Cameron Announces ‘Britain First’ in UK Immigration Policy Overhaul
British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced 'Britain First' immigration policy and cut many perks for foreigners in the new immigration rules. Cameron announced his plans in an article contributed to The Telegraph.
Accordingly many social benefits to foreigners will be cut. Even European Union migrants have to face brunt of of out-of-work benefits being pruned to three months from 6 months. Also the existing practice of advertising half a million British jobs all across EU has been chopped. There will be severe crack down on colleges offering visas to bogus students.
Britain First
In the words of the Prime Minister the immigration system will follow 'Britain first' policy to ensure that the UK is not a soft touch. The rules are being changed so that no one should come to UK expecting out-of-work benefits.
There was visible anger in the UK over the EU scheme EURES positions advertised in the UK job centres going to workers in other EU member states. The UK firms were getting incentives as much as £1,000 as bonus for hiring foreign workers. The EURES scheme also saw foreigners getting hundreds of pounds for interviews in the UK and other assistance for relocation and English lessons. Of the 2.4 million jobs posted on the EURES site, half of them were British jobs.
European jobseekers are entitled for job seeker's allowance or child benefits for a maximum of six months before the benefits are discontinued on the ground of having clear job prospects. With the cut-off point brought down to three months, now the message is clear that do not come to Britain expecting something for nothing. Some political analysts interpret Cameron's hard line on immigration as an attempt to woo Conservative voters who are moving to the camp of UK Independence Party.
Bogus colleges
Concerns were high about colleges becoming a conduit for abusing immigration rules by offering student visas in lieu of money to enter the UK posing as students. About 750 such bogus colleges have been shut down.
The Prime Minister also highlighted a series of measures taken in recent days such as removal of curbs in the name of European human rights laws that many immigrants used as a shield to escape deportation.