David Cameron: ‘We’re building an immigration system that puts Britain first’

British Prime Minister David Cameron, published an article in The Telegraph outlining new action that the government will take in UK immigration. Some of them have been already introduced, however, some of them are new, for example those related to EEA nationals.

To summarise, the following was announced:

• Tier 4 Sponsor License – if 10% of those they issue CAS’s (Certificate of Sponsorship) to are refused, the college will lose their sponsor license;
• From this month, those who are here illegally cannot be issued with driving licenses, 3,150 have already been withdrawn;
• From November, landlords will have a legal obligation to check the immigration status of their tenants;
• From December, rules will be introduced to stop illegal immigrants from opening bank accounts;
• Foreign criminals will be deported first and their appeal can be heard once they are back in their home country;
• Benefits – to receive out-of-work benefits EEA nationals must be in the UK for at least three months;
• EEA migrants will receive benefits for three months only, unless they had clear job prospects, a reduction from six months;
• Housing benefit – councils can only add people to housing waiting lists when they have lived in the area for two years;
• Banning overseas-only recruitment – legally requiring those agencies to advertise in the UK in English.

David Cameron concluded his article by stating: ‘Taken together, this is about building a different kind of Britain – a country that is not a soft touch, but a place to play your part, a nation where those who work hard can get on. Carefully and painstakingly, we are building an economy that has real opportunities for our young people; an education system that encourages them to do their best; a welfare system that encourages work; and an immigration system that puts Britain first.’

We will continue to keep you updated.