The Conservative and Labour Parties’ policy of “points based migration” is a total failure and “is an ineffective instrument for the task,” independent think tank Migrationwatch has announced.
According to a new report issued by that organisation, the overall number of visas issued has continued to rise since the introduction of the points based migration system (PBS), in spite of the recession.
“This has been driven by student numbers which have been increasing in recent years and have shown a faster rate of increase under PBS,” Migrationwatch said.
“Entry for work was in decline before the introduction of the PBS and has declined further since, mostly likely because of the economic downturn.
“Initial evidence suggests, therefore, that the PBS has not been effective in controlling immigration,” the report said.
The Migrationwatch report went on to analyse a number of data sets which clearly showed that the introduction of the PBS had had almost no effect in halting the Third World invasion of Britain.
Student numbers grew rapidly by 100,000 in the first year while, despite the worst recession in a generation, work permits have only fallen by 27,000 or 30 percent.
“An applicant for a PBS visa is awarded points for certain criteria such as salary and education. If the required number of points is reached then the visa is granted,” the Migrationwatch report said.
“This is intended to make the process clear and transparent and to ensure consistency. However a survey of UKBA border staff showed that 71 percent felt it had made the border less secure.
“This may be because the evidence to obtain points can be forged (e.g. education certificate) and there are hardly any interviews which can be essential for judging the authenticity of the applicant.
“For example, students need 40 points. 30 points are obtained if the college offers a place (by issuing them a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies) and 10 points are awarded for having enough maintenance funds.
“The college has a financial interest in offering the place and there is no interview to check that the applicant has a genuine interest in the subject matter of the course, has the required English language skills and intends to return when it ends,” it said.
One graph showed the number of highly skilled visas issued since 2006, the start of the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme, or HSMP (a precursor to PBS Tier 1).
“[The] numbers in this category have increased each year since its introduction. This growth has continued under the replacement of HSMP with PBS Tier 1,” said Migrationwatch.
“According to Home Office Research, 29 percent of a sample [group] were found in unskilled work and a further 46 percent were either unemployed or provided insufficient details.”
This means that of one test sample group of supposedly “highly-skilled immigrants,” some 75 percent were not working in the professional capacity through which they gained entry to Britain.
“There are also a significant number of people extending their leave to remain by switching to a PBS Tier 1 visa through the Post-Study Route which allows a graduate in any subject from more than 600 UK institutions the right to stay in the UK for two years and look for work, whatever the class of their degree,” the Migrationwatch report continued.
In 2009 34,000 graduates switched onto the Post-Study work visa.
“In 2009, the first year after the introduction of PBS Tier 4 visas there was a massive jump in student numbers to 468,000 (main entry).
The PBS system was introduced by the Labour Party and enthusiastically endorsed by the Conservative Party, which wrote it into its election manifesto by way of promising to “bring net migration down.”
http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/
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