Socially Responsible Immigration Into the UK?
Posted: 03/08/2010 Filed under: Moving to London, UK Immigration | Tags: Immigration, moving to the UK, moving to UK Leave a comment »In recent news there has been yet more talks on the immigration limit that the Government is now setting on Britain.
I think I back the government’s present approach. They have decided to take control, assuring us that they recognise the importance of immigration but also the strain it could put on society if left untended. I believe people do worry about this sort of thing and their re assurances are welcome. I am not so sure, however that arbitrary limitations are the way forward.
The temporary limit the Coalition has set in place will become permanent next year and will be set every year, in accordance to the needs of businesses and the wider population.
The limit we have set between now and the end of March next year is 24,100. This is 1,300 less than the number of those who came into the UK for the same time period last year.
I believe that many immigrants have enriched British society and created opportunity for all British people, in regards to the rest of the world. The economic immigration brings economic benefits and cultural diversity to the UK. This will never change.
However, the Government believes that creating this socially responsible immigration policy will restore the public confidence in the system. That it will create both good race and community relations and for the orderly provision of public services. We will see how that works out in practice.
The coalition would like to create an effective, well controlled immigration system.
I have seen that many immigrants are attracted to Britain, especially around the London area, showing the strength of our capital city and the fact we get an influx of the brightest and best, will only make us stronger as a nation
Immigration In the UK A Hot Topic
Posted: 19/07/2010 Filed under: UK Immigration | Tags: business concerns, Immigration, Moving to London, moving to UK Leave a comment »In recent news there have been yet more talks on the immigration limit that the Government is now setting on Britain. It seems immigration is very much the topic of the moment
The Government have decided to take control, assuring us that they recognise the importance of immigration but also the strain it could put on society if left untended.
The temporary limit the Coalition has set in place will become permanent next year and will be set every year, in accordance to the needs of businesses and the wider population.
The limit we have set between now and the end of March next year is 24,100. This is 1,300 less than the number of those who came into the UK for the same time period last year.
I believe that many immigrants have enriched British society and created opportunity for all British people, in regards to the rest of the world. The economic immigration brings economic benefits and cultural diversity to the UK. This will never change.
However, the Government believes that creating this socially responsible immigration policy will restore the public confidence in the system. That it will create both good race and community relations and for the orderly provision of public services.
The coalition would like to create an effective, well controlled immigration system.
It is clear that many immigrants are attracted to Britain. I believe this is a complement to us. The fact we get an influx of the brightest and best, will only make us stronger as a nation.
UK Immigration Balances Workforce.
Posted: 19/07/2010 Filed under: Non Dom, Small Business, UK Taxation | Tags: business, business concerns, Immigration, Small Business Leave a comment »Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has been defending the coalition governments immigration cap today, claiming it will not be damaging for the British economy.
The restriction will be taking place immediately, reducing the number of immigrants travelling from outside the European Union to 21,100. The temporary restriction has been put in place to ensure large volumes of people don’t try to rush into the UK before the permanent policy is put into place next year.
The cap on immigration was one of the Conservative parties flagship policies during the election campaign, and it is their aim to reduce numbers entering the country from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands.
I believe this is dangerous for the British economy. So do many others but May has completely rejected this idea, she has argued that the cap has not been harmful to business and the competitiveness of other economies.
“I don’t think that anybody would ever suggest that Australia or the United States or New Zealand, in operating an annual limit, weren’t able to get into the country the skilled people that they need and that their economies were somehow suffering from that annual limit” she said.
In fact my information is that Australia as a minimum has indeed suffered from large skilled labor shortages and continues to do so. I don’t know enough about the Australian economy to state that this is a direct result of their immigration policy but I know many who claim it is.
If I know that then why doesn’t May?
If we want to put the ‘Great’, back in Great Britain, we do need skilled people to come into our country; limiting their numbers will not do anything for our prosperity.
ICT Immigration To Add to UK Prosperity
Posted: 14/07/2010 Filed under: UK Immigration, UK Investment | Tags: corporate tax, corporation tax, Immigration Leave a comment »I have recently read that new figures have been released relativing to the large scale of immigrant workers coming into Britain via the ICT system.
