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Press Releases for November 2007
November 15, 2007
Migrationwatch comment on the Office of National Statistics immigration figures released today.
November 14, 2007
Visa ‘outsourcing’ likely to fuel big increase in illegal immigration warns think-tank
November 12, 2007
Huge majority believe immigration puts too much pressure on publice services
Full Text of Releases : November 2007
November 15, 2007
Migrationwatch comment on the Office of National Statistics immigration figures released today.
The ONS press release headlines record emigration without mentioning record immigration.
In fact, their figures also show record foreign immigration of over half a million in 2006 with less than one fifth coming from the new Eastern European members of the EU. British emigration is also a record at 126,000, having doubled since 1997.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migrationwatch said: 'These latest figures show that two thirds of yet another record level of arrivals come from outside the EU and therefore could and should be subject to much tighter controls.
'This gives the lie to claims that nothing effective can be done about immigration because of our membership of the EU.'
The figures also confirm the government's latest population projections for the UK of an extra 10 million people in the next 25 years.
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November 14, 2007
Visa ‘outsourcing’ likely to fuel big increase in illegal immigration warns think-tank
A Government decision to 'outsource' applications for visas by foreigners coming to Britain is likely to lead to an increase in illegal immigration, while the government’s capacity to remove them is close to zero, think-tank Migrationwatch warned today.
Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) at British Embassies and Consulates around the world are responsible for the issue of visas for travel to the UK; this often used to require a face to face interview.
However the task of taking in applications is now to being given to commercial organisations.
Under the previous system, applicants went to the visa section of the British consulate where their applications were sifted and, in cases of doubt, they were interviewed by a British based ECO. Under the new system many will never go near a Consulate. Those who take in the applications will not even be British government employees.
‘There has long been scope for corruption whereby applicants are "coached" as to the correct answers to the questions in the visa application form. The scope for this kind of corruption, which is very difficult to detect, will be hugely increased under this arms length procedure,’ said Migrationwatch chairman, Sir Andrew Green, himself a former British Ambassador with direct experience of the process.
'Reducing the effectiveness of controls by putting the first, critical, stage of applications for visas in the hands of outside agencies is almost certainly going to lead to a rise in the number of people who use the visa system as a means of getting into the UK as visitors and then staying on here,' he said.
'Some two million UK visas are issued each year and if only 1% then stayed on, we are looking at a further 20,000 people remaining illegally in the UK every year to add to the considerable total of illegals already here,' said Sir Andrew. 'In reality 1% is likely to be a very low estimate as bogus applicants have nothing to lose by making an application and a great deal to gain if they can get into Britain.’
Visitors, students and failed asylum seekers who stay on illegally are, of course, additional to those who arrive daily concealed in the back of a truck.
At present the removal capacity of the Borders and Immigration Agency (BIA) is only about 20,000 a year and that is almost completely absorbed by their efforts to remove criminals at the end of their sentences and failed asylum seekers. (Government claims that they remove one person every eight minutes are misleading - that figure includes those "removed at port" who have never entered the UK). Thus the removal capacity for those who overstay is virtually zero. Even the projected doubling of resources for removal over the next three years will fall far short of providing an effective capability.
The risk of overstaying is increased by the main sources of applications. Nearly half of all visa applications come from the top five countries - India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Russia. In 2006/7 nearly one million visas were granted to citizens of these countries. Some people in these countries are rich but many are less so and they know that there is still no check on their departure from the UK. An inflow on this scale looks much more like economic migration than the result of "globalisation".
'The government talk about 'managed migration' and then bring in schemes such as this which further erode what little remains of our border controls. They made a terrible mistake over the scale of immigration from Eastern Europe. They might well be making a similar blunder by skimping on the visa system, especially before border controls are in place,’ said Sir Andrew.
He added that it was vital that swift and effective action be taken:
• Visa administration should be returned to where it should be – entirely in the hands of our own employees.
• Interview capability should be strengthened especially in countries which pose a terrorist threat or are major sources of immigration.
• A quota should be placed on visitors from countries which decline to accept the return of their own citizens.
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November 12, 2007
Huge majority believe immigration puts too much pressure on publice services
85% of the population think immigration is putting too much pressure on public services says a new poll out today. According to a YouGov poll for Migrationwatch, 85% agreed with this statement, 58% strongly. Only 10% disagreed, 2% strongly.
The highest numbers of those strongly agreeing came from the East of England (63%), the North West, Yorkshire and Humberside and the West Midlands, all on 62%. It was felt most strongly in the 45+ age group who are of course more likely to use services such as Health, at 67%.
There was a similar response when asked if the Government should substantially reduce immigration levels to Britain.
81% think immigration levels to Britain should be cut substantially and a massive 57% agreed strongly with 24% tending to agree. Only 14% disagreed, 4% strongly. In London, where 30% of the population are immigrants, 70% agreed (41% strongly) that immigration levels should be cut substantially.
The highest numbers of those strongly agreeing came from the West Midlands (65%) the North West (61%) and the East of England (60%).
When asked if they thought immigration had generally contributed positively to the UK economy 35% believed that it had (6% strongly) while 54%, (22% strongly) that it had not.
When asked if immigration was the result of global trends rather than the actions of the Government 42% believed it was global trends (11% strongly) while 48% disagreed (23% strongly).
‘These figures show that now the scale of immigration and its consequences are now being better understood and people are deeply concerned at what is going on,’ said Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch.
‘This is heightened by the way in which the Government has clearly mishandled the whole issue, making tough sounding pronouncements that are then not followed up in practice.
‘The public have at last seen through the smoke and mirrors that has been government policy on this issue for a decade and are very angry that they have not been consulted about such a fundamental change taking place in our society,' he said.
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