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See other news storiesNew balance for immigration policies
16 October 2007
As immigration policies change to strengthen border controls, a Home Office minister promises the system will be balanced fairly.
Speaking to an audience drawn from education, business and local government, Home Office Minister Liam Byrne set out a 12-month programme of sweeping changes for Britain's immigration systems and strategy.
In the next year, he said, 'our immigration system will have changed out of all recognition.'
From next year, a points-based system, modelled on Australia's immigration programme, will ensure that only those who have something to offer the country will be admitted to work and study.
In addition, he said, 'Three-quarters of the world's population will need fingerprint visas - a system that gives us tougher checks abroad. A single border force with new powers will mean tougher policing at our ports and airports, and we'll start to count people in and out of the country.'
Finally, requiring foreign nationals to carry identification cards will mean that authorities will know who they are, and can more fully control access to jobs and government benefits.
'We will attack the root cause of illegal journeys - which is illegal jobs - with big new fast-track fines for employers,' he said. Companies that want to sponsor immigrants moving to the UK will have to apply for a licence first.
Report details economic benefits of migration
As Mr Byrne was speaking, the Home Office published a comprehensive, cross-government report on the fiscal and economic impacts of immigration (new window). The document found that overall, immigrants to the UK were more highly skilled than the average for UK-born residents.
Immigrants were also wealthier than the average UK-born resident, and earned significantly more on a weekly basis than the average UK-born worker.
Because they earned more, immigrants were likely to pay more tax than the average UK-born taxpayer.
The report has been submitted to the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs, and it will be discussed by the Migration Impacts Forum.
Mr Byrne said, 'Today we begin to strike a new balance in Britain's migration policy - weighing the economic benefits against wider impacts.'
The fact that immigration added about £6b to the UK economy last year has to be balanced with the other impacts of immigration on the country.
'What we need to do is strike the right balance for Britain's national interest, starting with the decision on Bulgarian and Romanian workers a little later this year.'
