We are winning borders battle

‘Those who come to live here should speak English, obey the law and pay taxes’

Writing exclusively for the Oldham Chronicle, Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas, says the UK is tackling illegal immigration and economic migration, while staying a safe haven for refugees.

Mr Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, believes that while the economy needs some skilled workers, people with no right to be here should be deported.

Here he sets out his view.

Last week, the UK Border Agency with Greater Manchester Police detained 23 suspected illegal workers in a large-scale operation on clothing manufacturers suspected of employing illegal workers.

Eight employers were served with potentially hefty fines.

This is just one of hundreds of operations that take place each year across the region.

Since April, over 900 people who had no right to be in the UK have been removed from the North-West.

No one disputes the rights of those fleeing persecution to claim asylum here — this country has a long and proud history as a safe haven for refugees.

And while no one can deny that the economy still needs workers from abroad who offer skills that are not widely found in the UK workforce, we are ensuring training is available for people across the UK.

The NHS and businesses like universities, manufacturing, and catering firms depend on people from overseas to fill posts they simply can’t recruit for in the UK.

But economic migration must be carefully controlled. And those who come to live here should speak English, obey the law and pay taxes.

We will aim to remove those who have no right to be here. Failed asylum seekers, overstayers and foreign national prisoners who have no right to be here are, on the whole, removed.

Over the last few years, we have implemented some of the most advanced strategies for dealing with immigration in the world — for the benefit of the North-West and the UK as a whole.

The majority of asylum claims are now dealt with within six months — including the time it takes to deport failed claimants back to their home country.

The Australian-style points based system gives us greater control over who comes here to work and study — so we have the flexibility to meet the needs of the economy, but without putting local jobs at risk.

This has allowed us to help us through difficult times. Non-European low-skilled workers are not allowed into the UK. Most importantly, we have strengthened the border. Electronic border controls count people in and out of the country. UK Border Agency staff work in 135 countries across the world, preventing known criminals or illegal immigrants from entering the UK well before they reach British soil.

Visas and ID cards for foreign nationals that contain fingerprint data are reducing the risk of identity fraud.

We are introducing local immigration teams to work with local people and businesses and act on local concerns about immigration.

Teams in Manchester and Salford, Merseyside and Cheshire have already acted against illegal working, closed a college bringing bogus students into the country, and have built links with organisations representing refugees fleeing from danger.

It’s a far cry from where we were 20, even 10 years ago — the system for controlling immigration and asylum developed in the 80s and 90s simply couldn’t cope with the huge increase of asylum claims, which took years not months to process.

There were 80 different ways to get a work permit for overseas workers to choose from — so there was no clear link between the needs of the economy and who was coming to work here.

There’s no question that over the last 50 years, the North-West, and the UK as a whole have benefited socially, culturally and economically from immigration.

But there has never been an open door policy as the far right claim.

Today, the public can be confident that, for the sake both of legitimate immigrants and existing communities, we now have the some of the best systems in the world to control immigration — preserving and strengthening our communities now and for the future.