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

The care worker visa was only started in 2021 by Boris! It’s not like it’s been going for decades.

For this with comments such as ‘no mention of gangs’ ‘no mention of stopping the boats’

@Holluschickie @ChardonnaysBeastlyCat @EasternStandard

Have you actually read the White Paper?

Exploitation, gangs, illegal crossings, unscrupulous practice, tackling misuse and abuse of immigration systems, deportation, mentioned again and again.
I've added a screenshot, from the linked White Paper, just one part where your questions are addressed.

Read it! Otherwise this just becomes another thread full of misinformation.

And before that you had freedom of movement through the EU. Pre brexit I worked with a large number of Polish & Romanian care workers.

@TimeTaken so how does this government plan to deport/remove those people who

a) have thrown their identification into the English Channel so we don't know who they are
b) belong to a country that we don't have a returns agreement with
c) belong to a country that doesn't want them back

??

Not another one…READ THE WHITE PAPER so kindly linked here…

Have you read the White Paper…

That’s not ‘smashing the gangs’ it’s about people who break the rules or commit crimes and ‘border security’ same as the GE. The latter has only seen numbers go up.

Yes and it doesn't answer those questions.

It also doesn't answer why we have foreign criminals taking up space in our jails?
At present we have 10,355 (12% of prison population) I understand the largest % are Albanian. I thought we had a returns agreement with Albania ?

Some did, as they very much do now.

However, most didn't, they lived out their days in Geriatric wards, very traumatic places - my mum worked on one for a few weeks, the demented could be sent out of sight to Victorian asylums in the countryside, now exclusive flats or golf clubs.

Nursing homes were not unheard off, the wealthy used them, there were also Council run ones.

People also died of their ailments, now they live for many years.

Pre war, one of my Mums childhood memories was the stink from her Grans incontinence, no pads, no washing machines, tumble driers or detergents, her own mother could do this because her husband - Naval Officer - was well paid and she didn't need to go out to work.

You, like most people who witter on about the Good ole days have no fucking clue.

All of this makes me so anxious. My immigrant husband is also my carer and every time they "tighten immigration rules" it just makes me panic that we will be separated.

A large tax increase and a massive pay rise. Hopefully all those hard off higher earners that are eternally winging on here are happy to stump up a bit more and have some of their avoidance loopholes closed.

Once asylum seekers are processed and are granted refugee status, they can then claim benefits. Whilst waiting for the decision, they are entitled to free board, nhs treatment and spending money etc

Well I pay tax and have done all my life from age 15.

At one stage I was losing a third of my salary in stoppages

Fair enough @TimeTaken I will read it. Only read the press reports so far as was at work.

"Legal" work and study visas comprise the vast majority of immigrants.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2024/summary-of-latest-statistics#how-many-people-come-to-the-uk

You can see the numbers here.

When you're talking about 400k people in EACH of these two categories entering the UK, you can't just say "ah all of them are here to work or study so it's fine". (For context, I do think we should address illegal migration too but the numbers are an order of magnitude smaller.)

The conversation needs to delineate between different profiles within these huge groups. Someone coming on a scholarship to Oxford to study advanced neuroscience is totally different from someone signing up to some third-rate "business college", never going to classes and making money off a rented Deliveroo account. Likewise a highly skilled surgeon or executive with niche global skills, vs a takeaway shop manager or even a junior programmer doing commodity IT body-shop work.

The last 5 years in particular included a lot more of the lower-skilled workers and students than one would hope for.

The problem with is that most don't speak English and many have had no prior education so we are talking years before they can work.

The White Paper has only been presented to parliament today…

By the way, the white paper (linked in OP) is very long but you can skip to page 73 to see the specific list of policies they are proposing. It would be good to discuss some of the specifics.

Rationally, I do agree with a lot of what is in the paper. Points like English language requirements for dependents, tightening up criminal deportations etc. I hope the graduate visa changes will make it easier for UK graduates to land roles

But as someone whose partner is very close (<7 months) to getting ILR, the 10 year settlement period is tough to swallow. I don’t know if a points based system will be nuanced enough for our situation - higher rate tax payer (£100k+ salary) but not in science/engineering/medicine. Before we were quite committed to staying for DP to get ILR and then citizenship. But if that’s another 5 years away, if I’m honest we’ll probably look abroad…especially if it’s harder to sponsor a skilled worker, as there’s a chance his career would stagnate at his current firm.

It does feel unfair when we’re net contributors to the UK - both higher rate tax payers, no kids to educate, use our private health insurance as first port of call etc. Honestly crossing our fingers the new settlement rule isn’t sorted out before November!

But, I do see the bigger picture and we do need some interventions to reduce some forms of migration. I wonder where all the social care workers are going to come from, and I’m sceptical of how we’re really going to implement skills programmes as we seem to have little success. but if on the whole migration for non-skill gaps jobs reduces then maybe that is the right thing.

Absolutely, rather than the typical, throw away, stereotypical comments.

It would be so good to have a thread based on facts. (rather than misinformation and confusion).

Some PP’s have no basic understanding of the terms associated ( immigrant, illegal immigrant, asylum seekers) never in how this impacts on the legal processes and agreed programmes of support.

There is no need to @ me.

I will reply to you or not, if I choose to.

The passage you underlined is about border controls and deportation. Nothing to do with smashing anything at the moment, but at some point in the future.

Maybe you should read it yourself first?

And this is what it says ; Para 29

And we will separately set out new reforms to asylum and border security to
reduce small boat crossings, smash the gangs responsible for them, increase
deportations and returns, bring the asylum system back under control and end the use of asylum hotels

I don't see the "how" in this word salad.

Do we? As someone who was a net contributor surely under your system where all immigrants are a cost I should he receiving a fairly hefty tax refund.

Where will you go @GlitteringFeeling ? Just being nosey. Don't answer if you don't want to.

So because you are a net contributor then every single immigrant is a net contributor as well?