Nicholas Soames MP has welcomed new policies announced by the Home Secretary to combat immigration abuses and to cut net migration further. Theresa May MP has set out new plans to extend the use of interviews in visa applications instead of relying on paper applications alone.

The new measures come shortly after the latest migration statistics showed that the Government’s reforms of all the routes of immigration have cut net immigration by a quarter, with the total number of visas issued at its lowest since 2005.

Nicholas Soames said; “Thanks to Conservative reforms we have already seen net migration cut by a quarter compared to last year and the total number of visas issued at its lowest since 2005.

“Under Labour immigration was out of control. It accounted for more than half the growth of the English and Welsh population between 2001 and 2011 – with total net immigration of 2.2 million.

“These new plans to cut out abuse of the system will help bring the numbers down even further. This new approach will help us to root out the abuse of British visas, improve the integrity of our immigration system and bring the numbers down even further.”

Nicholas Soames Co-Chairs the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration with Frank Field MP (the Labour Member for Birkenhead).

NOTES:

• Extending the use of interviews in the visa application process. The new plans will extend radically the Border Agency’s interviewing programme. Starting with the highest-risk countries and focusing on the route to Britain that is widely abused, student visas, the number of interviews will be increased considerably to more than 100,000, starting next financial year. From there the interviewing programme will be extended further across all routes to Britain.
• Immigration down by a quarter. Official statistics published on 29 November 2012 showed that net migration fell to 183,000 in the year to March 2012; down from 242,000 in the year to March 2011 (ONS, Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, 29 November 2012, link).
• Home Secretary’s speech – Wednesday, 12th December 2012 on; ‘An Immigration System that Works in the National Interest’
  http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/speeches/home-secretary-imm-sp...