The ‘intra-company transfers’ that are being referred to as a ‘loop hole’, is what companies are using to get around the recently announced Conservative manifesto pledge.
The pledge, put in place by the Home Secretary, Theresa May, several weeks back, states that there shall be a limited number of migrant workers allowed into Britain from outside the EU, no more than 24,400 shall be granted access.
There are worries over the exploitation of the ICT system, as they believe it threatens the Governments plan to scale back migration levels in order to reflect the numbers in Britain from the 1990′s.
The Home Office has released a list of over 20,000 employers who have signed up to the programme to bring skilled migrant workers to the UK. The list was published on the UK Border Agency website weeks back, names range from Chelsea Football Club to hundreds of restaurants and takeaways.
From where I stand this is not a problem, I agree with Damien Green, the Immigration Minister “It is important that we attract the brightest and the best people who can make a real difference to our economic growth”.
The ICT system is a wonderful way for Britain to become one of the most diverse countries in the world, with the most skilled workers doing their best for the UK’s economy.
ID Cards Scrapped, But No Refund
Posted: 26/05/2010 Filed under: UK Immigration, Uncategorized | Tags: Immigration, Moving to London, moving to the UK, moving to UK Leave a comment »The interesting immigration story of the month is that ID cards, which it seems to me Labour had been trying to sneak in via the back door for years, have been scrapped.
That is all to the good as far as I am concerned, I never could work out the point of the darn things anyway. But it is perturbing for some people who having been just recently paid 30 pound to obtain one are now told that they are not required but they will not be getting their money back. This seems like a bit of a kick in the guts for people who were clearly trying to do the right thing and follow the rules.
In the capacity that Labour had managed to get them in they were to work as a replacement for a passport when traveling through EU countries. It seems people who purchased these in good faith will now be forced to go back to old fashioned methods and get a passport. But they will not be getting a thirty quid discount on that document. Their expenditure is just tough.
The Many Faces Of UK Immigration
Posted: 06/05/2010 Filed under: UK Immigration, Uncategorized | Tags: Immigration, moving to the UK, moving to UK Leave a comment »Over the years I have come to the conclusion that if I thought that immigration was exactly what the press of the UK would have us believe then I would probabaly object to it too. In no uncertain terms. The truth is though that a lot of what we read and are told is very misleading. At best it is simplistic at worst it is often a cynical attempt to whip up xenophobia.
There was a very interesting article in The Times recently that made this point well. Immigration is not actually a racism issue as so many seem keen to convince us but rather an economical one. And once all the emotion is taken out of the debate it is actually clear that there is a strong case to be put for immigration and its contribution to the British economy, past present and future.
Britain has much inflow and outflow every year. In recent time inflow has exceeded outflow and with the help of a few well placed pieces of propaganda this can be made to seem threatening. The truth is that with the right policies in place immigration into the UK can be made to work very well for this country. We are honor bound as a civilized and yes, very lucky country to accept a small number of genuine asylum seekers but aside from this immigration can be worked in away that benefits our economy.
People with skills that we need or capital to invest should be welcomed aboard. It make good financial sense.
What Does Immigration Actually Mean In The UK?
Posted: 05/05/2010 Filed under: UK Immigration, Uncategorized | Tags: Immigration, Moving to London, moving to the UK, moving to UK Leave a comment »One of the other big talking points pre this election has been the immigrations policies of the parties. Almost as much as the economy the parties seem to have strong views on the opposition’s plans for immigration into the UK
It was a huge issue during the debate and some of what was said was quite illuminating. Gordon brown probably wishes that the whole issue would just go away after a woman expressing her concerns about immigration motivated him to call her a bigot. He was in his own car so it would not have been a problem but as he was still miked it turned it to probably his biggest problem of the campaign. And let’s face it that is really saying something.
I cannot help but think that a large amount of the problem with immigration has absolutely nothing to do with the issue itself but rather a lack of understanding of it in the general community. I have found that a lot of people fail to understand the difference between such reasonable simple concepts such as temporary migrant workers, immigration of family members, illegal immigrants (both those who have outstayed their visas and those who never had one) and “genuine” asylum-seekers,
.
