The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill, which is starting in the House of Lords, hardly justifies the length and importance of its title. Compared to the published Draft Bill, it covers a far more limited area.
Firstly, it transfers Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, customs and revenue powers to the Home Office, to extend the scope of the UK Borders Agency’s responsibilities. In our view this messy arrangement raises serious concerns, and we have long proposed a national Border Police Force, with specialised officers. We believe this to be essential, and so we have put forward an amendment to enable an all encompassing Border Police Force to be created. The Government is resisting this – for what reason is not yet clear.
Secondly, the Bill also makes a number of amendments to the British Nationality Act, 1981, including ensuring that children who are born outside the UK to members of the armed forces, are automatically registered as British Citizens, and to making it possible for those seeking citizenship to do so in an expedited timescale if they undertake voluntary work. There are issues about the practicality of the voluntary work, proposals, and we will be testing these out at Committee.
Of the few other provisions we have concerns about those which will require anyone coming into the country from the Republic of Ireland, or the Islands, to produce travel documents, and to limit those who come into the country to study from making changes to their courses without the Home Office’s permission.
We are, however pleased that a duty of care to children has been included in this Bill, as Conservatives in both Houses have been pressing the Government on this issue since the previous immigration Bill.
In general, this Bill is a missed opportunity to reform the immigration system, as promised in the Queen’s Speech; to take effective action to control the numbers coming here; and to strengthen our porous borders by introducing a Border Police Force.
Comment by Sam Phillips on February 28, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I completly agree baroness, there is a huge gap which could be filled with ammendments to the immigration services. The idea of having a specilised Border Police Force is an excellent idea. We can tackle the ever-growing problem of illegal flooding of the country. It would create new jobs helping with the unemployment crisis along with boosting the economy. Perhaps young people lacking in the sufficient qualifications to carry on in higher education, finding themselves jobless and therefore penniless, could be brought into Border control. This would give them experience and could help in aiding the shotgun blow of anti-Britain labour tactics, driving the country into that evermore darkening abyss at the end of this recession.
Comment by Joe In Ireland on February 28, 2009 at 9:15 pm
As a citizen and resident of the Republic of Ireland, I’ve always thought it odd that we require the British to present documents, but are not required to in return.
However I am missing the importance of this I think. If it were a security issue, one could simply drive to Belfast.
Maybe the anomaly should be addressed with the Irish government? A joint initiative. Mind you the current Irish government is about as effective as the current British one!
Comment by Michael Roberts on December 22, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Agreed, we do need stronger enforcement. However, reducing legal immigration is also vital. Here are 12 concrete proposals for reducing non-EEA immigration significantly.
1. Suspend the Tier 1 General Migrant/Highly Skilled Worker category. This category currently allows those with Masters degrees and PhDs to enter without a job.
2. Restrict the Tier 2 Shortage Occupations list to occupations which are vital to the economy or to public services.
3. Within the Tier 2 Resident Labour Market Test category introduce a “Priority Occupations” list. Make entry for unlisted occupations more difficult than now.
4. Enable a points-based capping mechanism by adjusting points allocations.
5. Reduce Tier 1 Post-Study Worker visas to 6 months and thereby subject all post-study workers to the same Tier 2 rules as other would-be immigrants.
6. Charge employers a £5,000 fee for employing each non-EEA worker to give them an incentive to find British workers.
7. Raise the minimum salary that must be paid to migrants from £20,000 so that they and their dependants enhance rather than reduce UK per capita GDP.
8. Raise the assets thresholds for Investors and Entrepreneurs to allow entry only to those with sufficient assets to make a significant contribution to the UK economy.
9. Grant Tier 2 Intra-Company visas for a maximum of 2 years, with a condition that these 2 years do not count towards gaining residency.
10. Issue Tier 2 visas on the understanding that the migrant and dependants will return home after 4 years maximum. Grant Indefinite Leave to Remain only in exceptional circumstances.
11. Change the Migration Advisory Committee’s brief to reflect a strictly capped immigration environment.
12. Raise to 24 the age at which a UK resident can sponsor entry of a spouse in order radically to reduce spouse immigration.
The above would reduce immigration by around 75,000 per annum.
More details at
http://www.current.fsnet.co.uk/proposals-for-reducing-non-eea-immigration.doc
Comment by Arnold Whittle on January 6, 2010 at 4:57 pm
I would agree to any form of policing of borders, but there are many points of entry into the UK other than the normal port entries for instance in a light beach craft you can land people on beach heads around the British coast line.
