Last week the Nationality and Borders Bill returned to the House for report stage. This Bill is a first step in addressing the growing challenges around illegal immigration and the plight of asylum seekers.
The number of people crossing the Channel in unsafe vessels is rising, with rates regularly topping 1000 a day recently. Not only is this incredibly unsafe, but it places a burden on our sea rescue services, risking their lives.
A key aim of this Bill is to break the traffickers’ business model. These are criminal organisations who profit from people desperate to get to the UK. In exchange for often thousands of pounds, they send people on unseaworthy vessels, illegally, into the UK. It is wrong that people lose their lives at sea at the hands of these exploitative groups.
The Bill will increase penalties for those running these exploitative businesses. This will serve as one means of disincentivising them from establishing these perilous voyages to the UK. Historically, migrants and asylum seekers have been keen to come to the UK, and traffickers have used our ‘attractiveness” for their own ends. The UK with its English language and non-contributory benefits system provides a higher standard of living than many other safe refugee-hosting countries.
The Bill proposes to create a system whereby those who enter the country illegally will be assessed differently to those who come through safe and legal routes to reduce the attractiveness of taking illegal journeys. If granted asylum, having entered illegally, the type of status granted will be temporary with the ability to apply for long term settlement after 10 years. Those applying legally may move directly to full resettlement. Those entering illegally may also have different rights to family reunion and no recourse to public funds except in cases of destitution.
The intention is that if the UK is a less attractive place for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, smugglers will not be inclined to bring people here, nor will individuals be inclined to risk their lives to come here when they could settle in the first safe country they reach.
A further proposal intended to break the business model of people smugglers and reduce the incentive to come here is returning asylum seekers who come here illegally to the first safe country they reached. Of course, they would never be returned to a country where they risk persecution. This will require agreements with the countries that the Government intend to return people to, and this is something that the Government will need to address.
Presently, asylum seekers who have their claims rejected are often able to repeatedly appeal the decisions, in the meantime, remaining in the UK. The new Bill will limit the number of appeals that can be launched so that individuals cannot play the system in this way.
The Bill also makes provisions to further address the terrible issue of modern slavery, including seeking to identify genuine victims earlier. It also intends to streamline processes to expedite the conclusion of cases and allow victims to move on with their lives.
This Bill doesn’t do everything needed in the area of immigration. It predominantly covers illegal immigration and asylum seekers but does not address necessary fair legal forms of migration for refugees. This is something that still needs resolution. There are many asylum seekers who desire full refugee status and resettlement who need a better system to have their cases assessed- and swiftly.
The real issue of fair immigration policies and practices is an international one. As we see worsening climate change, new conflicts and humanitarian crises, migration in many forms will grow. We therefore need to unite internationally to look at how we can support those in genuine need of help, while not placing unfair burden, or denying quality services to our own citizens. I suspect it is time that some outdated policies and conventions are reviewed.
To book a surgery meeting or raise a specific issue, please call my office on 01626 368277 or email annemarie.morris.mp@parliament.uk.