David Cameron this week used the deteriorating economic situation and the cuts in public spending to spell out a populist move to clampdown on immigration from outside the European Union.
In a speech billed in advance to the lobby, he outlined a crackdown on forced marriages and proposed restrictions on family members entering the United Kingdom unless they are wealthy and can prove they can speak English – highlighting cash savings and safeguarding British jobs.
His actual speech was more wide-ranging, taking in restrictions on people coming to work here and the role of students.
On family relatives, he said: “We will make migrants wait longer, to show they really are in a genuine relationship before they can get settlement. And we’ll also impose stricter and clearer tests on the genuineness of a relationship… including the ability to speak the same language and to know each other’s circumstances.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted the burden on the taxpayer for relatives to join poorly-paid immigrants. “When the income level of the sponsor is this low, there is an obvious risk that the migrants and their family will become a significant burden on the welfare system and the taxpayer. So we have asked the Migration Advisory Committee to look at the case for increasing the minimum level for appropriate maintenance. We’re going to look at further measures to ensure financial independence and whether a financial bond would be appropriate in some cases.”
The crackdown on families of migrants produced strong criticism from the Law Society, which is not known for taking a radical stance.
It stated that that the legal framework is already in place to tackle abuse of the family route to settlement in this country. “The UK Border Agency’s primary focus should be on enforcing existing rules more effectively and efficiently, rather than introducing blanket requirements on couples because it lacks the resources to do so.”
John Wotton, the Law Society’s president, said: “The UK Border Agency should focus on individual cases rather than creating new rules that will make it more difficult for many more people to marry. An individual’s right to marry and to a private life are protected by the European Convention on Human Rights and government proposals must be compatible with Article 8 of the ECHR.
“The Government is entitled to adopt a policy of keeping net migration levels down, but the UK’s international obligations – and to its own citizens – must be respected.”
