UK tightens measures to clamp down on soaring migration figures

Britain has unveiled a series of measures this week to clamp down on soaring migration figures, including greater powers for an independent body to reduce reliance on overseas labour and speeding up returns of illegal immigrants to the countries of their origin. Indian-origin Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra said a strengthened Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) will play a central role in fixing the country's "broken" immigration system.

Besides a so-called "step change" in tackling illegal working with new technology for frontline border officers, the Home Office will also introduce an Immigration White Paper next year to set out further details of its plan to reduce legal migration.

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"Net migration quadrupled in the past five years and we have been clear that we will get the numbers down and restore order to our broken immigration system as part of our Plan for Change," said Malhotra.

"The independent Migration Advisory Committee will play a central role in this - providing impartial analysis to underpin our joined-up approach to link skills, migration and labour market policy and ensuring immigration is no longer used as an alternative to homegrown talent," she said.

In her changes confirmed on Tuesday, Professor Brian Bell will take on his role as Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on a full-time basis rather than a part-time one and be supported by Madeleine Sumption as Deputy Chair. Their focus will be on linking immigration, skills and visa systems to "support the UK's domestic workforce, end reliance on overseas labour and boost economic growth".

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"As the government seeks to link skills and migration policy more closely, the committee will use our expanded capacity to continue providing timely, evidence-based recommendations on migration," said Bell.

The strengthened MAC will also routinely monitor and proactively highlight key sectors where skills shortages have led to surges in recruitment from overseas and provide yearly assessments. It will also work closely, as part of a new "quad" system, with the newly formed Skills England, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Industrial Strategy Council to develop an evidence-based approach to reduce international recruitment and ensure businesses are recruiting primarily from the homegrown workforce.

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It comes after UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper commissioned a review of shortages of homegrown workers in key sectors such as IT and engineering.

She has also set out a new crackdown on illegal working to address the promise of illegal jobs that are used by criminal smuggling gangs to sell spaces in small boats crossing the English Channel. The intervention comes as almost 13,500 people with no right to be in the UK have been removed since the new Labour government came to office in July.

"Since the election, we have intensified our efforts to crackdown on exploitation and illegal working - the number of operations and arrests are up, and we are on track to meet our target of increasing removals to the highest level for five years," said Cooper.

"I am boosting the capabilities of our immigration enforcement officers to make sure they have the tools they need to further crackdown on illegal working and shine a light on the hidden economy and false promises that criminal smuggling gangs are using to encourage people to cross the Channel in small boats. If you employ people illegally, you will face consequences," she said.

The Home Office said it had redeployed 1,000 additional people into immigration enforcement, which supported the delivery of four major illegal worker returns flights in the UK's history, carrying more than 800 people. Thirty-three bespoke charter flights have taken off in recent months returning migrants to countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.