In my next blog I want to have a look at some of these concepts and how a lack of understanding of them is complicating the issue of immigration far more than it needs to be.
Breath Of Fresh Air On Immigration in The UK
Posted: 21/04/2010 Filed under: Moving to London, UK Company Set Up, UK election, UK Immigration | Tags: business, business concerns, Immigration, Moving to London, moving to the UK, moving to UK, uk investments Leave a comment »If you have been following the UK election in any way then you will be aware that there is talk of a hung parliament. Leaving aside for a moment how this will affect the world’s perception of Britain, there other interesting implications. One is the amount of power a hung parliament will hand to Nick Clegg and his Lib Dem party. I have been looking more closely at this party lately given their possible influence over Britain in the near future and one of the things I like the most about them is their attitude to immigration into the UK.
Nick Clegg recently suggested an amnesty on foreign workers who are already earning a living in the UK. Why not I say? We have amnesties on truly dangerous things such as guns and things that are actually costing the country money such as tax evasion, so why not one for people who are working hard and actually contributing to our economy?
As a aside it is interesting to me that some of the paper in this country have chosen to see this suggested amnesty as being weak on immigration. This astounds me. Surely even those with an issue with immigration can see that the most productive members of our foreign communities should be the ones being encouraged to stay? I suspect that most of the public does see it this way but then that would not sell papers so the media have chosen a different spin.
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UK Immigration The Topic Of the Moment
Posted: 04/04/2010 Filed under: UK Immigration | Tags: Immigration, Moving to London, moving to the UK, moving to UK, Non Dom, non dom tax Leave a comment »There were quite a few stories around regarding the topic of UK immigration this week and depending entirely on who you listen to and what your stance is Gordon Brown was either the villain or the hero of the piece.
He was on the receiving end of a fairly stinging and humiliating rebuke from the Government’s own statistics watchdog yesterday. He was accused of using dodgy immigration statistics to suggest that the number of immigrates is falling. It has been said that the figures he chose to use were 30 000 lower than the ones he should have been quoting.
There was a certain irony to the rebuke he received given that it came not long after he had delivered his own rebuke on the subject directed at the Tory party. In Mr Browns version he warned the population that they should choose the party that would best realistically control immigration not just say things that appeal to ‘our worst instincts of nationalism and xenophobia’.
His speech on the subject, his third in three years would have been certain to carry more weight if the statistics watchdog head Sir Michael Scholar had not chosen the same week to point out Mr Brown’s manipulation of the figures.
Overall though I applaud the stance that Mr Brown is taking on immigration. There is entirely no need for a knee jerk reaction on this subject. By all means stop the visas for people who wish to work in trades that are over catered for such as chefs and careworkers ( one new policy that Mr Brown has suggested) but overall immigration is a good thing.
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Opponents Of Immigration Racist
Posted: 02/03/2010 Filed under: Moving to London, Non Dom | Tags: Immigration, Moving to London, moving to the UK, moving to UK, Non Dom Leave a comment »According to a report in the Telegraph earlier this month the government believes that all who oppose immigration in the UK in any fashion are racist. I usually try not to get involved in any arguments concerning the R word because in my experience it rivals religion and politics as a sure way to get into a fight with even you best mate but I could not go past this article.
Apparently this all comes from the same leaked paper as the one that Janet Daly was basing her comments on, as mentioned in a blog last week. The paper is a decade old but there are some very interesting things contained in it. My favorite line, apparently removed before final publication, is this one “anti-immigrant sentiment is closely correlated with racism”.
Mmm really? Well it is a bit of a no brainer in my books that racists would be against certain immigration but to tar anyone who mentions reservations or simply wants to open a dialogue on this issue with the same brush is to draw an extremely long bow. I also think it is dangerous.
Labour are now taking credit for the line ‘it is not racist to talk about immigration” but whoever came up with it I applaud the sentiment. Talking and discussing is exactly what we should be doing. Britain has benefited from immigration in so many ways and discussing it fully now is the best way forward.
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