The Home Secretary will vow to restore public confidence in the
immigration system through her fair but firm plan.
Setting out her vision in a speech this morning (Monday 24 May),
will say that the British public want the government to
take back control of immigration and fix the broken asylum
system.
Home Secretary is expected to say:
“What’s next for immigration is wholesale reform of the
system.
“Anything short of that would not be fair, would not keep our
country safe, and would not meet the demands of the British
people whom I serve.
“They want a new system that works for the law-abiding majority
and against those who hope to abuse our hospitality and generous
spirit.
“One that welcomes those most in need of sanctuary and slams the
door on dangerous criminals.
“One that attracts top talent from around the world.
“The immigration system is broken, but this country isn’t. We
can’t fix the system overnight, but we will fix it.
“We have to make sure the system reflects the values and wishes
of the vast majority of Britons of all colours and creeds.
“They simply want an approach to immigration that is fair but
firm.”
She will also outline the opportunities that the ending of free
movement brings to the UK to attract the best and brightest who
want to contribute to the UK.
It comes after the Home Secretary announced the UK’s vision for a
fully digital border. The digital by default system will mean we
can now count who is coming in and out of the country and a
US-style Electronic Travel Authorisation will be introduced to
make the border more secure.
- Universal permission to travel will require everyone wishing
to travel to the UK (except British and Irish citizens) to seek
permission in advance of travel;
- Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETA) will be fully in place
by the end of 2025 and will enable the Government to decide at an
earlier stage whether individuals should be allowed to travel to
the UK;
- Moving to a fully digital system will replace different
physical documents with a single digital product, accessible to
the individual via a secure online service at any point in their
journey; and
- Digital identity checks will significantly reduce the need
for an individual to attend a Visa Application Centre.
The Home Secretary will also set out early successes of her New
Plan for Immigration, this includes:
- The introduction of work routes, such as the Skilled Worker,
Global Talent and Health and Care routes, as well as supporting
people from Hong Kong through the BN(O) visa route;
- Suspending the cap on the number of Skilled Workers who can
come to the UK, and granting free visa extensions for crucial
healthcare workers and their dependents;
- Signing a ground-breaking agreement with India, to accelerate
the process of returning those who have no right to stay while
giving opportunities for thousands of British and Indian citizens
to live and work legally in the other country; and
- Processing more than 5.1 million applications under the EU
Settlement Scheme to the end of April.
The speech will also outline how the Government is making it
easier for talented people to come to the UK by simplifying the
application process and revamping how people are sponsored, while
opening up new routes through the points-based immigration system
to attract those who will make a contribution as the UK builds
back from the pandemic.
When it comes to asylum and illegal migration the Home Secretary
will set out that inaction is not an option.
She will demonstrate how costs to the asylum system have
skyrocketed to more than £1 billion per year and press the
urgency of introducing legislation to fix the broken asylum
system.
The speech will make the case for how new legislation is needed
to ensure criminal gangs profiting from smuggling people into the
UK are brought to justice and speed up the removal of dangerous
criminals.
