scotland’s unique demographic challenge.

Mr Russell said:

“I raised recent cases which have worked against Scottish interests and the long-running sore that is the unacceptable detention of children at Dungavel.

“However, on the broader policy issues we did make good progress. For example, we added that a Tier 5 Government authorised ‘Exchange’ scheme should be established for Scotland.

“The UK Border Agency’s website should help to promote Scotland as a place to work, live and study – this is typically a potential migrant’s first interaction with the UK immigration system.”

Mr Russell wants the UK Border Agency and Scottish Government to work together to encourage Scottish businesses to make representations to the Migration Advisory Committee on where they are experiencing skills shortages from within the domestic workforce.

“We also agreed that the UK Government would discuss with the Migration Advisory Committee issues in the points-based system including the difficulties caused by the inclusion of London weighting in salaries which affect points under Tiers 1 and 2.

“I also raised this issue with the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, Professor David Metcalf, when I met him today.

“The Scottish Government’s position is clear. Scotland has an ageing population and an increasing dependency ratio. We need the flexibility within the system to attract more people of working age to contribute to our economy, fill skills gaps and help us prosper over the longer term.

“There is of course precedent for such flexibilities. The hugely successful Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme allowed international students the opportunity to remain in Scotland to work for up to two years following graduation from a Scottish university or college. Over 8,400 graduates benefited from the scheme and such was its success in attracting the brightest and best students from around the world, that it was replicated across the rest of the UK.

“Today’s discussion was useful and I hope it can be built upon.”

Immigration Matters Comment

Like many other parts of the UK, Scotland needs immigration to provide more people to keep the local economy moving and staff services.

Last month Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland criticised United Kingdom immigration laws which he said do not reflect the “values” of Scotland.

During an address to more than 300 delegates from ethnic minority organisations, he described his anger at “crazy” decisions made in Westminster.

See also:

Scottish Leader Alex Salmond criticises UK immigration laws

Home Office defends immigration policy

Home Secretary Alan Johnson admits immigration mistakes

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

The OISC has a duty to ensure that people providing immigration advice or immigration services are competent to do so. Its guidance on competence sets out the standards that advisers should meet.

Following the introduction of the points-based system and other important developments in immigration, the OISC is considering whether the guidance needs to be fundamentally changed. This consultation is an opportunity for advisers and other stakeholders to be involved in the OISC’s decision-making process, so that the future regulation of immigration advisers remains efficient and relevant to the changes happening in the wider immigration sector.

The consultation is open for 12 weeks, until 29 January 2010.

For further information on the consultation and details on how to respond, please see the OISC website.

How to choose an immigration adviser 

A simple way to verify an adviser’s status is to check that the adviser and firm are legally registered (as they must be) to give immigration advice on the OISC or the Law Society website. This does not of course verify that the person you are talking to is the adviser listed, but it is a good starting point. 

The OISC publish a useful guide: ‘How to choose an immigration adviser’ on it website. 

Before you put your trust in any professional you must do your own ‘common sense’ checks. For instance, does the person have an office you can visit or are they asking you to meet at a McDonalds or in a pub? I have met more than one candidate who handed over £2000 in cash to a person calling themselves a Solicitor in the East Ham branch of McDonalds. Both cash and ‘Solicitor’ were never to be seen again. 

Warning bells should also be sounding loud and clear in your head if the adviser is insisting you pay in cash or to a personal bank account. 

Be cautious of sending money to a person you have never met or cannot verify. There are of course many legitimate advisers which operate a telephone or internet based service, but do your own checks. 

Anyone can be impressed by a fancy website, but there’s nothing like checking out someone in person, face to face, at their premises.

Advisers should be giving you their business cards and terms of business outlining their fee structure. They should also be knowledgeable, professional and know what they are talking about. If in any doubt, walk away.

Finally, if the advice and solution being offered sounds ‘too good to be true’, it probably is. 

Just as most financial frauds are perpetuated by investor’s greed to obtain unrealistic returns, immigration victims pay money to illegal advisers because they promise something honest advisers have told them cannot be done. 

If you would like to share your ‘immigration advice’ experience with our readers, write your comments below.

