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Press Releases for September 2002

September 26, 2002
Substantial immigration predicted as Government raises number of work permits to record levels

September 18, 2002
Welcome for Home Secretary's acceptance of Migrationwatch figures that net inward migration to Britain is now 180,000 a year+ illegal immigration

September 17, 2002
Nine out of ten failed asylum seekers remain in the UK even if their claims fail

Full Text of Releases : September 2002

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Substantial immigration predicted as Government raises number of work permits to record levels

Migrationwatch UK, a think-tank on migration issues, published a report on September 26, 2002 on the government's decision to raise the number of work permits issued to foreign workers to a record level of 175,000 next year compared to 30,000 per year in the early 90s.

The report suggests that this could lead to a substantial increase in immigration from 2007 onwards since, after four years, permit holders can high as 80,000 people a year (including dependants) compared to about 9,500 in recent years. Furthermore, the rapid response times, and the lack of post entry controls, leave the work permit system wide open to fraud and abuse.

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Welcome for Home Secretary's acceptance of Migrationwatch figures that net inward migration to Britain is now 180,000 a year+ illegal immigration

Giving evidence to the Home Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on September 18, the Home Secretary accepted that 180,000 per )for non EU foreign immigration) should be taken as a basis. Mrs Blunkett said that this figure (180,000) is 'a reasonable estimate of the situation.' He had earlier remarked, 'I would not criticise those who indicate that the figure is larger than the 180,000 but what I would ask them to do is to be circumspect because their information and mine is subject to enormous error.'
Asked later whether it would not be sensible for the Home Office to make some estimated about undetected asylum seekers and over stayers, Mr Blunkett said 'I am happy to hear from people as to their commitment and input into that work, including Migrationwatch.'

He had said earlier that 'I do not believe there is any point in hiding information because it merely deludes ourselves when we need to find solutions to a very, very big problem.'

The full text of his exchange with Mr David Cameron MP can be found in questions numbered 40-45 in the evidence given to the Home Affairs Committee on September 18.

Note: The Office for National Statistics have since changed all the immigration figures to fit the census result which they regard an inviolate.
We are still assessing heir methodology.

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Nine out of ten failed asylum seekers remain in the UK even if their claims fail

In evidence to the Home Affairs Committee on September 17, 2002 the Chairman of Migrationwatch UK, Sir Andrew Green, underlined the government's almost total failure to remove those who have no right to remain in this country. As a result nine out of ten asylum seekers remain
in Britain even if their claims fail.

Sir Andrew said that this was despite spending at least £600 million per
year on legal processes.

'Government attempts (in the Asylum and Immigration Bill) to speed up the legal process were meaningless if nearly all stayed anyway,' he said. 'Recent Home Office statistics revealed that in 2001 about 97,500 should have been removed but were not; this is almost the size of the British army. Over the past ten years the total had reached approximately 335,000.'
Sir Andrew explained to the Committee how Migrationwatch UK's estimate of net non-EU immigration approaching a quarter of a million a year was based largely on the Home Office's own figures. He described migration on this scale as 'unsustainable and contrary to the interests of all sections of our society.'

He called on the Government to say how many immigrants
they want and why.

'The Home Office say they have "no view" but the Treasury speak of 150,000 of working age per year. With families, this will come to two million every decade, quite apart from other categories of immigration. On present patterns, two thirds will go to London and the South East,' said Sir Andrew.
'It is hard to see that there is any policy at all - let alone one that makes sense. We already have 1.5 million unemployed and another four million whom the government wish to move from welfare to work. '

He said that a fair and effective removals policy must be at the heart of any immigration strategy if it is to be credible and command the support and acceptance of all parties involved.

'The failure to implement one, as in this case, is only storing up problems
for the future and further eroding public confidence in the whole immigration process,' he said.

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