Cross-Party Parliamentarians Respond to the Government's Immigration Policy in the Queen's Speech
The Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP) and RAMP Parliamentarians – Kate Green MP, Tim Farron MP and the Bishop of Durham – have issued this statement following yesterday’s Queen’s Speech in which the Government set out its legislative agenda for the new Parliament:
“The proposals as outlined in the Queen’s Speech offers a moment for the Government to show that on certain aspects of immigration policy, they are willing to move in the right direction.”
“The long-awaited confirmation of the return of the Immigration Bill provides another important opportunity for Parliamentary scrutiny, after the previous bill stalled in the Commons.”
“The RAMP Project and RAMP Parliamentarians have long advocated for a system focused on skills not salary, which includes a greater recognition of regional needs and decentralisation as an alternative to the blunt instrument of a £30k blanket income threshold applied across the British Isles. We should welcome migrants to all regions of the UK, including the North of England, as well as rural and coastal areas outside of London and the South East should be welcomed, if it is done with a genuine desire to prioritise the needs of the economy and our communities, while acknowledging the value of migrants’ contributions to our nation, especially those of our friends and neighbours from EU nations.”
“The Home Office has shown its willingness to engage on this, but it must now take steps to address the other contentious proposals in the Immigration White Paper, such as the 12 month Low-Skilled Workers scheme, which has been met with criticism by large and small businesses.”
“The Government must recognise that simply replicating an Australian points-based system is not the silver bullet to tackling the woes of our own immigration system and that there are genuine concerns around the length of visa processing time under the Australian system. As with our current points-based system, the onus should be on the Home Office to make sure that waiting times are at a minimum. A new system should include dedicated transfer pathways and permanent residency for staff who want to stay long term. In addition, any new system must comply with protected characteristics assessments and does not discriminate on grounds of age or gender.”
“We welcome a system that values skills and matches the needs of the economy, but it must uphold the rights of individuals and address community needs at the same time. It is in everyone’s interest to build an immigration system that is ethical, compassionate, managed and is genuinely open to the world. To this end, the Government should also look at ways to confer the right to work to people who have been waiting for a decision on their asylum claim for over 6 months and review its policy on detaining migrants at immigration removal centres indefinitely.”