Related articles: 

Home Office announce tough new regulations for immigration advisers

If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

The huge Pizza chain was caught employing illegal workers at their Reading and Hounslow and fined £5,000 for each incident.

Figures from the UK Border Agency (UKBA)  reveal that Pizza Hut is not alone, with 1,161 firms being fined nearly £10 million over the last 16 months as a result of recruiting a total of 2,058 illegal workers.

A spokesperson for Pizza Hut defended the firm:

“This particular incident took place almost a year ago at one of our franchised stores. We have since ensured that all our franchisees have reviewed their processes, in order to prevent this happening again.” Source: HR Review

The UKBA is an agency set up to take control migration and enforcement operations previously run by the Home Office.

The UKBA has today published details of four illegal workers being removed from the UK after being discovered working at a Chinese takeaway in Londonderry.

Phil Taylor, Regional Director for the UK Border Agency in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: 

‘This successful operation shows that we are determined to crack down on illegal working wherever it occurs, and we’ll act on intelligence to target those businesses which ignore the rules and remove those with no right to be in the UK. The UK Border Agency is happy to work with employers so they understand the rules, but they have a responsibility to carry out the right checks before they employ migrant workers. If they don’t, they could end up potentially having to pay the kind of substantial fines this business is now facing.’

Unfortunately, the deportation of four people will have little effect on the estimated half a million illegal workers in the UK, which leading think tank, ippr, says will take 20 years to remove at a cost of £5 billion.

Related articles:

Millions wasted on deportations by private jet

UK immigrant amnesty ‘worth £3bn’ say LSE 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

The findings are revealed by the Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Dame Anne Owers.

Inspectors monitored immigration escort staff involved in removing detainees from Heathrow Airport.

It says when officers escorting immigration offenders mistreat them, removals are more likely to fail.

The report cites the case of four Afghan detainees, who were initially willing to fly home.

Then, in what the report describes as an “unnecessary and intimidating” intervention, escort staff warned the detainees they would be “dealt with” if they were “naughty” on the plane. They refused to go.

Valid documents

Removals were also cancelled due to staff shortages and because nurses had not been booked to accompany detainees with health problems.

Sometimes detainees were flown back to the UK because their home countries said their paperwork was not in order.

On one occasion, escort staff taking a woman to Mozambique were themselves locked up after the authorities there questioned whether their documents were valid.

Dame Anne said: “This short report found worrying gaps and weaknesses in complaints and monitoring processes.

“It also found varying practice, with no evidence that the good and thoughtful approach of some staff was mirrored in clear and consistent standards of treatment, support and communication.

“This heightened the risk of ill-treatment or abuse, and was also likely to lead to failed removals.”

David Wood, director of the criminality and detention group at the UK Border Agency said anyone involved in the detention and removal of detainees was highly trained.

“Many detainees refuse to leave the UK voluntarily, even when the courts say they must. In some cases individuals become violent toward themselves, the public or our staff when it is time to go home.

“Detainee escorts have a very difficult job to do in carrying out what the public expects of the UK Border Agency in enforcing our immigration laws.” 

Source BBC 

It is estimated that the cost of deporting a person is around £10,000, but this could be much higher if the case goes to a legal aid funded appeal, with the migrant being held in a detention centre for months on end.

Leading think tank, ippr, said it would it would take at least 20 years to find and remove half a million illegal immigrants at a cost of over £5 billion.

Earlier this month the Government was criticised for wasting millions of pounds flying illegal immigrants back to their country in private jets.

Have you had any experience or dealings with removal teams? Make your comment below.

Related articles:

Millions wasted on deportations by private jet

UK immigrant amnesty ‘worth £3bn’ say LSE 

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

The UKBA said:

“We have made these changes in response to concerns that our customers have raised, and to ensure that the points-based system continues to facilitate the trade and travel that benefits the United Kingdom whilst also ensuring that the immigration system is not open to abuse.”

The changes to the system include:

• Creating an escalation route for University Vice-Chancellors and Academic Registrars through the use of a dedicated mailbox for urgent incidents requiring immediate attention, with a guaranteed response within 72 hours.
• Modified rules on students’ maintenance requirements.

