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Author: Andrew Turner's Office

MP Welcomes Crack Down On Bogus Migrants and Visas

2:54 pm Thursday, 24th March, 2011, Isle of Wight

ShortURL: http://wig.ht/bogusvisas
Read More- Education, News, Overseas, Politics

This in from Andrew Turner’s office, in their own words. Ed

The Home Secretary, Theresa May has announced that the Government will tackle abuses in the system for student visas and migrant workers.

Speaking to the House on Tuesday, Mrs May described the need to stop the abuses, defend Britain’s world class institutions, and protect real students from poor quality, “bogus” colleges.

Mrs May reassured the House of Commons stating, “The message to the brightest and the best students around the globe is clear – Britain’s world class universities remain open for business.

“Legitimate colleges should still be able to recruit legitimate overseas students. But we need to stop the abuse and return some common sense to our student visa system.”

Previous Government allowed too many here
The Island’s MP Andrew Turner said, “It is clear that the previous Government made a complete mess of the system by allowing too many people to come here, both legal and illegal, and did nothing about it. Now, at last, we are tackling the problems. Many Islanders are concerned about the uncontrolled immigration that is changing the nature of our country. I will keep a very close eye on these promises.”

The main concern still revolves around immigration. The proposals aim to reduce the net migration from hundreds of thousands back down to tens of thousands, drastically cutting the numbers coming to the UK from non-EU countries. The majority of migrants arrive in the UK through the student route.

Abuse will be tackled
The Home Secretary has plans to tackle abuse of the system by non-EU migrants who come to the UK under the pretext of “student” and whose dependents accounted for nearly two thirds of visas issued last year.

The new proposals will:

  • Cut the number of visas issued to non-EU students by up to 80,000 each year, nearly 25% of the total
  • Target untrustworthy institutions through a proper system of accreditation
  • Enforce stricter regulation and caps on student visas.

Entry requirement will also toughen as students must be able to show:

  • A high level of proven English language skills
  • Financial means to sustain themselves and any dependents

Image: Curtis Palmer under CC BY 2.0

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12 readers' comments to the “MP Welcomes Crack Down On Bogus Migrants and Visas” story

  1. +8 Click if you like this comment Paul Miller
    says:

    This must have been a very ‘hard’ issue for AT not to jump into with both feet.

    It’s good job he doesn’t have to worry about the 400+ million EU citizens who could turn up at his offices tomorrow, completely legally, asking for directions to ‘benefit’ TICs.

    Offensive comment?

  2. +14 Click if you like this comment JC
    says:

    Yawn. Another diversionary tactic to deflect the voting population away from the rape of our public services.

    The immigration issue is always a winner with the Daily Mail and Express type who think that anyone foreign is subhuman.

    However, look at the guys who run the valet in East St in Ryde (Poles, I think). They work very hard and are doing a job no english teen or 20 something would dream of doing. They are making a success of it too by the looks of how busy they are.

    Anyway at £9K per year for a Uni course, we might need to fill our educational establishments up with immigrants so they don’t close!

    Offensive comment?

  3. +7 Click if you like this comment Meursault
    says:

    Cheap soundbite.

    There are plenty more pressing things to deal with AT.

    Offensive comment?

  4. +6 Click if you like this comment Lilly
    says:

    Thanks again to Andrew for letting us know what his views are, makes it crystal clear on how to vote next time. This crackdown on visas etc. will have a direct effect on higher education and subsiduary outlets that employ many people in this country – cutting immigration at the expense of peoples jobs is lunacy. This country has been enriched by immigrants that worked hard, engaged with local communities in a positive way and paid their way in the UK. Education is never wasted. Its sad this Government is only interested in attracting the filthy rich, they’ll be able to buy their way in (no matter how they made their money), if you’re poor you won’t.

    Offensive comment?

  5. +5 Click if you like this comment Steephill Jack
    says:

    “Many Islanders are concerned about the uncontrolled immigration that is changing the nature of our country”
    But it hasn’t changed the Isle of Wight much, apart from a few Jutes still hanging around.

    Offensive comment?

    • +3 Click if you like this comment Fast 'n' Bulbous
      says:

      Aye, but what have the Jutes ever done for us, eh? Apart from garden twine. Coming over here with their fancy long boats, taking our jobs and women. What would the blessed Diana say?

      Offensive comment?

