Details of Sir Keir Starmer’s major crackdown on migration with big changes to citizenship rules have been revealed.
The Prime Minister unveiled a radical White Paper on Monday morning, aimed at making it more challenging for individuals to settle permanently in the UK.
Net migration climbed to a record 906,000 in June 2023, and last year it stood at 728,000.
But Labour estimates that the reforms would reduce the number of visas issued by around 50,000.
So what has the PM announced, and will it work? Here are some of the key points:
Faster deportations
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will be handed new powers to streamline the deportation of migrants.
Currently, foreign criminals are only reported to the Home Office if they receive a jail sentence, with deportation typically considered only for those given custodial sentences of over one year.
Under the new proposals, ministers will be informed of all foreigners convicted of any offence and those with criminal records overseas may also face removal.
While this measure will help the Home Office identify lower level foreign criminals, critics argue that once a person’s visa has been revoked there will still be challenges deporting them as the threshold will still remain at 12-month jail sentence.
Citizenship rules tightened
Most migrants will need to reside in Britain for at least ten years, not five, before they can apply for settled status and begin the path to gaining full citizenship.
Meanwhile, eligibility for skilled worker visas will now require a higher salary threshold or graduate-level qualification.
Applicants, as well as their dependents, must also meet an English standard equivalent to an A-level, raising the threshold from the current GCSE-equivalent proficiency.
This policy is likely to reduce the number of migrants acquiring permanent settlement in the UK.
However, the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford has argued it is unlikely to affect migration levels significantly.
It is likely to result in more people having temporary status in the UK, which would boost Home Office income because they will have to pay fees to remain here for longer.
Care worker curb
Care workers will no longer be recruited from overseas, which will force providers to hire British nationals or extend visas of overseas workers already in the country.
Additionally, Ms Cooper has promised "to bring in a new fair pay agreement” to make care professions more attractive to UK workers.
Elsewhere, employers will be allowed to recruit temporary lower-skilled workers using the points-based migration system in sectors such as IT and construction, but they must prove they are training British workers through apprenticeships and training programmes.
Changes to care worker visas last year did result in a decline in the numbers of people coming to Britain and the new reforms have the potential to lead to an even larger decline in the number of people coming to the UK.
Stopping overseas recruitment for care work has been one of the most controversial plans because it is likely to have a significant impact on the sector and result in a large drop in the number of people coming to Britain to work.
Unions and care providers accused the Government of putting services at risk, with proffessor Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, saying the Home Office was “kicking us while we’re already down”.
Overstayers questioned
The Government will restrict visas for nationalities with higher overstay or asylum rates, particularly those from the Middle East.
Financial documents will be scrutinised more intensely and access to taxpayer-funded accommodation such as hotels will be limited.
Only those who show a “lasting contribution” to British society through their tax returns or outstanding public service will be entitled to permanent residency.
To target those who do overstay their visa, people from overseas will also require digital IDs under an eVisa system.
The Home Secretary said it will allow the Government to better track if someone leaves the country when their visa runs out and show whether illegal working is taking place.
This is not a new policy - eVisas were rolled last year - but these changes will still provide more data about who is and is not complying with their visa status.
Right to family life?
Downing Street is reviewing how the "right to a family life" contained in Article 8 in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is applied in immigration cases.
The plans will constrain judges’ interpretation of the law, which protects the right to a family and private life. It has been commonly used by foreign criminals to avoid deportation from the UK.
The Home Office has already successfully appealed against an immigration tribunal's decision last year to halt the deportation of an Albanian criminal partly on the grounds that it would be "unduly harsh" on his 10-year-old son, who refused to eat “chicken nuggets that are available abroad".
While restricting judges’ discretion is likely to have a small impact on the number of illegal migrants successfully appealing deportation, this measure is constrained to one section of the ECHR.
There are still other less commonly used sections, such as article 3, which protects against persecution and inhumane treatment.
The Prime Minister insisted that the UK would not leave the ECHR altogether and has insisted it is vital for striking migration deals with other European countries.
Foreign Students
Stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students will be put in place under the Government’s plans.
Institutions using overseas recruitment agents will have to sign up to a “quality framework” to ensure a higher standards.
A 6% levy on international students’ tuition fees is also being proposed, which will be reinvested into higher education system to support more British students into universities and upskill the domestic workforce.
Foreign graduates will be able to stay in the country for 18 months after their studies finish - down from two years.
Provisional analysis suggests it could result in a significant drop in demand for student visas, falling by as many as 7,000 main applicants a year.
The number of graduate visa applicants could be reduced by 12,000 each year.
But universities have warned the new system could put further strain on an already struggling sector as international students pay much higher fee rates than their UK counterparts.
Last year 415,000 people came to the UK on study visas and international students are estimated to contribute between £20-40billion to the British economy.