Additionally, the UKBA are:

• Developing new guidance for ‘milkround’ recruitment campaigns, to provide a truer test of the resident labour market whilst meeting the needs of businesses;
• Outlining plans to develop our IT system, making it even easier for customers and sponsors to use;
• Looking at developing a new employer led route for interns to sit alongside and complement our existing Government Authorised Exchange schemes
• Making a number of changes to our guidance for points-based system sponsors.

You can download a full list of the changes to the sponsor guidance and information on the UKBA website or visit:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/news/table-of-changes-7-August

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

Everywhere you look there are signs advertising opportunities to work or study in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK or the Middle East.

Talk to any taxi driver, waiter or shop assistant and they all say the same thing: “It is my dream to go abroad”.

And who can blame them? With salaries for nurses as low as 6000 Pesos (around £70) per month and just 25,000 Pesos (Around £300) per month newly qualified Doctors in Government hospitals working 36 hour shifts at a time. 

They are the lucky ones. With hundreds of thousands of nurses and healthcare professionals unemployed or working in the many call centres in the business districts of Makati and Ortigas, newly qualified nurses are often forced to pay hospitals to do volunteer work in order to gain the experience they need to land a job abroad.

Last month it was announced that 32,000 Filipino’s passed the nursing licensure or ‘board’ (PRC) exam, and most will join the ranks of the estimated 300,000 unemployed qualified nurses in the Philippines.

A total of 76,000 nursing graduate sat the exam, held in June and November, with 44,000 failing to make the grade.

Eduardo, a Manila taxi driver I spoke to on Friday, told me he clears just 600 pesos (around £7) a day after paying for his fuel and hire charges. In between fighting his way through the EDSA traffic in Manila, Eduardo explained that his ‘day’ is in fact the 24 hour shift he works on alternate days, which means he is effectively earning £2 for an eight our day.

In 2008 he was held up by two gunmen and a girl. He said “take my money but don’t kill me, I have family, a one year old Son”. He was not ashamed to admit that he cried. 

The 30 year old driver was only spared death because the girl told the two men she only wanted to rob “not kill anyone”. He was hit over the head with the butt of the pistol before the gang fled with his takings of less than £20. 

With huge areas of the world steeped in poverty, British people fear their country will be overun with immigrants. In reality, very few of the millions who ‘dream’ of working overseas actually do anything about it.

Low skilled high school graduates like Eduardo would not qualify under the points based system for migration, or even the previous work permit scheme, to work in the UK.

Skilled workers are only allowed in under Tier 2 where the employer can show the post cannot be filled within the EU or the job appears on the shortage occupations list.

MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS THIS WEEK:

WWW.IMMIGRATIONMATTERS.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS

UK Border Agency announce points based system for citizenship

The UK Border Agency this week announced proposals requiring would-be-citizens to earn enough points to stay permanently in the UK. The new points based test for citizenship will award migrants points for building up different attributes and skills, much like the Aussie-style points system for immigration.

Europe’s population will hit 500 Million say EU

New figures from the European Union’s statistical agency project that the EU’s population will exceed a half-billion in 2009.

Judge Trigger dsciplined over immigration outburst

The Sun reports that the judge who criticised Britain’s immigration system was last night facing a disciplinary probe over his outburst.

Immigrants must ‘earn’ citizenship says Phil Woolas

Immigrants who take part in anti-war demonstrations risk losing their chance of getting British citizenship under new government proposals, a Home Office Minister said this week. Minister Phil Woolas said migrants would have to “earn” their citizenship under plans being unveiled this morning for a new points system for immigrants seeking a British passport.

Points system for British Citizenship

Home Secretary Alan Johnson, will launch the consultation paper, which proposes that those wanting a passport could earn points for speaking English and doing community work, and lose points for anti-social behaviour, such as protesting against British troops.

Illegal Immigrant sneaks into Britain as a stowaway underneath UK Border Agency Bus

In what must be the most embarrassing incident since illegal immigrants were found working in the Home Office, Sky News reports this week that an illegal immigrant is on the run in the UK after smuggling himself into Britain underneath a coach full of Border Agency officials.

