Changes to immigration rules announced by Starmer

[OneAmberFinch]

Full white paper here is extensive and announces changes to all avenues of migration - basically their approach to resolving the issues of massively increased migration from 2019-2023/4.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821aec3f16c0654b19060ac/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper.pdf

And Starmer's commentary on the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ce810e3z6dkt

Handful of headline changes: default timeline to get ILR to go to 10 years instead of 5; abolishing new care worker visas; raising skills threshold for Skilled Workers back up to graduate level; increasing minimum grades required for student visas; various bits and pieces around English language requirements among several other policies

Absolutely. Every country should prioritise its own citizens before looking at employing foreign nationals.
Obviously if there is a shortage in critical services you should be looking at drawing the necessary skills from outside your borders but at the same time looking at how you can fill that gap with your own citizens.
Ironcially though the Uk skilled migrants (legal) often create a problem in their home countries where their skills are so desperately needed but often poorly paid and coupled with other problems. Such a viscous circle.

That particular study seems somewhat out of date;

A Home Office study claimed that immigrants paid in £2.5 billion more than they consumed in Government services in the year 1999-2000.

So, before EU expansion to poorer countries in Eastern and Central Europe.

I don't recall any Labour supporters on here talking about "opulent green fields of prosperity". That does have a ring of the Brexit promises though.

Most Labour supporters predicted it would be a tough road ahead for Labour. They have made some big mistakes and chasing the Reform vote is the biggest. But they still have four years to go and hopefully to grow and learn.

From the doc in first post
104. The number of asylum claims matched to a visa has increased relatively steadily since mid-2021. Around 30% of asylum claims are from visa holders. Of this, students account for the largest proportion, at almost half (47%) of all asylum claims from visa holders.44

105. The majority of the students claiming asylum do so as they approach their visa expiry date. This indicates that some people might therefore be using the student route to make claims for humanitarian protection when circumstances in their country have not changed.

That's interesting.

jasflowers
e.g takes 3 years plus to train a nurse, yet Starmer is expected to solve NHS waiting lists inside of 9 months

Labour's manifesto talked about clearing the backlog 'during evenings and weekends' which implies overtime.

The electorate are NOT going to ever forget the island of strangers speech and by then the economy will be in ruins and Labour will be limping out with relief - not dissimilar to the last time in fact.

A Home Office study claimed that immigrants paid in £2.5 billion more than they consumed in Government services in the year 1999-2000.

25 years ago…quite

TBF to Labour, they have reduced waiting lists, whether thats down to measures introduced by the Tories or Labour i cannot say.

The cancer tests/diagnosis my in-law is getting right now is amazing.

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make - although I posted up thread;

So, before EU expansion to poorer countries in Eastern and Central Europe

Personally, i don't see whats wrong with what he said, i doubt anyone else will either.
Migrants need to integrate/speak decent English, whats controversial about that???
Have you seen the requirements for a French long stay Visa?

Of course you and others want the economy to crash, you certainly wouldn't be described as "Patriotic" but it wont, its actually doing ok ish, growth up, interest rates down, unemployment stable, NHS lists falling, FTSE back where it was pre Tariffs, wage growth above inflation, which is also just about on target.

Not all sunshine & roses but not the crash you want either.

I didn't like what Starmer said one little bit. But lots of people are fine with it, depressingly.

Of course some back Starmer no matter what he says. But no not all do.

Otherwise the polls wouldn’t show such a decline in support.

I definitely don’t want the economy to be driven off a cliff again under Labour, but Reeves is utterly useless, totally out of her depth and she is now under investigation. You should be more concerned about that Jas.

On what basis can you possibly imagine she is going to create the growth, economic power house and increased productivity to pay for everything they have promised, much less a new ‘golden’ era?????

Yes I think so

What do people think of those already in the UK legally, who have paid tax and NI, thousands on visa fees, got mortgages and married, and now don't know if they are coming or going? Applicable to those already in the UK legally? Retrospective effect? No one knows.

Yes if only

I think they are most welcome to enjoy their lives here indefinitely and positively contribute like (mostly) everyone else. Why would they think anyone had an issue with them?

The issue is that we need to pause the current influx. It’s not sustainable. It’s not a wholesale immigrant problem, more one of sheer numbers and illiterate, unskilled people only making our problems worse.

I am on a reddit discussing this. Many are considering leaving. All from 'desirable' countries like the US, Australia, NZ. Not illiterate and unskilled people. Waiting 10 yrs for ILR and paying double the astronomical visa fees is more than they are prepared to pay, having already paid over £300, 000 in tax and NI. Starmer's rhetoric did not help. What is a contribution to the UK? Paying tax? Finding a cure for cancer? Learning English. These guys have done all of that.

Talented taxpayers are mobile.

But going from starmers speech yesterday, is it just that? He spoke of divided communities, alongside a lack of integration ( the island of strangers comment).. So, is it just enough to come, work, pay taxes? Economically, yes, but I believe he was also trying to start a commentary on the social aspects of immigration.

This is why I think they should quite quickly announce their plan for this points-based shortcut and who exactly will qualify for it. Also why I bang on and on about "dividing" immigrants into "good and bad" (not my preferred terminology fwiw) as I'm frequently accused of doing...

...Because the immigrants like the ones you're talking about (this group makes up many of my IRL friends) are skittish about something which really isn't fundamentally targeted at them, but if the government is too worried about sounding mean-spirited to come out and state directly which profiles of people are the contributors and which not, many high-contributing migrants will find another path.

I've spoken to GPS about this.

They tell me they would happily do another evening a week surgery but the problem is with the back-up staff. Receptionists, nurses, practice managers, physios, nurse practitioners, cleaners etc just don't want any more hours.

Err i didn't say she would, as the last 14 years of no growth has proven, what the Chancellor can do for growth is very limited, or they'd all do it.

One thing Labour cold do is re join the C and even the SM, now that would boost growth.

Her investigation is trivial, expenses declared on one list but not on another - admin error, as for her competence? too early to say, one cannot blame the WFA on her, it was a cabinet decision.

NI had to be increased, what other levers did she have to raise money? pls as we can see, it has not cased the collapse in the economy predicted.

Starmer ruled that out pre GE.

That doesn't really make sense - it must be that more experienced doctors from overseas are applying for junior positions and that experience trumps the applications from newly qualified doctors here.