Remember how immigration became a hot potato in the 2010 General Election. Gordon Brown declaring, "British jobs for British workers"...David Cameron's retort to Nick Clegg during the televised debate: "immigration was out of control these last few years and, from what Iíve heard, the Liberal Democrats would make it much, much worse".
Brown and Cameron did not have the courage to reveal the facts to the British people - that without non-EU immigrants, the nation is in dire straits.....keep track with the Salaam Dossier
24th May 2013
"...The government is making significant progress towards its target of reducing net migration to the UK to less than 100,000 per year. ....The decline in immigration has been driven in large part by falling numbers of international students. Focused on their target, it has made sense, at least in the short term, for ministers to focus on students, simply because they are the largest single group arriving in any given year (accounting for around 60% of non-EU immigration)....As well as bringing immediate economic benefits, foreign students bring dynamism, innovation, and international connections which can benefit the UK in the long term... " http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/24/uk-immigration-crackdown-loss-international-talent
31st March 2013
"The economic benefit of immigration to the UK is revealed today in a report showing that halting net migration would cost every taxpayer in the country £137,000 over their lifetime...The [Migration Matters] trust, a cross-party pro-migration group, said migrants contributed more to the economy through tax than they took in benefits". http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/halting-immigration-would-cost-uk-18bn-in-five-years-8555344.html
25th March 2013
"British private schools and colleges today warned of a sharp drop in admissions of Chinese sixth form students as new evidence emerged that government immigration curbs are deterring foreign teenagers from studying here... Graham Able, chairman of Exporting Education UK and a former head of Dulwich College, warned today that Britain was now facing long-term damage. 'What is worrying is that we are failing to develop a key export market and attract foreign earnings. The other danger is that we are going to lose out in the political and economic world in 20 to 25 years when these people are playing leading roles in their countries'.” http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/chinese-sixth-form-students-turn-their-backs-on-uk-over-visa-curbs-8548183.html
30th Jan 2013
"The five committees have all produced recent reports endorsing the call to remove students from the net migration target, arguing that current policies create the perception that overseas students are not welcome in Britain and warning of potential damage to an export business worth £8bn a year." http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/31/migration-target-exclude-student-visas
9th Jan 2013
"The government's increasingly tough rhetoric around immigration is threatening to deter thousands of the best international students from studying at UK universities and undermine the multibillion-pound market in foreign students, according to the head of the group that represents British universities". http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jan/08/immigration-foreign-students-universities
30th May 2012
The heads of universities across Britain suggest that a toughening up of rules surrounding student visas may drive bright applicants towards institutions in other countries. In a letter to David Cameron, they call on the Government to remove university students from net migration figures to help drive the economy and boost university income...Britain currently attracts around one-in-10 foreign undergraduates and postgraduates who study outside their home country. This generates around £8bn a year for the nation in tuition fees and other investment, it is claimed, with the total expected to more than double by 2025. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9297575/Immigration-crackdown-will-damage-universities-PM-told.html
21st Jan 2012
Jonathan Portes in the Guardian: "...what are we to make of the Daily Telegraph article, by Chris Grayling and Damian Green, which states that 371,000 migrants are claiming out-of-work benefits?...we can say that migrants represent about 14% of all those of working age, only 7% of out-of-work claimants. In other words, migrants are about half as likely as non-migrants to be claiming out-of-work benefits. Much the same is true of people born outside the EEA (10% versus 5%)." http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/20/truth-about-benefit-tourism
10th Jan 2012
"...the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, found that migration in local areas has had 'essentially no impact' on the number of people claiming unemployment benefit in those regions. The findings contradict warnings made last summer by Iain Duncan Smith, work and pensions secretary, that uncontrolled immigration would lead to higher levels of youth unemployment and an increased burden on the tax system."
Helen Warrell in the Financial Times, 10th Jan 2012 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/70279896-3aee-11e1-b7ba-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1j6B6043T
22nd Dec 2011
"Unable to attract enough applications from domestic nurses, Queen Elizabeth hospital NHS trust launched a major recruitment drive in Portugal in 2010". This is precisely the reason why Enoch Powell, when Health Minister in the early 60s, recruited nurses from the West Indies! http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/20/nurses-spain-portugal-fill-gap-in-nhs
14th June 2011
Richard Garner, Education Editor of the Independent, "Government plans to cut the number of foreign students at universities and colleges will cost far more than they will save, according to the Home Office's own estimates.