MP’s support new points based immigration system

A Parliamentary Home Affairs Committee, made up of MP’s, have given a ‘thumbs-up’ to the points based system, introduced last year to control migration levels, but identified some problems.

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

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/

The new points based test for citizenship will award migrants points for building up different attributes and skills, much like the Aussie-style points system for immigration.

The plans launched in a new consultation would see migrants rewarded for economic contributions, skills and English language proficiency above the level already expected. Points could be removed and citizenship withheld or delayed for those breaking the law or committing anti-social behaviour, such as taking part in anti-war demonstrations.

Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:

‘The Government has already made fundamental reforms to the immigration system to control migration in a way that is firm, and has a positive impact on our workforce and economy.

‘To complement this, we have made it clear people must earn their right to stay in the UK permanently by working hard, obeying the law and speaking English.

‘Being British is a privilege – these proposals break the link between coming to work here temporarily and being given the right to citizenship.’

The new system will build on the changes to earned citizenship introduced by the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, which passed through Parliament last month.

The UKBA (UK Border Agency) said: “a points based test for citizenship will give the Government more control over the numbers of people permitted to settle here permanently, allowing the bar for settlement to be raised or lowered depending on the needs of the country and the economy”.

A key principle of earned citizenship system is the building of “community cohesion”, through encouraging community involvement through ‘active citizenship’, the UKBA added.

The Government said migrants can speed up their “journey to citizenship” by contributing to the community by doing voluntary or civic work, which they believe will encourage and support more integration.

As part of this new 12 week consultation, the Government will work closely with local authorities to ensure any voluntary or community work being undertaken by applicants is checked and verified.

Currently migrants applying for British Citizenship (after first being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain – ILR) must first pass a ‘Life in the UK’ test to demonstrate both their knowledge of the country and their ability to speak English.

The Government wants to tighten this even further with a new two-stage system. This will focus on practical information about life in the United Kingdom at ‘probationary’ citizenship stage, and then a further test at the final stage with more challenging topics including history and politics.

The Government will also seek views on how the positive impacts of migration for developing countries – for example in terms of remittances and increased skills – can be maximised, and the negative impacts such as the brain drain can be reduced.

Mr Woolas added;

‘The new path to citizenship aims to create the right balance for Britain, allowing us to better manage and provide support for those on the journey to citizenship. But it is important also to recognise the impacts – both positive and negative – which migration can have on source countries in the developing world.

‘We believe it is right that Government should play a role in managing negative impacts on developing countries.’

To take part in the ‘Earning the right to stay: A new points test for citizenship‘ consultation visit: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/consultations/current/

Immigration Matters Comment

The Labour Government has been under intense media and Tory opposition pressure to slash immigration as well as the numbers of people settling in the UK. Labour have resisted calls for a cap on immigration, but have introduced a series of points based measures designed to turn the tap on and off when it chooses.

These proposals go much further than stemming the flow of new migrants and will directly affect those already here on working visas by making it harder for them to settle in the UK.

If you need any immigration advice or help with Studying in the UK, Settlement, Citizenship, Sponsorship, extending Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:

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

Related articles:

Points system for British Citizenship

Royal Assent for the Borders Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009

I have been speaking at the MOVE Migration Expo, which attracted thousands of people hoping to migrate to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and USA.

The first MOVE Expo has been a spectacular success, according to organisers IVC (Immigrant Visa Centre). Director Crispin Aranda said that around 6000 people attended the two day programme, which had expert speakers covering a wide cross section of subjects gave informative break out sessions speeches on Migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA and the UK. 

Several speakers spoke of Tier 4 student visas and British course to enable Filipinos to up-skill themselves to increase their international marketability. 

Others speakers included; Zenalyn Ablao from AG Finance, Rusty Francisco, of NC-LEX. 

The packed crowd of hopeful migrants visited over 65 stands in the huge new SMX Convention Centre, part of the Mall of Asia complex, the largest shopping mall in Asia. 

The US and Canada was the obvious first choice for most enquirers, but there is an increasing interest in Australia and New Zealand where the immigration system is more open and attractive to skilled workers. 

