Christopher Pincher Welcomes New Immigration Controls
Tamworth’s Member of Parliament, Christopher Pincher, has welcomed new policies announced by the Home Secretary to combat immigration abuses and to cut net migration still further.
At the end of last year Theresa May set out new plans to extend the use of interviews in visa applications instead of relying on paper applications alone.
The new measures come shortly after the latest migration statistics showed that the government’s reforms of all the routes of immigration have cut net immigration by a quarter, with the total number of visas issued is at its lowest since 2005.
Mr Pincher said, “Thanks to Conservative reforms we have already seen net migration cut by a quarter compared to last year and the total number of visas issued is now at it’s lowest since 2005.
“Under Labour immigration was out of control. It accounted for more than half the growth of the English and Welsh population between 2001 and 2011 – with total net immigration of 2.2 million.
“We have a proud history of helping those that are truly persecuted. But this new approach will help us to root out the abuse of British visas, improve the integrity of our immigration system and bring immigration under firm control so that only people who deserve to be in Britain enter Britain.
“I have spoken in two immigration debates in the last two years and will continue to encourage the government to take firm action to ensure we secure our borders and are able more easily to deport those people that should not be in Britain. It is an issue my constituents regularly raise with me.”
The new plans will extend radically the Border Agency’s interviewing programme. Starting with the highest-risk countries, and focusing on the route to Britain that is widely abused, student visas, the number of interviews will be increased considerably to more than 100,000, starting next financial year. From there the interviewing programme will be extended further across all routes to Britain.
Official statistics published on 29 November 2012 showed that net migration fell to 183,000 in the year to March 2012; down from 242,000 in the year to March 2011 (ONS, Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, 29 November 2012).
Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s new Police & Crime Commissioner, has done more in his first few weeks in office than the previous Police Authority did in the last three years.
New research has revealed that Conservatives in Government are cutting taxes for 34,224 people in Tamworth constituency in April next year and the Government will lift 1,711 local households out of tax altogether.
