- Rishi will pledge ‘bold action’ to curb legal migration by around 300,000 a year
Rishi Sunak will today unveil plans for a tough new ‘immigration cap’ in a bid to slash arrivals to ‘sustainable levels’.
The Prime Minister will pledge ‘bold action’ to curb legal migration, which has spiralled to record levels since the pandemic.
The centrepiece of the new proposals is a limit on the number of visas issued each year, which could leave some firms with no choice but to try to train up British workers to fill vacancies.
The annual cap will be voted on by MPs and reduced ‘year on year’ throughout the next parliament.
The Prime Minister will pledge ‘bold action’ to curb legal migration, which has spiralled to record levels since the pandemic
Net migration jumped to a staggering 764,000 in 2022, equivalent to a city the size of Leeds (stock photo)
Mr Sunak said last night the plan would build on existing measures which are already expected to slash migrant numbers by around 300,000 this year. He added: ‘We have taken bold action to cut the number of young people coming to this country. The plan is working, but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.’
Mr Sunak accused Labour of plotting a ‘migrant amnesty’ which he said would make the UK ‘a global magnet for illegal immigrants’. He added: ‘They have no plan to reduce net migration, while we have a clear plan to stop the boats and put a legal cap on numbers.’
The new cap would apply to those coming to the UK for work and family reasons and those studying for graduate degrees, which comprised around 540,000 people last year.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) would be asked to recommend a new, lower figure each year, with ministers then submitting a final proposal to Parliament. Crucially, the committee will be asked to assess not just the potential economic benefit of allowing in extra workers, but also the potential cost in terms of increased demand for housing and additional strain on public services such as health and education.
Net migration jumped to a staggering 764,000 in 2022, equivalent to a city the size of Leeds. It fell back to 685,000 last year but still remains far above the 230,000 level seen at the 2019 election, which the Conservatives pledged to reduce.
Government sources were last night unwilling to say whether numbers would be reduced to the ‘tens of thousands’ (stock image of Croydon Home Office, which houses the headquarters of the Border and Immigration Agency)
Mr Sunak accused Labour of plotting a ‘migrant amnesty’ which he said would make the UK ‘a global magnet for illegal immigrants’
Writing in the Mail today, Home Secretary James Cleverly (pictured) said the new cap should give voters ‘confidence that numbers will be controlled’
Tough new measures were introduced at the start of this year, including ending the right of social care workers to bring dependants and raising the minimum salary threshold for work visas. The measures are expected to cut arrivals by 300,000.
Brian Bell, chairman of the MAC, said last month the curbs left the Government with a ‘fighting chance’ of cutting net migration to pre-pandemic levels. The new cap on arrivals would drive down numbers further.
Government sources were last night unwilling to say whether numbers would be reduced to the ‘tens of thousands’, saying only that net migration would be cut to ‘sustainable levels’.
But writing in the Mail today, Home Secretary James Cleverly said the new cap should give voters ‘confidence that numbers will be controlled’. Mr Cleverly acknowledged immigration levels had been ‘too high’ – and said it was time for the system to take account of the costs involved, rather than just focusing on the potential boost to GDP.
‘People care about it because they see its impact on their daily lives,’ he added. ‘Their kids can’t get into the school they want. They can’t get the house their family needs. They can’t get an appointment at the local GP. It’s a real issue and one that needs to be addressed in a fair and reasonable way.’