Both Australia and Canada offer faster and more flexible routes to settlement than the UK, which has recently introduced the Border Immigration and Citizenship Act which will eventually increase the number of years of required work to apply for residency from five eight.

Britain’s proposed ‘Pathway to Citizenship’ is more like a road to purgatory compared with settlement rules in Canada, Australia and even the United States.

In Canada, even lower skilled fast food counter workers on work permits can apply for residency after six months in some states.

Australia even allows graduating students to apply for residency, in a bid to retain talent.

UK NVQ student schemes attracted huge interest among the hundreds of nursing graduates looking to learn new skills to enhance their career prospects abroad. 

Saturday speakers included: Crispin Aranda of IVC, Charles Kelly of Immigration Matters, Banco de Oro, AG Finance on student loans, Philippine Nurses Association and the British Council.

The organisers say they will run a second show in February 2010.

MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS THIS WEEK:

WWW.IMMIGRATIONMATTERS.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS

Judge condemns Government’s ‘lax’ immigration policy

A Crown Court Judge condemned the Government’s immigration policy and lack of border controls whilst passing sentence on an illegal immigrant this week. 

Senior Surgeon calls for Immigration Rule change on Doctors

The BBC reports that a senior surgeon is calling for immigration rules for overseas doctors to be changed to allow for increased recruitment of middle-grade medics, but the UKBA say the points based system is flexible enough.

Points based system to fully support recruitment of international students says Lord Mandelson

Lord Mandelson has assured the education sector that he will ensure that the points based system for student visas supports the UK education sector.

Immigration Officers strike threatens airport chaos

The walk out by immigration officers bound to cause delays for non-EU travellers, where long queues are the norm, especially migrant workers and students arriving at major ports.

Would you live in Scotland to earn a British Passport?

Despite the negative press, the idea of allowing immigration to counter emigration from areas of the UK seems to make sense. Similar schemes are used to attract people to live in less popular parts of Canada and Australia.

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

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/

Keshav Singhal said Wales was more affected by a UK-wide shortage of doctors than other areas. He said:

“The recruitment from the Indian subcontinent which traditionally filled a lot of gaps in the NHS has almost completely dried up.”

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) said the points based immigration system used was flexible.

The British Medical Association in Wales has called for urgent action over the shortage of middle-grade doctors, who often act as the senior doctor on duty in hospitals.

It has said immigration law changes have led to doctors recruited overseas having their entry to the UK delayed.

One west Wales NHS trust has said it has more than 60 vacant doctor posts which could make some of its hospitals “clinically unsafe”.

In Swansea, a crisis in doctor recruitment has led the city’s in-patient paediatrics unit being moved from Singleton Hospital to Morriston Hospital. The move is being made on Thursday.

Mr Singhal, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, said immigration policy changes as well as the European directive limiting junior doctors’ working hours were affecting doctor recruitment. He said:

“The two coming together more or less at the same time has meant that we just don’t have enough pairs of hands.

“The doctors who are permitted to come over [from overseas] are only permitted to do so for very short stretches, which is neither enough to complete their training, nor enough to give them a career in this country.

“The government needs to look at it very seriously and perhaps devise a Welsh-specific solution because it’s more of a problem in Wales than it is in home counties.”

Points-based system

He said Wales historically had a recruitment shortfall because locally-trained doctors had a “tendency to gravitate towards London”.

“That [shortfall] has traditionally been filled by overseas doctors and that has dried up,” he said.

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said:

“Our Australian-style points based system does not prevent overseas doctors the health service needs from coming to the UK.

“Foreign doctors can come here to work through Tier 1, which is for highly skilled migrants, or Tier 2, which is for skilled migrants. Students coming to the UK to study medicine can come in under Tier 4.

“The points based system means only those we need can come here to work. It is also flexible so that we can raise or lower the bar according to the needs of the labour market and the country as a whole.

“Overseas doctors who meet the criteria will be welcomed.

“The Migration Advisory Committee has also recognised shortages in a number of specialities and their advice has been accepted by the government.”
Source BBC

Immigration Matters Comment

The UKBA is technically correct, although it is not that easy for foreign Doctors to understand and jump through the hoops of Tier’s 1,2 and 4.

