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London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has slammed the Conservative’s over the party’s ‘anti-London’ visa policy. Khan says that the policies laid out by the Tories in their recently released manifesto ‘will make all Londoners poorer’, while stifling jobs and business growth. There is only about a week to go before the UK General Election on 8 June 2017.
The Conservative manifesto outlines plans to reduce net UK Visa numbers to the tens of thousands, while doubling the immigration skills charge to £2,000 for companies hiring non-EU workers - and potentially EU citizens post-Brexit. It’s claimed that the fees will be invested in high skills training for UK workers.
The immigration skills charge only came into force from 6 April 2017, requiring businesses to pay £1,000 per worker (£364 for smaller businesses), per year to hire foreign personnel. Barely a month since its introduction the government looks set to double the fee. Mr Khan said: “The Tory UK immigration policies are totally unworkable and will cause huge damage to London’s economy.”
He added: “This is yet another anti-London policy from the most anti-London government since Margaret Thatcher.”
Sanwar Ali workpermit.com has the following comments to make:
In an attempt to win votes Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party has recently taken a tougher line on immigration. It stills seems likely that UK visa policy under a Labour Government will be more liberal than under a Conservative Government. It also seems to be the general consensus among pollsters that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party with its’ hardline left wing policies is unlikely to win.
It is also to be hoped that whoever is elected on 8 June 2017 which is likely to be the Conservatives will close down any organisation sponsored by the Home Office that has a track record of being dodgy, corrupt and dishonest. This is especially important after the shocking terrorist attack in Manchester on 22 May 2017. If this sort of behaviour is tolerated this gives a valuable propaganda advantage to terrorists.
In Apartheid South Africa the Government stopped publishing reports about deaths in Police custody because of the increasingly ridiculous statements they were having to make to cover up the real reasons why inmates died. It has to be said that an organisation sponsored by the Home Office that regularly makes false and untrue statements and acts outside the law is what you would expect to see in a Totalitarian State such as Apartheid South Africa or Nazi Germany and not in a Western democracy.
We also take this opportunity to pass on our condolences to the relatives of the victims of the horrible terrorist attack in Manchester.
Rights of EU nationals to remain in UK
Theresa Villiers, the Conservative candidate for Chipping Barnet, highlighted that the Tory government wants to ‘secure the rights of EU nationals currently residing in Britain’. She said that this was is “in tune with mainstream thinking in this country.”
However, pro-immigrant groups say that the only reason the government wants to secure the rights of EU citizens in Britain is because they need a bargaining chip during Brexit negotiations to secure the status of British expats living and working in EU member states.
Villiers said: “Despite the economic benefits of immigration, we need to reduce net migration figures to a sustainable level. The Conservative manifesto outlines a new system that will bring to an end free movement, while enabling Britain to continue recruiting the brightest and best from across Europe and the world.”
Government has a responsibility to Londoners
Alasdair Hill, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Hendon stated that the government has a responsibility to ‘make training and apprenticeships available for Londoners.’ He argues that this should be the Tory Party’s focus as opposed to putting Britain on lockdown to prevent worldwide talent from entering the country.
He said: “As someone who is married to a French national I find the way in which the Tories talk down the contribution immigrants make to our society, through their skills, investment and tax receipts, deeply depressing.”
“Immigration has made London the successful world city that it is today and the plans to cut immigration to the size of Mill Hill or Hendon, nationwide, is nothing short of an economic own goal,” he added.
Mayor Khan’s proposals for a London visa in the immediate aftermath of the referendum vote in June 2016 were rejected earlier this year. UK Immigration Minister, Robert Goodwill, deemed such a system to be ‘unworkable.’
Discussions have since taken place over a new work permit scheme for EU citizens, post-Brexit. If a new look work permit program is introduced, pro-immigrant groups have urged the government to take the opportunity to reform the entire UK visa system given that programs like the Tier 2 visa scheme are overly bureaucratic and unfair.
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