Nicholas Soames MP has welcomed the latest independent evidence that the Government’s action to fix the immigration system is working, as new figures show that net immigration has been cut by more than a third since the General Election – and now stands at the lowest level for a decade.

Net immigration – the number of people coming to live in the UK minus the number leaving – more than quadrupled under the previous Government.

The Government has reformed all the routes of immigration into the UK to make the system more selective and secure. In the recent Queen’s Speech the Government announced new plans to clamp down on those from overseas who abuse our public services.

Local MP, Nicholas Soames said; “I believe that people in Mid Sussex and elsewhere want an immigration system that works in Britain’s interest. The action that the Government has taken to fix the system we inherited from the last Government has already seen net immigration cut by more than a third and our new laws will stop people abusing public services they’re not entitled to and make it easier to remove people who should not be here.

“These latest independent figures show that the uncontrolled immigration Britain saw under Labour is ending and we are creating an immigration system people can have confidence in.”

Notes
 

• Nicholas Soames MP Co-chairs the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration with Frank Field (Labour Member of Parliament for Birkenhead)
• Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that net immigration has fallen by more than a third since the last election. Net migration was 153,000 for the year ending September 2012. This is down from 235,000 in the year ending June 2010 – a fall of 82,000 (or 35 per cent).
• Lowest level for a decade. This level of net migration (153,000) is the lowest since 2003. On top of this, gross immigration is at its lowest level since 2001. The estimated total long-term immigration to the UK in the year ending September 2012 was 500,000 – significantly lower than the 581,000 the previous year, and the lowest since 2001, when an estimated total of 481,000 people immigrated.
• Fewer people immigrating. The ONS highlighted that while changes in net migration over the period 2008–10 were mainly driven by changes in people leaving the country, ‘since 2011, declining immigration has been the main cause of changes in net migration.’
• Brightest and best still welcome. While continuing to bring net migration down, we are also supporting economic growth by welcoming the brightest and best to the UK. For instance, there was a 5 per cent increase in work visas issued for skilled individuals under Tier 2 in the year to March, and also a 5 per cent increase in sponsored student visa applications for the university sector – demonstrating that Britain continues to have a great offer for international students.

The Government has a comprehensive plan to fix the immigration system

• Cutting out abuse from the student route of migration - because students who want to come here should be able to speak English, to support themselves financially without taking paid employment, and to show they are coming for study, not for work; we are targeting bogus colleges, closing the post-study work route and demanding a higher level of English at the border for student migrants.
• Capping economic migration from outside the EU. Since April 2011 the number of non-EU skilled workers employers are able to bring here to work has been limited to 20,700 a year. Employers cannot bring in any non-EU unskilled workers. An extra thousand visas for people of ‘exceptional talent’ will ensure that the country remains open to the brightest and the best. The cap has never been met and enjoys the confidence of business.
• More robust requirements on the family route. Only those earning at least £18,600 will be able to bring in a spouse or partner from outside Europe. A higher threshold will be required for the additional sponsorship of migrant children under the age of 18: £22,400 for one child and an additional £2,400 for each further child. There are new requirements for dependent adults, we are removing the full right of appeal for family visas and improving the language requirements and the Life in the UK test which settlers have to take.
• Transitional controls for any new EU Member States. Any future new Member States entering the European Union will have transitional controls placed on them. This is something that the previous Government failed to do for those early new entrants to the EU such as Poland.
• New Immigration Bill. The Queen’s Speech earlier this month said: ‘My Government will bring forward a Bill that further reforms Britain's immigration system. The Bill will ensure that this country attracts people who will contribute and deters those who will not.’ This Bill will stop illegal immigrants accessing services to which they are not entitled; penalise businesses which employ illegal migrants; regulate migrants’ access to the NHS; make it easier to remove people from the UK and harder for people to prolong their stay with spurious appeals; and specify that foreign nationals who commit serious crimes shall, except in very exceptional circumstances, be deported.