Boris Johnson’s Australian-style points system to push skilled migrant workers to Northern towns
MIGRANTS hoping to move to Britain will be given help if they settle in Northern towns away from London.
Workers will be judged on a new Australian-style points system and will get preferential treatment if they head to less affluent areas outside of the south east.
HELP TO MOVE
The Home Secretary Priti Patel says the policy – part of a new Immigration Bill that will be announced in today’s Queen’s Speech – is to ensure that Leave constituencies across the country receive a fair share of skilled workers.
A source told the : “A lot of the areas that voted to leave have seen huge numbers of unskilled migrants moving in, while the more highly educated workers have piled into London.
“While nobody is against opening the country up to more high-skilled immigration, the benefits have to be spread more evenly.
“We’re in the early days of drawing up the new points-based immigration system, but are thinking about how it could be designed to make sure places other than London feel the benefits.”
We’re in the early days of drawing up the new points-based immigration system, but are thinking about how it could be designed to make sure places other than London feel the benefits.
No10 source
Ms Patel – who announced the government’s plan to end freedom of movement at the Tory party conference – made the policy move after being inspired by Australia’s immigration system.
There migrants are given points for their linguistic skills, with 20 credits given for those with ‘superior’ English, 10 for ‘proficient’ and none for ‘competent’.
Different professions are also favoured over others - with doctors, nurses and computer programmers all given preferential treatment.
No10 plans to jet in officials from Down Under to help implement the new system and Ms Patel met with her counterpart Peter Dutton for talks earlier this month.
Her drastic new immigration policy comes as Boris Johnson plans to reveal a crackdown on foreign criminals.
BO-JO'S CRACKDOWN
The PM’s quest to “restore confidence” in the justice system will be at the heart of the Queen’s Speech today.
The package of 22 bills will include legislation to keep serious criminals in prison for longer, impose tougher sentences on foreign offenders who return to the UK and provide better protection for victims of domestic abuse.
They will sit alongside measures intended to invest in the NHS, strengthen environmental protections and raise living standards through increasing the national living wage to £10.50 an hour.
Deterring foreign criminals from re-entering the country and putting those that do behind bars for longer will make our country safer.
Priti Patel
At the same time ministers are preparing to rush through a bill to ratify any Brexit deal Mr Johnson is able to agree this week in Brussels in time for Britain to leave on the EU on October 31.
Ms Patel said: "We have been a soft touch on foreign criminals for too long.
"The sentence for breaching a deportation order is far too low at the moment and many criminals conclude that it's worth trying to get back in the country when all you get is a slap on the wrist.
"Deterring foreign criminals from re-entering the country and putting those that do behind bars for longer will make our country safer."
MOST READ IN POLITICS
There will be legislation making it easier for police to arrest internationally wanted fugitives who are the subject of an Interpol Red notice without the need to apply for a UK arrest warrant, a process that can take a minimum of six to eight hours.
Initially it will only apply to those issued by a limited number of countries with trusted justice systems, the other members of the Five Eyes intelligence group, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and two non-EU European states, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
However the Government will be able to add other countries by statutory instrument.
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