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Press Releases for August 2005
August 23, 2005
Visa pressure could compromise security
August 1, 2005
True illegal migrant numbers approaching 750,000 says report
Full Text of Releases : August 2005
August 23, 2005
Visa pressure could compromise security
The pressure on immigration staff to process the unrelenting increase in applications for visas to the UK is making the task of controlling Britain’s already porous borders even worse - and has potential implications for our security.
That is the conclusion of a report from think tank Migrationwatch which has examined the way visas are issued overseas and discovered that a great many people seeking to enter Britain receive only a cursory interview, or none at all.
‘At a time when we have very real security fears it is completely unacceptable that large numbers of people are, in effect, being waved through the system because of the pressure on immigration staff to meet targets,’ said Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch.’And of course once here, even if they overstay they know there is little chance of ever being removed. It makes a mockery of the concept of “managed migration.”’
He said one of the major weaknesses of the present immigration system was the failure to record the arrival and departure of overseas visitors.
‘Much therefore depends on the assessment of the visa issuing officers as to whether the applicant is both genuine and will return home. This is now especially important since, from October 2000 a visa has conferred the right to enter the United Kingdom whereas, previously, immigration officers at the point of arrival determined the period and conditions of each person’s stay,’ he said.
And the numbers are growing at an alarming rate. According to a report by the National Audit Office 1.94 million visa applications were made in 2002/3. This represented an increase of 33% over the previous five years and 11% on the previous year.
This situation is of particular concern in countries of potential security risk. In Pakistan, 96% of visitors’ visas were granted without interview – that is nearly 75,000 successful applicants in 2003/4. Applications for North Africa are much fewer but interview rates are even lower. In the same year, about 11,000 Algerians were granted visitors visas – all of them without interview.
‘It is just another example of the government’s failure to adequately control our borders,’ said Sir Andrew. ‘In these dangerous times putting in place robust systems, such as operate in America, should be one of its most pressing and important tasks.’
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August 1, 2005
True illegal migrant numbers approaching 750,000 says report
The current number of illegal immigrants could be up to 300,000 more than the figure in a recent government paper says a new report out today. (Read report.)
The report, from think-tank Migrationwatch says that the government figures did not include UK born children of illegal immigrants. More importantly, they were also four years out of date during a period in which record levels of failed asylum seekers were adding to the stock of illegal immigrants. The report updates the government figures to allow for these two factors.
The Government estimates that the numbers of illegal immigrants in 2001 was between 310,000 and 570,000 with a central estimate of 430,000. However says Migrationwatch, if you add in these two categories, the current level is likely to be in the range 515,000 to 870,000 with a central estimate of 670,000 – and other factors point towards the upper end of this range
‘When the figures were first published a few weeks ago they rightly caused great consternation because they highlighted the extent to which the Government has, in practice, lost control of our borders,’ said Sir Andrew Green chairman of Migrationwatch. ‘If they have failed to remove some three quarters of a million people who have no right to be in the UK, it is patently absurd to suggest otherwise.’
‘It is also clear that the government’s numbers could have been calculated and made public years ago. As usual, the government have been less than frank about the true situation.’
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