RISHI Sunak has revealed plans to cut net migration by 300,000 a year – today insisting: “Enough is enough.”
The Prime Minister has announced tough new rules to encourage bosses to hire and train home-grown talent instead.
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Mr. Sunak promises ‘biggest reduction in net migration ever’
Mr Sunak promises “the biggest reduction in net migration ever”.
Writing in The Sun today, he says: “People are rightly angry about the record number of migrants coming into our country.”
He launched a thinly veiled attack on former prime minister Boris Johnson after net migration reached 745,000 in 2022, putting a huge strain on public services.
Mr Sunak continued: “Brexit should have brought control over our borders and a points-based immigration system should have kept numbers down.
“But too often politicians have been unwilling to make the tough decisions to deliver on those promises.”
He said the numbers were instead just getting “higher and higher,” adding: “Enough is enough — it’s time to get immigration under control once and for all.”
The flash will be followed by new moves on illegal migration and small boats.
Home Secretary James Cleverly is expected to unveil a new deal with Rwanda within days after the Supreme Court overturned the original plan.
This will be supported by legislation to reduce the chances of future legal defeats.
Migrants will need to earn at least £38,700 to come to the UK as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s immigration overhaul to stop them “undermining British workers”.
The Government’s proposals will also include a ban on care staff bringing in their family members from abroad – in a bid to reduce the growing number of migrants.
Home Secretary James Cleverly yesterday went through a new five-point plan which will also stop bosses hiring from abroad at a lower cost.
Claiming that the measures would have denied 300,000 people entry to Britain last year, he told MPs: “Immigration policy must be fair, legal and sustainable.”
As part of the crackdown, the Shortage Occupations List, which allows companies to bring in people on visas for 20 percent less than the current rate, will be scrapped.
The pay threshold for foreign workers will rise from £26,200 to £38,700 – an increase of 48 per cent – in a victory for right-wing Tory MPs who pushed for just such an increase.
However, people coming to work in health and social care will be exempt from the increased pay rules.
Those already in Britain who want to sponsor loved ones to bring them over on a family visa will also have to earn £38,700 – up from £18,600 – the first increase since 2012.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Cleverly also announced tougher rules for carers, preventing them from bringing dependents altogether.
Revealing the scale of the problem, he said: “Approximately 120,000 dependents were followed by 100,000 carers in the year ending September 2023.”
But he told concerned MPs he did not foresee the crackdown causing staffing problems for the NHS.
The Home Secretary said long-term unemployed Britons should fill vacancies, stressing they should “get off benefits and get back to work”.
The Immigrant Healthcare Allowance — which is used to pay for NHS treatment for migrants — will also rise by 66 per cent from £624 to £1,035.
A review of the degree pathway — which allows students to stay two years after university — will also be launched.
This year, measures were announced that prevent students, except for those working on postgraduate studies, from bringing dependent family members.
Mr Cleverly said: “The British people always want to treat those in need well. But they also – and they are absolutely right – want to reduce the total number of immigrants.
“Not only by stopping ships and closing illegal routes, but by reducing legal immigration.
“People are understandably concerned about housing, getting GP appointments, school places and accessing other public services.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman added: “This is the biggest restriction on legal migration ever. This does not prevent us from going further if we decide to do so in the future.”
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman widely supported the changes, saying they were “a step in the right direction”.
But she added: “We have to be honest. This package is late and the Government can move on.”
She said any difference would not be seen until the official figures were released in 2025, with hardly any impact before next year’s general election.
Ms. Braverman added that the graduation path should be limited, not just revised and an annual number limit introduced.
Tory MPs – who have openly criticized their leader for the spike in arrivals – largely welcomed yesterday’s announcement.
But backbencher Tom Hunt said there was “huge cynicism” among voters about ministers’ genuine desire to reduce migration – and warned the Government must do it now.
The Tories’ 2019 manifesto promised to fight to keep arrivals below 250,000, while former prime minister David Cameron — now foreign secretary — had previously promised to bring the figure below 100,000.
Last month the Office for National Statistics put the latest estimates for the year to June 2023 at 672,000.
A total of 1.18 million came to the UK during this period — mostly legally but also illegally — while 508,000 left.
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the announcement was “an acknowledgment of years of total failure and chaos by this Conservative government”.
The recent surge in numbers was driven by non-EU migrants, with 253,000 arriving from India, the largest group.
Students accounted for 39 percent of all arrivals from countries outside the EU, and those with work visas accounted for 33 percent.
The Prime Minister’s package to crack down on legal migration comes ahead of a new deal with Rwanda to tackle illegal arrivals.
Mr Cleverly is expected to fly to the African capital Kigali within days to sign the new contract, which will address issues raised by the Supreme Court, which last month ruled the policy illegal.
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James Cleverly is expected to unveil a new deal with Rwanda within days after the original plan was struck down by the Supreme CourtCredit: Pixel8000
PM’s 5-step plan
Reducing care: Ban foreign home workers from bringing their family members.
Pay rise: Skilled workers will earn at least £38,700, up from £26,200.
No cheap labour: Rules allowing bosses to hire for 20% less than the cut rate.
Family Values: Family visa holders must have a sponsor earning £38,700.
Grad Review: A review of the graduate pathway for immigrants will be launched.
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Source: HIS Education