UK to Impose Visa Penalties to Speed Up Deportations of Illegal Migrants
More foreign criminals will also be removed sooner with changes to the Early Removal Scheme, under which foreign national criminals will now be eligible for removal up to 12 months before the end of their custodial sentence, as opposed to nine months.
London, October 18: The British government will use new powers to impose visa penalties on countries that refuse to take back illegal migrants into the UK, under reforms in its Nationality and Borders Bill.
Under the new legislation, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel will be able to take a tougher stance on countries that do not cooperate with deportations and removals, by suspending visas entirely, imposing a GBP 190 surcharge on applications to come to the UK or increasing visa processing times.
India is believed to not fall within this spectrum following a "bespoke" Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) signed between the two countries earlier this year, which included "swifter and more efficient returns" of illegal migrants. Russia Suspends Its Mission to NATO in Response to Expulsion of 8 Russian Members.
"The UK has a proud history of being open to the world but we rightly expect our international partners to work with us to remove those who have no right to be in the UK, such as dangerous foreign national offenders," Patel said in a statement last week.
"It is unfair on UK citizens and taxpayers that pressure is put on our public services by foreign nationals with no legal right to be here. Through my New Plan for Immigration, and this landmark legislation, I will continue to take the difficult action needed to fix our broken asylum system and deliver on what the British people want – full control of our borders,” she said.
According to UK media reports, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Eritrea and the Philippines are among the countries seen as reluctant to cooperate on the issue of deportation of their citizens living in the UK illegally.
The new powers are intended to incentivise all countries to cooperate with the removal of their nationals who have no legal right to be in the UK. The Home Office says these measures will help prevent dangerous illegal journeys into the UK and break the business model of the criminal gangs exploiting people.
More foreign criminals will also be removed sooner with changes to the Early Removal Scheme, under which foreign national criminals will now be eligible for removal up to 12 months before the end of their custodial sentence, as opposed to nine months.
"The New Plan for Immigration provides the only long-term solution to fix our broken asylum system, and we are taking another step forward in delivering on this commitment as our Nationality and Borders Bill continues its passage through Parliament," said Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration.
"We are ensuring our system is fair for those who play by the rules, but firm on foreign criminals and those in our country illegally. We have brought forward the most significant reforms to the immigration and asylum system in decades," he said. Afghanistan Crisis: Afghans Struggling To Cope With Winter Season Amid Price Hike.
Other UK government amendments expected to be tabled in the Parliament over the coming week include: introducing a "robust" approach to age assessment to better identify children seeking asylum and stop adults accessing children's services; and legislation to establish an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Scheme, in line with the government's ambition to secure the border.
Once introduced, carriers will need to check that all passengers (except British and Irish citizens) have a digital authorisation or some other form of permission before they can travel to the UK.
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