      • +4 Click if you like this comment Steephill Jack
        says:

        The Jutes resisted Christianity and kept the Saxons away until the Island was invaded, annexed to Wessex and forced by the sword to become Christian. It was ethnic cleansing of the worst kind.
        The Jutes may have failed in the end, but they resisted. And don’t forget that taxes came in with the tithes (10%) to support the Christian church. It has been downhill ever since.
        I don’t know why Andrew Turner keeps bashing the ferry companies: if we didn’t have ferries we wouldn’t have immigrants.

        Offensive comment?

  6. +10 Click if you like this comment Steve Goodman
    says:

    I am reminded that we will soon be paying for twice as many parliamentary representatives. Will the sevice improve, I wonder…
    In January AT said he would reply to my questions; I’m still waiting, so I must have asked the right questions.
    The following is a copy of a letter I sent as a result (initially to Private Eye), which I think is self-explanatory.

    Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:03:13 +0000

    On Jan.6th at a public meeting concerning the intended closure of most of our libraries, our MP upset many of those who voted for him by supporting imminent service cuts on the grounds that there is no alternative. Although I was one of many unable to speak before the meeting was closed, I stopped him before he left and asked him why his government was cutting services while giving huge tax breaks to big business, continuing to commit to disastrous PFI contracts, & allowing business as usual for the bankers whose failures were paid for by the taxpayers. He told me that he was unaware of the detail of my assertions, & asked me to provide information enabling him to reply; apparently he reads the Times & Mail but not the Eye.

    The following morning our island weekly newspaper (page 2 of the IOW County Press, 7th Jan.) reported his resolution to get the message to us that we should back what the government is doing to steer the country into calmer financial waters, and that people on the island need to understand the financial situation nationally as well as locally and how the government is trying hard to turn things around.

    As he seemed not to understand the situation himself, I attended his Jan.14th surgery with recent copies of the Eye, & directed his attention to several relevant reports. Among other things I asked why our government was cutting services & jobs but not collecting taxes, particularly from big businesses, and whether the many tax collectors sacrificed as an efficiency measure despite apparently collecting much more than they cost us would be replaced. Banker’s bail-outs & bonuses, and the return of our money for better use were also mentioned. To enable him to provide a knowledgeable answer to my questions I suggested that he contact you for the help he needs, and left with the impression that he might well do so. I reported the possibility of contact from him soon after our meeting, by calling your office.

    If he has still not yet sought your help, would you be prepared to remind him of the facts causing concern to many of his constituents?

    Regards

    P.S. If he is, or does become, an Eye subscriber (on expenses or otherwise) would you please ask him to tell us; I’d rather be doing something other than helping him with his reading.
    Perhaps he could also provide copies to our libraries to assist the understanding of the financial situation he’d like us to have.

    …Back to the present.
    I note that our Cons. member & our Cons. council continue not to appear to be the best of friends.
    I also note that they maintain the Cons. TINA line. (“there is no alternative”). For an obvious sensible alternative, Google False Accounting.

    If you are still reading this, and are concerned about the continuing damage being inflicted upon us, at our expense, please do something about it. If you are undecided, you might like to attend the public meeting next Wednesday evening at the Newport Riverside Centre.
    Alternatively, you might find that attending a council meeting & seeing for yourself just how things are run here is quite illuminating.

    Offensive comment?

  7. +9 Click if you like this comment keithybaby
    says:

    I’d rather the Government targeted the big firms that use our cheap high street workforce and take our consumer spending but then avoid paying tax in the UK. Just what do they do for our society? We’re talking big household names, not back street crooks. Let’s have a return of UK tax paying companies to our high streets and close all UK controlled off shore tax havens.

    Offensive comment?

  8. +7 Click if you like this comment lilly
    says:

    I noticed on the news last night Nick ‘dropped a clegg’ leaving his mike on so we caught his chummy words to Cameron about not having anything to debate, they’re on the same wave length (just in case you hadn’t noticed already). Old news that they share so much in common. They were being filmed in ‘Boots’ another of our lovely tax evading high street shops. UK Uncut targeted them a little while back, they won’t be forgotten.

    Offensive comment?

  9. +2 Click if you like this comment ABC
    says:

    Knowing Andrew Turner’s views on foreigners coming to work and live in the UK, there is a shock headline on the Gazette website today. It reads: ISLAND’S MP WELCOMES MIGRANT

    What’s this, our xenophobic MP has had a dramatic change of heart? Unfortunately not so because when the story is ‘opened’ the full headline is revealed – ISLAND’S MP WELCOMES MIGRANT CRACKDOWN

    Offensive comment?

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