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Immigration and Asylum: UKIP Policy
Thursday, 18th March 2010
As a member of the EU, Britain has lost control of her borders. Some 2.5 million immigrants have arrived since 1997 and up to one million economic migrants live here illegally. Former New Labour staff maintain that this policy has been a deliberate attempt to water down the British identity and buy votes. EU and human rights legislation means we cannot even expel foreign criminals if they come from another EU country. This is why immigration control is so essential and overdue. Scroll to the bottom of the page to download the full policy document.
The main recommendations are:
1 Since the end of World War II Britain has experienced mass immigration on an unprecedented scale. Since 1997 alone there has been a net population gain of at least 3 million people due to legal and illegal immigration (source: Migration Watch).
2 Immigration is currently adding one million people to the population every five years – equivalent to a new town the size of Birmingham. Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and the current population growth is simply unsustainable.
3 The Labour Government’s policy of mass immigration has been deliberately imposed in order to create a more ‘diverse’ and ‘multicultural’ society without consulting the British people. The purported economic benefits of mass immigration are demonstrably untrue. The costs of mass immigration are however only too visible: on public services such as health and education, and on infrastructure such as housing and transport.
4 As a member of the European Union, Britain has lost full control of her borders and immigration and asylum policy. Unlimited and uncontrolled immigration benefits the immigrants, the political parties promoting immigration in order to win migrants’ votes, and employers benefiting from a supply of cheap labour: it does not benefit the vast majority of the existing population.
5 A significant proportion of immigrants and their descendents are neither assimilating nor integrating into British society. This problem is encouraged by the official promotion of multiculturalism which threatens social cohesion.
The Policy Solutions
UKIP will end mass and uncontrolled immigration. UKIP has already proposed an immediate five year freeze on immigration for permanent settlement. Any future immigration should not exceed 50,000 people per annum, including dependents (actual not net immigration).
Britain must regain control of her borders. This can only be done by leaving the European Union. Entry for work purposes will be by temporary work permit visa only, issued for designated periods of time on a strict points based system. Entry for non-work related purposes (e.g. holidays and study) would be by means of a temporary visa. Overstaying a visa would be a criminal offence. All EU citizens who came to Britain after 1st January 2004 would be treated in the same way as citizens from other countries. Non UK citizens travelling to or from the UK will have their entry and exit recorded. The UK Borders Agency staff warranted officers will be more than tripled from 9,000 to 30,000 to implement this.
After the five year freeze any future immigration for permanent settlement would be on a strictly controlled points based system similar to those of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
People found to be living illegally in the UK would be removed to their country of origin. There can be no question of an amnesty for illegal immigrants. These merely encourage further illegal immigration.
Those living in the UK under Indefinite Leave to Remain would have to abide by a legally binding ‘Undertaking of Residence’ to respect our laws or face deportation. They would not be eligible to draw benefits. Applicants for British citizenship would be required to have completed a period of not less then five years as a resident on Permanent Leave to Remain. New citizens should pass a citizenship test and sign a ‘Declaration of British Citizenship’ promising to uphold Britain’s democratic and tolerant way of life.
The existing terms of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees must be enforced until such time as Britain withdraws from the Convention and replaces it with an Asylum Act. To avoid disappearances, asylum seekers would be held in secure, humane processing centres until applications are processed, with limited appeals. Those seeking asylum must do so in the first ‘designated safe country’ that they enter. Existing asylum seekers who have already had their applications refused would be required to leave the country, along with any dependents.
Except where visa waiver agreements have been concluded with other countries, all travellers to the UK will be required to obtain a visa from a British Embassy or High Commission. All non-work permit visa entrants to the UK (except where reciprocal arrangements exist) will be required to have taken out adequate health insurance. Student visas would require face to face interviews.
UKIP would repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 and withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In future the British courts would not be allowed to appeal to any international treaty or convention to override or set aside the provisions of any statue passed by Parliament.
The 'Primary Purpose Rule' (abolished by the Labour Government) would be reintroduced, whereby those marrying or seeking to marry a British citizen would have to convince the admitting officer that this is their primary purpose in seeking to enter the UK and not to obtain British residence.
There would be an end to the active promotion and support of the doctrine of multiculturalism by government and all publicly funded bodies.
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