Home Secretary unveils plan to cut net migration
The new home secretary James Cleverly set out a five-point plan to cut legal migration on Monday.
Among the measures announced, Cleverly said:
- “We will end the abuse of the health and care visa” by banning “overseas care workers from bringing family dependents” and ” will require care firms in England to be regulated by the care quality commission in order for them to sponsor visas”
- “stop immigration undercutting the salary of British workers”
- The the 20% going rate salary discount for shortage occupations will be scrapped to “[reform] the shortage occupation list”
- The “skilled worker earnings threshold” will be increased “by a third to £38,700 from next spring in line with the median full term wages for those kinds of jobs”
- Migrants can “only bring dependents who they can support financially by raising the minimum income for family visas to the same threshold as the minimum salary threshold for skilled workers”, to £38,700 from £18,600
There will also be an increase in the annual charge foreign workers pay to use the NHS from £624 to £1,035.
Cleverly said, “In total, this package, plus our reduction in students dependents, will mean around 300,000 fewer people will come in future years than have come to the UK last year.”
Writing in the Sun, he said, “If you can’t contribute to the UK, you are not coming to the UK. Our plan will deliver the biggest-ever cut in net migration and curb abuse.”
The full government press release can be read here.
Here’s how the media responded to the announcement. Unless otherwise linked, headlines are front pages on 05/12/2023.
Cleverly pledges to deliver biggest ever reduction in net migration
Biggest ever clampdown ‘will slash migration by 300,000′
Daily Mail
Just how much lower can you sink, Mr Sunak?: PM’s desperate bid to win over right-wing Tories with new migration crackdown – as his personal approval rating plummets to record new low of minus 25%
The Independent
Tougher rules will slash migration by 300,000
Daily Express
SNP: NHS is ‘not safe’ under plans to reduce migration
The Scotsman
Seeing Sense: Conservative MPs should embrace the government’s dose of realism
‘Enough is enough!’ James Cleverly unveils five-point plan to slash migration by 300,000
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