Twitter - Migrationwatch Parliament shows under a Labour concession the number of illegal immigrants granted full access to the Welfare State. Twitter - Migrationwatch (16-May-2011) Migrants get 'squatters' rights' to stay in UK if they've stayed 14 years Thousands of immigrants have been granted 'squatters' rights' to stay in the UK - after l Mail Online (16-May-2011) Why the liberal elite get it so spectacularly wrong As the campaign to wreck Britain's electoral system gathered pace in the days before our emphatic referendum result, I experienced an intense feeling of deja vu. Mail Online (15-May-2011) Figures just released in a Parliamentary answer[1] show that, under a concession introduced by Labour in 2003, nearly 9,000 illegal immigrants have been granted permanent residence in Britain with full access to the Welfare State. Another 22,600 attained permanent residence after 10 years legal residence in Britain. The figures show that the numbers granted residence have climbed significantly in the last three years. They may well climb further when Labour’s immigration boom has its full effect. Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch UK said “These numbers will need careful watching. The government are now requiring students to show progression before they can extend their visas but there will be a backlog of “professional students” who will still be able to claim permanent settlement. The concession for illegal immigrants should be reviewed. It amounts to a slow motion amnesty. There is no reason why illegal residence in Britain, however long, should qualify someone to the full benefits of the Welfare State.” Note to Editors: 1 Parliamentary Answer Number 54384, Column 1110W of 10th May 2011 Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted leave to remain after (a) 10 years legal residence and (b) 14 years illegal residence in the UK in each year between 1997 and 2010. [54384] Damian Green: The following table shows the number of people granted leave to remain after making a long residency application for (a) 10 year legal residence and (b) 14 years illegal residence in the UK covering the period 1April 2003 to the 31 December 2010. The figures are separated by the year in which a decision was made. The provision to grant indefinite leave to remain (ILR) on the basis of 14 year long term residence, along with that of 10 year long term residence, was introduced into the immigration rules in April 2003. Therefore we are unable to provide data prior to this date. Number of individuals granted leave to remain (a) 10 year legal residence (b) 14 year illegal residence Total 2003 (from April) 2,043 952 2,995 2004 2,260 781 3,041 2005 2,581 730 3,311 2006 3,391 799 4,190 2007 2,411 949 3,360 2008 2,148 902 3,050 2009 3,042 2,061 5,103 2010 4,759 1,774 6,533 22,635 8,948 31,583 Note: All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. A new YouGov poll has found that 72% of potential Liberal Democrat voters want net immigration of 100,000 or less per year. A majority (55%) of Lib Dem supporters wanted to see a much lower figure of 50,000 or less. Only 8% wanted the present level of 200,000 a year or more. Results for Labour voters were almost identical. 74% of potential Labour voters favour net immigration of 100,000 or less a year and a majority (64%) want 50,000 or less; only 7% wanted 200,000 or more. Conservative voters were 92% in favour of 100,000 or less while only 2% wanted 200,000 or more. Taking the public as a whole, 79% favoured 100,000 or less while 5% wanted 200,000 or more. This underlines the strength of support right across the political spectrum for David Cameron’s aim to cut net migration to the “tens of thousands” during the course of the Parliament. The poll also found strong support among potential Liberal Democrat voters for the Government’s measures to limit the number of economic migrants to Britain. 76% supported a limit while 18% opposed it, of those 4% strongly opposed. Labour voters took the same view while 96% of Conservatives supported a limit to economic migration, with only 3% opposing. Replicate questions were posed in a YouGov survey last November and showed a very similar pattern in response to both questions. This suggests that people have not been influenced by recent criticism of the government policy. Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK said "It is now absolutely clear that potential Lib Dem voters overwhelmingly support the Conservative policy of reducing net immigration to 100,000 or less. Who do Lib Dem leaders think they are speaking for when they oppose this policy?" From Monday 9 May, the government is being obliged by the courts to abandon its requirement that a marriage or civil partnership involving a partner subject to immigration control must have the prior permission of the Home Office (a “Certificate of Approval”). Migrationwatch therefore called today for Registrars to be given a new power to delay suspicious marriages for up to three months to allow time for them to be investigated. This, of itself, would be a deterrent to bogus applicants (See Briefing Paper No 8.53). They also suggested tougher checks when those with marriage certificates applied for Leave to Remain – the second stage of the process. The Immigration Rules require that the couple intend to live together permanently as man and wife without recourse to public funds. In cases of sham marriages this would clearly not be the case. Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migrationwatch, said “Sham marriages are a huge cost to the tax payer as they admit the bogus partner to the full panoply of welfare benefits, including housing. The courts have given full weight to the human rights of applicants but none to those of the tax payer. Tougher measures, proof against further appeals, are now needed to deal with the situation that has resulted. The recent instability caused by revolutionary change and military conflict in some Arab countries in North Africa has the potential to generate substantial flows of migrants into the EU. EU Ministers will meet on 11 April to consider what might be done. Some migrants will be genuine refugees but many will be economic migrants. Anyone who sets foot in the UK and claims asylum has the right under the 1951 Refugee Convention to have his or her case heard and also has a right of appeal if refused. Applicants are supported by the taxpayer throughout the process which takes months, and often years. The UK's record in removing those whose cases eventually fail is extremely poor. In theory, the UK can return economic migrants who claim asylum to the EU country in which they first arrived but that requires proof of their point of arrival which is often impossible to obtain. Read the full Press Release and research document Briefing Paper No 11.25 A recent report by Civitas, otherwise the Institute for the Study of Civil Society, under the title of “Strasbourg in the Dock: Prisoner voting, human rights and the case for democracy” has trenchantly analysed some of the current problems with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and in particular with the functioning of the Court of Human Rights (CHR) in Strasbourg. It carries much the same message as the other recent report on the subject, “Bringing Rights back home” by Michael Pinto-Duschinsky”, which was published in February. That report drew attention to the shortcomings of the CHR, the fact that each of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, including such tiddlers as San Marino and Liechtenstein, has the right to appoint one of the judges and many of those so appointed have little or no judicial experience or experience as practising lawyers. The same point is made by the Civitas report, which says that currently only 23 of the 47 judges have prior judicial experience. To read the full document go to Briefing Paper No 8.54.
A selection of recent media reports
Press Releases
Briefing Papers
Monday, 16 May 2011
Thousands of illegal immigrants are granted settlement every year
16 May, 2011
Seven out of Ten Lib Dem Voters Want Net Immigration sharply cut: New poll shows strong support for Cameron’s target
10 May, 2011
Notes to editors
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,530 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8th - 9th May 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
Migrationwatch calls for firmer action on sham marriages
9 May, 2011
North African Crisis Could Test the Asylum System to Destruction
29 April, 2011
The European Convention on Human Rights: Recent Developments
10 May, 2011
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