 Even under the previous Work Permit scheme, increasing overseas recruitment for any sector would be simply be a matter of the Home Office or UKBA adding the job to the Shortage Occupations list.

The UKBA recently revised the list following recommendations by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which advises the Government on labour shortages throughout the UK, but did not include junior or middle ranking doctors.

The list had been earlier revised because British junior doctors were not able to find work.

The problem appears to be regional rather than national. Wales and Scotland has always struggled to recruit both Nurses and Doctors, as migrant workers tend to gravitate towards larger Cities and the South East of England.

Scottish MP’s have long called for its own immigration policy, but this has been ruled out due to fears that the system could be abused.  

Scotland (and parts of the North of England and Wales) has a falling population, but has yet to come up with any other way of increasing the number of people willing to settle there other than through immigration.

I am in the Philippines this week an will be speaking at the MOVE EXPO at the SMX Convention Centre in Manila on 31 July and 1 August. 

The migration show and conference is expection up to 10,0000 visitors and will have exhibitors of work and study schemes, as well as colleges such as NVQ provider Majestic College.

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

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/

Related articles

Would you live in Scotland to earn a British Passport?

New Government-approved shortage occupation lists for Tier 2 of the Points Based System

How to switch immigration categories into the skilled worker category (Tier 2 General)

Points Based Tier 4 starts 31 March  

UK migrants face tougher challenge to work, study or settle

Public concerns about a “population explosion” over the next 20 years have forced the Government to propose a points-based system for those seeking citizenship.

The population of 61million is expected to hit 70million by 2029 and ministers have made it harder for migrants on work permits to stay permanently in the Borders Citizenship Act 2009, which received the Royal Assent on 21 July.

But yesterday, the Scottish Secretary revealed that if immigrants were willing to live in under-populated parts of Britain, they would find it easier to pass the test.

Jim Murphy said:

‘Having lived and worked in Scotland is proposed as one way to earn points.’

The move, contained in a draft consultation to be released in the next few weeks, means prospective British citizens already settled in Britain may flock north of the border, where the population is falling, to ensure they have enough points to be successful.

Critics point out it will be extremely difficult to check that an applicant is living and working in Scotland and whether they will stay there.

Also, once a passport application is approved, the Government has no control over the person’s movements as there are obviously no border controls, unless Scot Gordon Brown is proposing to rebuild the Roman ‘Hadrian’s Wall’.

Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green said:

“This is completely absurd.”

Campaigners said it could damage a sound Home Office policy that is designed to make it tougher for migrants to settle in Britain. At present, there is a firm link between a migrant obtaining a visa to work here, and going on to receive a British passport.

Under these rules, the number of British passports given to migrants is set to hit a record of almost 220,000 this year.

During the first three months of 2009, 54,615 citizenship applications were issued by the Home Office to qualifying migrants – up 57 per cent on the same period a year earlier.

Last year, the number of passports granted was 129,310, and when Labour came to power in 1997, just 37,010 people were given citizenship.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the campaign group Migrationwatch UK, said:

“It is an excellent scheme to split economic migration from the right to settle, but it makes no sense to treat Scotland differently.

“A condition requiring residency in Scotland is completely unenforceable. ‘England receives over 90 per cent of immigration, and faces 95 per cent of the extra 10million population now projected for the next 20 years.

We cannot allow the tail to wag the dog on a matter that is so important to the future of our society.”

A Home Office spokesman said:

“The points system has already proved to be a powerful tool for controlling migration, which is why we are now looking at applying its principles to the path to citizenship.

“The measures require migrants to earn citizenship.

“This is the first step towards breaking the automatic link between temporary residence and permanent settlement.

“But, we want to look at raising the bar even more.”

Immigration Matters Comment

Despite the negative press, the idea of allowing immigration to counter emigration from areas of the UK seems to make sense. Similar schemes are used to attract people to live in less popular parts of Canada and Australia.

Scotland (and parts of the North of England and Wales) has a falling population, but has yet to come up with any other way of increasing the number of people willing to settle there.

Read more: http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/royal-assent-for-the-borders-citizenship-and-immigration-act-2009.html

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

info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/