Tories say they’ll impose annual visa cap to cut legal migration
The Conservatives have announced plans for a new annual cap on visas to ensure legal migration falls each year over the next parliament in their latest general election pledge.
More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel and immigration is a key campaign battleground, amid Nigel Farage’s decision to return as Reform UK leader and stand as an MP in Clacton.
The Tories’ proposed plan would give Parliament a direct role in setting levels of migration, with MPs having a vote on the number.
Rishi Sunak said: “We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.
“Labour’s migrant amnesty will make the UK a global magnet for illegal immigrants and they have no plan to reduce net migration, while we have a clear plan to stop the boats and put a legal cap on numbers.”
The Prime Minister added: “The Conservatives are the only party that is willing to take the bold action needed to cut immigration figures.”
The annual cap would be imposed on the number of visas that can be granted to those coming to the UK on work or family routes.
Temporary work routes, such as seasonal agricultural workers, would not fall within the cap.
Ministers would ask the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to recommend the level of the annual cap, and the government would then put forward a proposal to Parliament for a vote.
The Tories say they would tell the committee their aim is to reduce migration to sustainable levels, falling year-on-year over the next parliament, and that they must consider both the costs and benefits of migration.
The MAC would consult business, the NHS, local authorities and public services and provide a recommendation.
Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the proposed cap on work and family visas is a “meaningless announcement from a Tory party which has trebled net migration since the last election despite promising to bring it down”.
She said: “All they are doing now is rehashing failed announcements from David Cameron and Theresa May, while doing nothing to tackle the skills shortages and their failures in the economy and immigration system which have pushed net migration up.
“Why should anyone take seriously a promise the Tories have already repeatedly broken?
“Labour’s plan to bring net migration down will link immigration with new mandatory training and workforce plans for British workers, and stop rogue employers hiring from abroad.”
But the announcement was welcomed by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) think tank. Research director Karl Williams said: “The Conservatives’ announcement of an annual migration budget, voted on by Parliament, is a welcome step in the right direction.
“While it’s disappointing that the proposal excludes key visa routes such as student and graduate routes, the measure will improve transparency and accountability.”
He added: “The migration budget, and the more joined-up and nuanced migration data we will see as a result, will make for better evidence-based policy. It should be supported by people on all sides of the migration debate.”