Local MP, Nicholas Soames, has welcomed a major immigration overhaul which will help stop foreign criminals using human rights laws to dodge deportation. The new rules also ensure that only migrants who can pay their way will be allowed to come to live in the UK.
Commenting after the announcement, Nicholas Soames said; “It is a scandal that foreign criminals have been able to use human rights laws to stay in the UK. Deportation should be the norm for anyone receiving a prison sentence of at least 12 months; they should be put on a plane and sent away. The public interest has to come first, that’s why I welcome these new measures.”
From next month, only those earning at least £18,600 will be able to bring in a spouse or partner from outside Europe. Higher thresholds will apply to those seeking to bring non-EU dependent children to the UK: £22,400 for one child and an additional £2,400 for each further child.
Nicholas Soames, who co-Chairs the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration with Labour MP, Frank Field, said; “Many local people tell me they have lost confidence in the immigration system because under Labour it was simply uncontrolled. Conservatives in Government are now getting a grip and reforming all routes of entry to bring net migration down.
“Britain is open to the brightest and the best, but applicants who don’t have the funds to support themselves or who lack the language skills they need to play a full part in British life will in future be refused entry.”
The Home Secretary, Theresa May MP said; “It is unacceptable that foreign nationals whose criminal behaviour undermines our way of life can use weak human rights claims to dodge deportation.
“We want these new rules to make it clear when the rights of the law abiding majority will outweigh a foreign criminal’s right to family and private life. By voting on this in the House of Commons, Parliament will define for the first time where the balance should lie.”
Other new rules include:
• Only allowing non-European Economic Area adults and elderly dependent relatives to settle in the UK when they can demonstrate that, as a result of age, illness or disability, they require long-term personal care that can only be provided in the UK by their relative here, and requiring them to apply from overseas.
• Requiring, from October 2013, all applicants for settlement to speak better English and pass the ‘Life in the UK Test.’
• A minimum probationary period of five years for settlement to deter sham marriages.
Income Threshold:
The income threshold of £18,600 is based on advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), and is calculated as the level at which a couple generally ceases to be able to access income-related benefits. The current threshold fails to ensure that migrants are able to integrate into the UK without becoming a burden on the taxpayer.
NOTES
1. The Government is reforming all major routes of entry to the UK in order to bring immigration back down to sustainable levels and reduce net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands. It has already taken action to restrict the number of non-EU nationals who can come here to work, introduced sweeping changes to the student visa system and brought greater control over who is able to settle in the UK. This announcement completes the first round of reforms to the major immigration routes.
2. On the 13th July 2011, the Government published Family Migration - a consultation, which set out proposed reforms of the family route. These were focused on reducing burdens on the taxpayer, promoting integration and tackling abuse. The consultation ran for 12 weeks from the 13th July to the 6th October 2011. They received 5,046 responses. Link here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/co…
3. In July 2011, the Government commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide advice on the level at which a minimum income threshold for sponsoring a partner and any dependants on the family route.
-ends-