Starmer immigration plans as he vows to 'take back control'

Glasgow Times

12-05-2025

Migrants will be told they need to spend up to a decade in the UK before they can apply for citizenship and English language requirements will be increased as part of the Government's immigration crackdown.
The Prime Minister said: ''Take back control.' Everyone knows that slogan, and everyone knows what it meant on immigration, or at least that's what people thought.
'Because what followed from the previous government, starting with the people who used that slogan, was the complete opposite.
'Between 2019 and 2023, even as they were going round our country, telling people with a straight face that they would get immigration down, net migration quadrupled, until in 2023 it reached nearly one million.
'That's about the population of Birmingham, our second largest city. That's not control. It's chaos.'
Sir Keir said tougher restrictions were needed, warning that Britain risked becoming 'an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'.
He said: 'So when you have an immigration system that seems almost designed to permit abuse, that encourages some businesses to bring in lower paid workers rather than invest in our young people, or simply one that is sold by politicians to the British people on an entirely false premise, then you are not championing growth.
'You are not championing justice or however else people defend the status quo. You're actually contributing to the forces that are slowly pulling our country apart.'
Under the White Paper proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship, but so-called 'high-contributing' individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning that they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
Meanwhile, skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
Ministers are looking to bring down net migration figures, which stood at 728,000 in the year to mid-2024.
The Prime Minister did not answer a question on whether net migration would fall every year between now and the next election but said he wants to 'get it down by the end of this Parliament'.
Care England's chief executive Martin Green earlier labelled the Government's plans as 'cruel'.
The announcement comes less than a fortnight after Reform UK surged to victory in local council elections across England, a result that deputy leader Richard Tice attributed to frustrations about the immigration system.
The Conservatives have said that the Prime Minister is 'trying to take credit for recent substantial reductions in visa numbers that resulted from Conservative reforms in April 2024'.