Capping Immigration to the UK: Where next?
Article
Since all routes for low-skilled immigration for work are currently closed, this means Tiers 1 and 2 of the points-based system (PBS), which govern skilled immigration for work.
The government's headline objective on immigration is to reduce net immigration 'from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands'. Estimated net immigration to the UK (the surplus of people immigrating over people emigrating) in the year to December 2009 was 196,000. This means that even the most minimal interpretation of the government's objective would require net immigration to the UK to be halved.
The government has put itself in a very difficult position. There is a direct trade-off between setting the cap on Tiers 1 and 2 of the PBS at a level that is low enough to have a substantial effect on total net immigration and setting it in such a way that it doesn't damage businesses, public services, universities and our economy.
It therefore faces an unpalatable choice, between introducing a policy that it knows is damaging to the economy and public services or finding a way to abandon or redefine its currently stated policy objectives.
Related items
Taken to heart: Inequalities in heart disease in Scotland
More than 7.6 million people across the UK live with cardiovascular disease (CVD), around twice as many as live with Alzheimer’s disease and cancer combined.Skills passports: An essential part of a fair transition
This month, government will publish its Clean Energy Workforce Strategy. This plan covers two aims. First, filling the growing demand for skills in clean energy industries is essential to keep on track to reach the government’s clean power…Fixing the leak: How to end the £22 billion annual taxpayer losses at the Bank of England
The Bank of England increased its interest rates over recent years, aimed at reducing inflation. But this has also had an unintended effect on the Bank of England’s massive government bond buying – ‘quantitative easing’ – programme.