So what can in practical terms fully halt illegal immigration?

[Wellwhatnowbellaboo]

Reform has won by a landslide .... immigration is probably by the look of it the biggest issue. What can realistically without breaking laws be done to really halt this with a big impact ? What would Farage actually do ? Would and should we as a country break some laws to get this done and speak to what people really feel is an issue ? (Many countries do). This is not in labour's dna so I doubt anything will come if it now ... but if you've thought about it or you have solutions what are they ?
And if you are opposed- why and what's the answer ?

I agree with you! It’s difficult, especially when people are coming from large countries with multiple social/ethnic/cultural groups. But yes I also agree as that has been my experience too - and sounds like it has been for the pp, despite her horrible experience in Tehran.

There is no requirement to seek asylum in the first safe country, and if this were the rule it would put an unsustainable strain on the countries bordering places like Afghanistan, Iran etc. It's perfectly reasonable for refugees to want to go where, for instance, they already have relatives or friends, or there will be support from others of their religion etc. It's also perfectly sensible for refugees in effect to be shared out amongst other countries, and we take far fewer than many European countries.

Net migration is down at the moment. That is probably because Labour are doing a bad job on the economy. So if we stick with labour that may be the answer. If we want to get rid of higher earners, all billionaires and people working in big international companies that invest in the UK, then Green would be the way forward.

I would try to encourage certain types of immigration such as full paying international students both in private schools and universities. Give them right to residency for a certain number of years afterwards if they have done specific degrees. I would clamp down on dodgy colleges.

I wouldn't offer asylum for quite a few things that we do offer asylum for but that would probably be against several international agreements that we have signed so expensive and tricky to get out of.

It’s because high earners are leaving. I know a guy earning circa 200k who left this week. He’s not alone.

We have to remove the idea that the UK is paved with gold. Or that it protects those who are guilty of crimes.
I do wonder if we need to define what an economic migrant is as opposed to an asylum applicant.

We can expect employers like Deliveroo and any others to uphold the legal requirements to ensure they do check the employment status of all their employees and not whinge that it is too difficult to do so. And if they don’t prosecute them. And really really work hard and fast on this.
We can remove every ( and yes, I mean every )vape shop selling cheap drugs and fags. And by doing so remove the exciting opportunity to make thousands they may have heard of.
We can remove visas from those countries that we know some are coming from. This will have limited success but will still impact.
We can set different requirements. If the French allow our lifeboats to go into French waters ( and they do ) to retrieve people, then we can go into French waters to turn them back.
The English speaking thing is neither here nor there. English I spoken across the world and many from former French colonies will be more comfortable speaking French.
I would not employ more caseworkers. I would train them very very well. An accurate decision is better than a fast but incorrect one.
Where we do want to remove people we do need to do it quickly. I am afraid the ECHR puts a stop to this. Many of the prior international agreements are not designed to manage mass migration in modern times. And need renegotiation.

Stopping allowing propaganda that the figures are somehow 'out of control' and making out that this is the reason why there is a housing crisis / economic crisis at the moment. Its a bullshit 1930s narrative that has successfully 'created a problem' rather than focused on improving what holds growth in the UK back.

Conkersinautumn is absolutely 100% right. We do not have an immigration problem. The boats crossing the channel is 5% of overall immigration and only started after Brexit. And who started the whole Brexit thing? Farage. We need safe legal routes here and employ more people to process the asylum claims in a timely manner, not just create a backlog and then say, oh my god, our country is getting taken over by migrants!

Isn’t it just a coincidence though that it started after Brexit? Because they’d managed to crack down on lorry crossings so the smugglers set up an alternative route?

As pp said this isn’t right. People just used lorries pre Brexit.

The money from the visas would help pay for it. No I don't think employers would suddenly start having volunteers.

As you said they are a tiny minority so it is not going to need many bureaucrats.

They are already clamping down on employers who employ illegals.

As I said I haven't thought out the details or got a firm plan, it is just an idea.

I wonder how many of the 400,000 or so Brits living in Spain mix with Spanish people, have adopted their norms and speak the language.

If they want or need interpreters then they have to pay for them.
Paying for interpreters in UK costs the tax payer tens of millions.

They still do!

It is correct that post Brexit immigration got out of control and all sense.

Actually, many show up at the town hall or hospital without an interpreter, then demand they be helped in English by local staff. I’ve seen many people get frustrated and annoyed at the fact that nobody could speak English (or they could, but chose not to and instead used their native language, as legally entitled at their place of work).

So yes, many people need interpreters but don’t want to pay for them.

It’s not the difference at all. You may sit in on those interviews but you are very clearly not privy to what goes on behind the scenes. You have seen one thing and another thing, you’ve put them together and have drawn incorrect conclusions to why one person might have their claim decided very quickly and why another person’s claim might take longer.

The boats didn’t only start after Brexit ffs! We left the EU in January 2020. Small boat arrivals began in 2018 and numbers started increasing when the traffickers realised how much easier it was to stick 70 people on a boat, on a deserted beach with no security trying to stop them, rather than trying to get 10 people through angry lorry drivers and port security in the back of a lorry, again and again and again until they managed to get through.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0w9zw57glo

The article you’ve posted said the BBC first reported on small boat arrivals in 2014 and 2015.

So yes, many people need interpreters but don’t want to pay for them.

@EstrellaPolar in these cases are the non-Spanish speaking English people given interpreters for free?

That was just a handful of arrivals; the numbers started increasing in 2018, after Tony Smith confirms that Border Force made it harder to get though due to increased security.

The point remains that it’s nothing to do with Brexit.

If they all wanted to leave their regime behind then why are some of them committing crimes, some of which are murders and rapes. Some are coming over to do exactly that and try and infiltrate into our way of life.

Yes, but if you’re going to berate someone quite so forcefully at least get your facts straight.

Tbf @WilfredsPiesis getting it right. If you read her posts you’ll see the facts around small boats / the DA and Brexit etc

You’re right, some are committing crimes. Let’s deport everyone from that country then, including the little girls in your school and their surgeon fathers.

I know the facts myself, my issue was that they posted something that was contradicted by the first line of their source.

Why should the country nearest to the issue shoulder it all? It’s not their problem either.

Presumably they come here for a wide range of reasons: family, perceived opportunity, language. Loads of other reasons I am clueless about.

What she’s saying is right. It’s not Brexit, the DA etc