Comment by Haldane Porter on February 7, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Could someone say what this Border Police Force would do that is so different from the Immigration Service which was absorbed into the Border and Immigration Agency and subsequently the UKBA.
If a new force was to be introduced to replicate a police federation force it would cost a third more; why not give the money to the UKBA to effectively merge IS and Customs?
Comment by Austin on March 6, 2010 at 10:24 am
My wife and I are legal immigrants to the UK, having exercised ancestry rights. We are both working professionals (teacher and IT specialist) contributing to society and paying well above the mean in household taxation. Arguably we have more “rights” based on ancestral connections to work and live in Britain than many EU citizens (including non-accession states) in the UK.
Given the very emotive theme of immigration currently pervading the national consciousness we are concerned about the immigration policies of the major parties.
The solution to immigration does not lie in introducing draconian legislation (as proposed by some commentators on this blog). Many of the immigration problems manifest today are as a result of poor home grown policies. There is little incentive for unemployed British citizens to take up low wage jobs due to benefits and other concessions that make it more “profitable” to stay on state handouts. Also some of the contributors to this blog should be aware that legal immigrants contribute on average more in taxation per person than the resident population does. Skilled immigrants are economically essential to a strong Britain. It is a well known that UK science graduate numbers have been declining drastically and there are ongoing shortages in skilled employments sectors.
Illegal immigration and asylum needs to be controlled. Legal immigration is not the problem. Fixing domestic policies in education and unemployment benefits will see a more productive and economically viable local population.
Comment by maureen on April 7, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Where I work we have lot of migrant workers all vetted and contributing to the workplace. However it has been discovered that seem of the them have been working with out of date VISA’s and only when they went home on holiday could they not get back into Britain. what is being done to ensure all immigrints have tthe right to work with correct paperwork?
Also why should the company I work for have to pay to send them to night-school to learn English so that they can communicate?
Suely if you live in any country you should speak the national tongue it is different if you only go to a country for a couple of weeks as you can get by with just a few words and a phrase book.
A friend of ours has moved to Portugal and thay have made a choice to fit in they need to learn Portugese, even though locals speak a little english.
I do belive to live here you should be able to speak the language also not have right above the English population on housing lists. Yo might say that they don’t but believe me they do where I live – my brother and his son had to rent privately as they could not get a coucil property whilst going through a divorce case and was told he was the ‘wrong colour’
Colour should not be the criteria it should be need when will this sort of thing be fixed?
Comment by Tiffany Hood on July 17, 2010 at 11:53 pm
The immigration that has been brought into this country to fill the employment gap that we are led to believe skilled immigrants do, why are we not advising our comprehensive schools of the gaps in our economy that could be filled by our youth of today and advising our next generation of the need for such skills, I know both my dyslexic sons were let down both very differently i might add in the education system, the youth of today are our future and we need to invest in them and in turn we may not need to bring in people from other countries
Comment by Tiffany Hood on July 17, 2010 at 11:55 pm
If we are having a shortage of professionals then need to bring into this country skilled immigrants then surely we should be sending out to our comprehensive schools advice on possible career prospects and the employement gaps that would be available for our youth of today to aspire to and then make the training available to them, I know for sure my sons would have certainly taken opportunities to have received such guidance.
Comment by Thomas Denny on July 23, 2010 at 6:14 pm
well said baroness,make it happen please.
Comment by Thomas Denny on July 23, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Baroness,There Must Be Rules That Have A Delay By Law,say six month That Home Unemloyed Must Have The First Crack Of The Whip On Jobs.
Comment by miss truth on March 23, 2012 at 10:23 am
Oh dear. what a mess. England used to send people into africa to get slaves. African people didnt say they needed phd’s and that crap. Wanna know why? Because they had no choice! Get over it! and wouldnt it be better for people to work in the uk? THEY HAVE WORK! AND YOU HAVE SOMEONE ELSE WHO DOES IT!! BE GRATEFUL MAN! PLUS DONT ACT LIKE THEY ARE TAKING YOUR JOBS! YOUR JUST TO LAZY TO FIND ONE, OR YOUR PROBABLY USING IT AS A WAY OF SHOWING YOUR BIGGETED VIEWS?! lay off people! you dont know how harder life these people may of had! and after all england arent holier than thou are they? fish and chips isnt yours not even an ‘English breakfast’ is yours! so there! and everything english see they take and make rubbish immitations! so fuck off!!! and let them be will you?