Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with diversity in modern Britain

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The White Paper carries specific proposals on:

Citizenship & Nationality - proposals include:

A new Citizenship Pledge, modernising the current Oath of Allegiance sworn by those taking British nationality and bringing it into the 21st century;

Ensuring that language skills and knowledge about British society become a requirement of citizenship; New citizenship ceremonies that will end the "mail order" approach to acquiring British nationality, giving meaning and value to the acquisition of British citizenship.

Mr Blunkett said:

"I believe it is fundamentally important that people living in the UK on a permanent basis should be able to take a full and active role in our society. We should value, promote and give real content to the acquisition of British nationality and the process of integration."

"Evidence suggest that migrants who are fluent in English, are, on average, 20 per cent more likely to be employed than those lacking such skills. To encourage this, we will ask that applicants for naturalisation to demonstrate a certain standard of language. At the same time, we will require knowledge about British society and institutions for those taking on citizenship - helping us secure integration with diversity."

Working in the UK:

The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme - a system in which highly skilled migrants get points for the skills, knowledge and experience they have in order to work in the UK - so that we can attract the best of the world's brainpower.

Measures to enable foreign students who have graduated in the UK, student nurses, postgraduate doctors and dentists, to switch into work permit employment;

Reform of short term casual and seasonal labour - building on the principles of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme (SAWS) to ensure that sectors with short term labour needs can recruit the staff they need;

Reform of the working holidaymakers scheme, with a consultation document looking at ways to make it less restrictive, open to all skill levels, and available to the EU accession candidate countries Ministers of Religion- encouragement for qualified foreign nationals already in the UK to apply, so that postholders are not drawn disproportionately from those outside the UK who may have very limited knowledge of British society and our fundamental values. For those entering the UK ensuring they have an understanding and appreciation of the language and culture of the UK;

Better regulation of work permit advisory services.
Mr Blunkett said:

"We are not a "fortress Britain". We are an open, trading economy, and we need to ensure that we can recruit the people we need to compete and prosper in the new global economy."

"But we need to be hard headed and realistic about the impact of clandestine entry and illegal working on our social cohesion and fair working practices. I am determined to balance a new comprehensive and holistic approach to managed migration by a tough, competent and clear process for dealing with claims from those wishing to remain in the UK."

Asylum Policy-Ensuring End to End Credibility- proposals include:

A radical new system of induction, accommodation, reporting and removal centres to secure a seamless asylum process which monitors and provides the appropriate measures at every stage of the process;

A resettlement programme, operated with the UNHCR, to establish legal gateways for certified refugees in need of protection, avoiding dangerous and highly visible illegal methods of entry.

The Application Registration Card - launched last week that will prevent fraud and provide more secure evidence of identity and nationality;

Tough measures to prevent delay and obstruction in the appeals system and unmeritorious applications for judicial reviews - including making the Immigration Appeals Tribunal a Superior Court of Record; setting closure dates on appeals to stop multiple adjournments; tighter time limits on appeals; and measures to ensure the merits test for public funding of legal representation is being applied properly;

A 50 per cent expansion in the number of appeals that can be heard every month;

An increase of 40 per cent in secure removals centre places to 4,000 by Spring 2003;

Refugee Integration - cutting out bureaucratic delay with simplified integration procedures;

A new Immigration Hotline - through which members of the public can report immigration offences;

Mr Blunkett said:

"Last year, I outlined radical reform of how we will deal with asylum seekers in this country, and work is already underway to put my new systems in place. The new end-to-end system will be properly managed and effectively operated. We will cut out abuse at the same time as we provide basic fairness and dignity to asylum seekers."

"Trust and confidence in the asylum system is vital for our social cohesion. Our changes to the process will ensure that claims are dealt with fairly and swiftly, while people who have exhausted the immigration process and no longer have the legal right to live in the UK, will not remain here.

"It is often too difficult for those who have a well founded fear of persecution to arrive legally in the UK to seek our help. We propose to develop ways in which some refugees will have their claim considered before they reach the UK. With these procedures in place, they will then be able to travel here in safety and on arrival receive help and protection.

"However, this country will not tolerate so called "asylum shopping".

"We expect the international community, and in particular our European neighbours, to share the global responsibility to those that are in need of help."

Tackling Fraud-People Trafficking, Illegal Entry and Illegal Working- proposals include:

A new 14 year penalty for people trafficking to tackle, in particular the sexual exploitation of women;

14 year penalty for facilitating illegal entry, as announced by the Home Secretary on 15/01/02;

Improved enforcement action to tackle illegal working;

Cracking down on organised crime through prevention strategies in source and transit countries and targeting criminals through intelligence and enforcement operations;

Information campaign to target would-be employers of illegal workers;

Co-operating robustly, practically and extensively with EU partners;

Dealing compassionately with victims of trafficking.

Mr Blunkett said:

"We want to put an end to the trade in human misery. Our laws will be strengthened so that those who exploit vulnerable individuals will be detected and punished."

Border Controls- measures will build on:

Increased deployment of Airline Liaison Officers and Immigration Officers overseas to check and help prevent improperly documented passengers travelling to the UK;

Visa regimes for nationals of countries where there is evidence of systematic abuse of our controls;

Increased use of biometric, x/gamma ray scanners and up to date technology at ports and airports.

Mr Blunkett said:

"Our aim is to ensure that both residents and genuine visitors to the UK pass as quickly as possible through our border Immigration Control.

"Using intelligence abroad is stopping many entering the UK illegally - during 2001, 22,515 passengers, carrying inadequate documents, were denied boarding by carriers at Airline Liaison Officer (ALO) locations.

"However, we do not take the enormity of the task of securing our borders lightly, and we are committed to continued investment in new technology and intelligence to combat clandestine entry into the UK."

Marriage and Family visits- proposals include:

Tackling sham marriages - an increase in the probationary period for marriage from one to two years, helping to tackle the problem of abusive and forced marriages, as well as fraud;

Consulting on a "no switching" policy to stop people applying to remain on the basis of marriage after entering the UK as a visitor or in a temporary capacity for less than 6 months. In 1999, 76% of those granted leave to remain on the basis of marriage had entered for another purpose, and 50% of those who switched into marriage did so within 6 months of entry into the UK.

Modernising Immigration Rules for unmarried partners.

Mr Blunkett said:

"Fraudulent marriages are a growing problem in our immigration system. And forced marriages abuse the rights of women in this country. So we need to get tough, changing the rules and following up reports of abuse with enforcement action.