Immigration - what are the new rules, and will they work?

Immigration in the UK

Your thoughts

Here's what some message board users had to say about the issue:

• "I hate people who say we should close our borders, or that foreign people should go home. Most people who say this are middle-class white people who have easy lives. What they don't realise is that they could have easily been born as a victim of war in Afghanistan or a victim of violence in Zimbabwe. It's only luck that they weren't!"
• "I think anyone coming into the UK from a poor, non English-speaking background should have to enrol in some sort of (free) course that teaches them English to a good standard. This is because it will eliminate any communication problems and allow them to get better jobs."
• "Britain, quite simply, does not have the space to deal with this influx of immigration. There's nothing racist about it - the majority of British immigrants are Eastern European, who just happen to be the same race as us."
• "It has been the custom in this country to provide asylum to those fleeing political persecution, from French Protestants to those fleeing war in Somalia. Nothing can be more patriotic than to continue with this noble tradition."

The Draft Immigration and Citizenship Bill

Did you know that a new law will be coming into place in January 2009 which will replace nearly all of our legislation? The government has made the draft version available for the public to comment on. It was published on July 14th, and you can take a look at it on the UK Border Agency website.

More about the bill

The government says that the Bill will be based around five main changes:

• Strong borders: this means giving new powers to Border Authority officers to cancel visas, check fingerprints and refuse admission to anyone who can't prove they're a British citizen.
• Selective migration: there will be no amnesty - people who stay here longer than they're allowed to could be sent to prison or sent back to their country of origin. The idea of what constitutes 'permission' will be strengthened, and it will be made much easier for people to be 'sent home'.
• Earning the right to stay: immigrants will be tested on their ability to speak English and get a tax-paying job to qualify for citizenship. If migrants break laws or fail to 'integrate' into their community, their citizenship process can be slowed down. Automatic bans will be able to be placed on migrants who have left the UK and want to come back; for example, immigration offenders and criminals.
• Playing by the rules: authorities will have the power to tag and detain illegal immigrants. People who employ illegal immigrants will be fined, and laws protecting refugees will be simplified.
• Managing any local impacts: immigrants will pay more for local services than UK nationals will. UK nationals will get wider access to local benefits.

Reaction to the Bill

Because details about the Draft Bill have only just been released, organisations haven't had much time to prepare a response. However, you can find links to key organisations dealing with the issue of immigration on the right-hand side of this page. Plus, the BBC's immigration pages will have links to all the news stories that this issue will provoke.