19th January, 2009

The Daily Express has reported an attack on Gordon Brown’s immigration policy as the UK plans to open its borders to a further 130,000 migrants this year despite unemployment reaching it highest level in decades.

Former Labour minister Frank Field said that Gordon Brown could not be “taken seriously” on plans to safe-guard British jobs if ministers let in at least 130,000 non-EU jobseekers this year. Mr Field recognised the Prime Minister’s good intentions in pledging to create 100,000 jobs for British people but said they were totally undermined by his party’s immigration policy.

In a letter to Gordon Brown, Mr Field claimed that under Labour’s new points-based system (PBS), tens of thousands of “highly skilled” migrants from countries such as India are free to enter the UK to look for work and that employers are free to bring in foreign workers for thousands more jobs without having to advertise for British workers first.

In fact this is completely inaccurate. A labour residency test prevents jobs that can be filled by British residents being taken by non-EU migrants. If an occupation doesn’t appear on the shortage occupation list, employers are obligated to first advertise the position to UK and EU workers. They are only allowed to offer these positions to non-EU migrants IF they can prove that resident workers can’t fill the position.

A labour residency test has always been attached to a work permit application. This remains the same under the new PBS. Non-EU workers are not just allowed into the UK. They must have an employer and job offer after the labour residency test is completed or the migrant must be very highly skilled and able to fill a job gap in the UK that is desperately needed.