British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday announced a new set of policies attempting to tighten every area of the United Kingdom's “broken” migration system. In his bid to ensure that immigration numbers decline over the course of five years, the PM has declared the doubling of wait time for migrants seeking citizenship from five to ten years.
The directives came while Starmer was addressing a press conference from Downing street while launching the immigration white paper aimed at “taking back control of the borders.”
What else does the white paper include?
The white paper mentions that learning English will be a must for migrants and that they will have to “earn the privilege” of living in the UK. Migrants would be required to spend a decade in the country before applying for citizenship whereas skilled workers visas will require a university degree.
While increasing the required time to apply for citizenship, the PM asserted that this increase would showcase a “real and lasting contribution to the economy and society.”
The measures would fast-track the process for high-skilled and highly contributing individuals including nurses, doctors, engineers and AI leaders, who contribute to the UK economy.
The statement read that, “Public services were stretched, housing costs soared, and employers swapped skills investment for cheap overseas labour. In sectors like engineering, apprenticeships almost halved while work visas doubled and communities were asked to absorb record numbers.”
“Backdoor routes to settlement will be closed, enforcement will be stepped up as we end abuse of the system,” it added further.
The government is aiming to bring down immigration levels that have been a key issue in Britain since 2004. The immigration issue was imperative in pushing for Brexit that has not yielded the expected results in terms of immigration control. The net migrants to the UK stood at 7,28,000 till June 2024.
