A national consensus is the key proposal on how immigration must work for Britain under the new rules for ‘quality’ migrant
“Bringing people to this country that can play no role in the life of this country is equally unacceptable”. This is what Immigration Minister, Damian Green, declared in a major speech for Britain’s new immigration rules. He will attack as “unacceptable” any notion of migrants “importing economic dependency on the state”.
Only ‘quality migrants’ are welcome to the UK according to new immigration policy which now seeks to allow to stay permanently in the country only those Indian and other non-Europeans immigrants with a higher income, setting barriers to others with low income.
The Government’s proposals set out the following limits:
- non-EU professionals with annual income at the end of mandatory 5 years less than £31,000 will need to return to their countries of origin
- British citizens with a view to marry foreign spouses need to show an annual income of around £25,000 before their spouses can enter in the UK
The intention is that the new migrants who seek to stay in the UK, they must show that they can benefit the country rather than just benefit by it. Britain, Green added, does not need more middle managers or unskilled labour and only wants the “brightest and the best” migrants.
Everyone who seeks to enter and stay in the country permanently including those spouses who wants to marry a British citizen “must be able to integrate and be independent” according to the Immigration minister and that is the reason why the requirement to speak English was being introduced.
Similar to both student visas and families wanting to settle in the UK will face tougher requirements as the proposing rule states that the Government will focus on ensuring they leave at the end of their visas adding quality to life in Britain.
Mr. Green will stress policies should be about attracting the best. He wanted to “be much more intelligently selective about who let come here”. Migrants must “add to the quality of life in Britain” if they want to live here. It is not just about numbers; it is time to also move the debate on to ask how immigration can be positive for the country and its citizens.