16th April 2011
Mehdi Hasan writes, "Can we talk about immigration and its economic impact? A government study in 2007 estimated that migrants contributed about £6bn to output growth the previous year. That's equivalent to a 1.5% cut in the basic rate of income tax. Can we talk about this?
Can we talk about how immigrants, contrary to myth and legend, boost wages in the UK? A report for the Low Pay Commission found that between 1997 and 2005, immigration to the UK made a positive contribution to the average wage-increase experienced by non-immigrant workers. In the words of the report's author, Professor Christian Dustmann of UCL's Department of Economics: "Economic theory shows us that immigration can provide a net boost to wages." Is this worth a discussion?..." http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/16/david-cameron-immigration-economy
17th March 2011
"The government's proposals to curb the number of overseas students coming to Britain could 'cripple' the thriving education sector, an influential cross-party Commons committee has warned...The move to curb the annual flow of 300,000 students into Britain stems from the Tory pledge to reduce net annual migration from outside Europe to below 100,000 from the 2009 level of 184,000". http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/17/overseas-students-colleges-mps
15th March 2011
"...Further details are also expected to be announced for the new 'exceptional talent' immigration route which will allow up to 1,000 migrants who have 'won international recognition in scientific and cultural fields', or have the potential to do so. ..." http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/16/new-immigration-rules-super-rich
20th Feb 2011
"TENS of thousands of extra Indian migrants are to be allowed into the UK every year ...the workers, most of them skilled IT professionals, will bypass the Governmentís new immigration caps ...They will be exempt from National Insurance in their first year, yet be able to use the NHS for free.
They will arrive as part of the multibillion-pound EU India Free Trade Agreement..." http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/230127/Britain-to-let-in-20-000-Indians
18th December 2010
"The English Community Care Association said the temporary cap - which reduced by 5% the number of non-EU work visas issued - could have a potentially "catastrophic" effect on the care sector.
As 13% of those who work in care homes come from outside Europe, it said thousands of staff from the Philippines, India and South Africa could be forced to quit their jobs and this could damage continuity of care.
Vacancies created would not be filled by British staff, it said, as there was not sufficient demand for the jobs. It argued the cap had been introduced with 'complete disregard' for care providers and their staffing needs." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12022613
8th December 2010
"Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK said it was wrong of [Home Secretary] Ms May to consider students as migrants...education sector has been lobbying politicians not to go too far in blocking overseas students because it would threaten a vital part of their fee-raising capacity just as they face budget cuts. Some estimates suggest international students bring £8.5bn to the UK economy each year. There is a fear that Ms May's targetting of further education colleges and language schools threatens to damage a thriving export market".
Financial times, 8th December 2010
23rd November 2010
"Academics and students warned that closing down student visas for those on 'below-degree' courses ñ about 40% of the annual total ñ would devastate the finances of further education and ultimately mean that British students would "have to pay even more for a university degree". http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/23/colleges-warn-may-over-visas
4th November 2010
"In a speech today, the prime minister will announce that he is introducing a new entrepreneurial visa as well as allowing more intra-company transfers ñ moves that will blow a hole in his plan for an immigration cap...More than half of the ICT visas went to three Indian IT companies and the British IT industry has been pressing for them to be included in the cap. The largest single group of unemployed graduates is in IT.
The decision follows fierce lobbying by big employers including Nissan, Toyota and Honda who threatened to close UK plants if they cannot move staff freely.,,The decision means it will be harder for the government to get net migration ñ 196,000 last year ñ down to the 'tens of thousands' promised by the next general election." http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/04/london-olympics-legacy-silicon-valley-cameron
27th October 2010
"Executives from three of Japan's biggest car manufacturers have issued a stark warning to the government that plans to cap the number of immigrant workers coming to Britain could have serious consequences for their industry. Senior bosses from Honda, Toyota and Nissan, which employ more than 10,000 people in Britain, delivered the warning to Damian Green, the immigration minister, today.
Changes to the immigration rules are due to be introduced next year imposing quotas on the number of non-European Union workers. They could be particularly damaging to Britain's car industry, which is now almost entirely in the hands of non-European owners. The companies claim that imposing quotas would make it harder for carmakers to launch new models in the UK..." http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/27/uk-carmakers-immigration-cap
