A selection of recent media reports
Britain will need 2 mn new homes for immigrants Britain will need more than two million new homes over the next 25 years to cope with immigration, a media report said Saturday. Official figures released Friday showed that Britain will have to provide homes for 83,000 migrant families a year if the influx continues at the current rate, reports... Irish Sun (27-Nov-2010)
MPs issue warning over language school visa rules By nick lester parliamentary correspondent newsdesk@heraldexpress.co. This is South Devon - Herald Express (27-Nov-2010)
Polish workers leave Ireland as economy wilts Ireland saw huge immigration levels when the 'Celtic Tiger' boom was in... Expatica Uk (27-Nov-2010)
Foreign brides to face English tests Foreign brides and grooms will have to prove they can speak English before being.. Telegraph.co.uk (By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor) (27-Nov-2010)
OH LOOK, OUR EUROPEAN EMPEROR'S WEARING NO CLOTHES WHAT do you do when you see that an emperor has no clothes? The answer that most.. Scottish Daily Express (Patrick O'Flynn) (27-Nov-2010)
Switzerland debates tough deportation proposal BBC News, Geneva Voters in Switzerland will go to the polls on Sunday to decide.. BBC News UK (By Imogen Foulkes) (27-Nov-2010)
TIM MONTGOMERIE: Voters feel angry, neglected and worry about immigration... so why will no politician speak up for them.. Five million people have given up on mainstream political parties in the past... Mail Online (Tim Montgomerie) (27-Nov-2010)
Somali pirates boast of having families in Britain Two of the Somali pirates who kidnapped yacht couple Paul and Rachel Chandler... Mirror.co.uk (By Rebecca Evans) (26-Nov-2010)
Five hundred civil service jobs to go in Liverpool MORE than 500 UK Border Agency and Criminal Records Bureau (UKBA) workers in... Liverpool Echo (David Bartlett) (26-Nov-2010)
Net migration hits three year high in blow for ministers Net migration in to the UK has hit a three year high in a major blow to David... Telegraph.co.uk (By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor) (26-Nov-2010)
Miliband sees growing anger at government (Reuters) - Labour leader Ed Miliband said on Friday he believed there was a... Reuters UK (By Keith Weir) (26-Nov-2010)
Rights and the wrong side of justice A glaring example of what is going wrong in our country was how David Cameron... Mail Online (Daily Mail Reporter) (26-Nov-2010)
Two of the Somali pirate gang that held Chandlers hostage 'have families in Britain' Two members of the Somali pirate gang that held Britons Paul and Rachel Chandler.. Mail Online (David Williams) (26-Nov-2010)
SURGE IN MIGRANTS PUTS A HUGE STRAIN ON PUBLIC SERVICES BRITAIN S public services and jobs market are facing intense strain as net... Daily Express (Martyn Brown) (26-Nov-2010)
BORDER CONTROL A PRIORITY RECORD immigration figures underline the need for Britain to take back... Daily Express (D) (26-Nov-2010)
580,000 immigrants in Labour¿s last year Immigration pushed up Britains population by more than 200,000 during... The Mail On Sunday (Steve Doughty) (26-Nov-2010)
Press Releases
Government Still Burying the Bad News on Immigration and Housing 26 November, 2010
New immigrants will add about 2 million households by 2033
The government’s household projections for the 25 years from 2008, published today by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), continue to play down the impact of immigration on housing.
The document’s list of key points informs us that "Population growth is the main driver of household growth, accounting for nearly three quarters of the increase in households between 2008 - 2033". It fails to mention that more than 2/3rds of that projected population increase is, itself, due to immigration.
Buried on page 9 of the document is the admission that, if there was no migration in any direction (a theoretical concept), there would be 2.1 million fewer households in 2033 compared to the principal projection, or 83,000 a year on average over that period. The paper continues "Therefore 64% of the average annual increase occurs under the zero migration variant…"
Put another way, 36% of household formation is, broadly speaking, a result of immigration. This compares with 39% in the previous 2006 based household projections.
Commenting Sir Andrew Green Chairman Migrationwatch UK said, "It is inexcusable for this government to paper over the huge impact of continued massive levels of immigration on housing. If immigration is allowed to continue at present levels it will account for just over one third of new households in the next 25 years. The first response to the housing crisis should be to face the facts. The last government was in denial. That cannot be allowed to continue".
Notes to Editors: The 2008 based household projections are at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1780763.pdf
The Latest Immigration Statistics 25 November, 2010
The latest migration statistics confirm that immigration has continued at the high levels of the past five years. The figures also confirm that three million foreign migrants came here under the last government (while 880,000 British people left). Only a quarter of net immigration was from the EU while the net inflow from Eastern Europe was only 16,000 in 2009.
Meanwhile settlement is the highest since records began and has risen across all categories. This entirely justifies the government’s decision to break the link between migration and settlement. The number of students from India coming to the UK doubled from 2008 to 2009 indicating the need for action in this field to ensure that it is only genuine students who are admitted.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of MigrationWatch UK, said “These new figures confirm the massive impact that immigration is having on our population. This fully justifies the government’s efforts to get our immigration system under control - a policy that the public overwhelmingly support.”
Sources: Migration Statistics 2009 Control of immigration Quarterly Statistical Summary July-September 2010
Impact of Government Measures 23 November, 2010
| 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (General) | 14,000 | 1,000 (Exceptional talent) |
| Tier 2 (General) | 8,500 | 20,700 |
| Work Permits (Previous system) | 5,200 | Nil |
| Intra-Company Transfer | 22,000 | No limit, but minimum salary of £40,000 |
| Total | 49,700 | 21,700 |
| 4,250 | Nil |
A direct comparison is not possible. There is a significant reduction on the 2009 immigration figures but Intra-Company Transfers (ICTs) have been excluded from the limit for next year. Against that, the minimum salary for ICTs has been increased from £24,000 p.a. to £40,000. This is likely to reduce the numbers involved. However, even if there is no reduction in ICTs, there will still be a reduction from 50,000 in 2009 to 43,000.
There is also an important hint that the government intends to close down the Tier 1 (Post Study) Route which last year allowed 38,000 foreign graduates to stay on for two years in search of work.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of MigrationWatch UK said, ‘This is a thorough and wide-ranging package. The government’s decision to break the link between economic migration and settlement is a major step forward. These measures are a very good start on delivering the government’s immigration pledges. The next stage is to address bogus students and bogus colleges.’
Net Migration from the European Union 23 November, 2010
During the leaders debate held at the time of the last election, Nick Clegg famously claimed that 80% of immigration was from the EU.
The latest figures for net immigration (estimates for 2009) show 43,000 net migrants from the EU compared to 226,000 net non-British migrants – just under 20%.
If one takes the average of the last five years, the percentage is 30%.
Source years 2005-2008: Table 2.01a Long Term International Migration. Office for National Statistics.
Source 2009: Migration Statistics Quarterly Report: August 2010. Office for National Statistics.
Background brief: Intra-Company Transfers 17 November, 2010
The Prime Minister announced on 3 November that work permits for Intra-Company Transfers would not be subject to a cap.
On 5 November, the Home Secretary, speaking at the Policy Exchange Think Tank, hinted at imposing a minimum salary.
Meanwhile, leaks from Brussels suggest that the government will agree to a commitment to accept up to 20,000 Indian workers per year as part of the EU/India Free Trade Agreement.
The Briefing Paper No 3.12 sets out evidence suggesting that this route is being abused. It calls for a number of changes, notably a minimum salary of £50,000 a year.
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