London (TDI): The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced stricter immigration and visa rules to significantly reduce UK’s net migration. Most newcomers will now need ten years stay to qualify for citizenship, which is double from the previous five years.
Announcing the new rules, for which he is being overly criticized by Labour MPs, Starmer commented that the country must not become an “island of strangers” and that the government should have more control over immigration.
“Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control,” he said.
UK’s open immigration policies receive regular bashing from the country’s Right but are an integral element of its community’s diversity.
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For more control over who enters the UK and who stays, Starmer has significantly tightened work visa regulations.
Now, no companies will be allowed to hire care workers from overseas. Firms will be required to hire British nationals as a priority. In case of hiring foreign nationals, companies will be asked to pay more.
Visas for low skilled workers will be significantly reduced and language requirements to stay and work in the UK will be subject to more scrutiny.
“Today this Labour government is shutting down the lab. The experiment is over. We are taking back control of our borders,” Starmer said, referring to his predecessor Boris Johnson’s visa scheme where companies could easily hire health and care workers from abroad.
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“Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall,” the PM said, expressing belief and confidence in the new regulations.
Starmer is being criticized for towing the line of the far Right after his Monday remarks where he painted a dark picture of immigration.
In June 2023, UK’s net migration touched a record high of 906,000. Starmer hopes that with the new regulations, the migration will drop 100,000 per year by 2029.
Nuzhat Rana is the Managing Editor (website) at The Diplomatic Insight.
