Settling in the UK is not a right but a privilege

United Kingdom, 24th September: UK immigration minister Damian Green has asserted an immediate need for reforms in UK family migration system.

While presenting a research paper on 15th September to the Center for Policy Studies, Mr. Green said that the UK government is serious to curb the growing misuse of UK family migration system.

Don’t live off benefits- minister warns immigrants-Immigration minister Green has sent a warning to all immigrants coming to the UK under family migration route. He stated that immigrants who want to come to the UK and live here permanently without having any interest in the nation’s way of life are not welcomed by the UK government.

There is no place for immigrants who want to stay in the UK by living off benefits, he affirmed.

Proposals aim to curb UK family migration route misuse--Proposals already underway are aimed to help misuse of UK family migrant visa route while allowing all those immigrants who have the intention to contribute positively towards the UK economy, the minister said.

As per a recent UK report on family migration, around two-third of immigrants granted UK marriage visas in the year 2009 had not visited this nation before taking a decision to come and live here permanently.

The report further maintains that nearly eight out of ten immigrants hailing from Pakistan and Bangladesh coming to the UK in 2004 under UK family migrant visa route had settled in the UK permanently within a span of five years while the number of Australians settling in the UK permanently in the same year was said to be around 10 percent.

And around twenty percent of UK marriage visa applicants’ sponsors were either without jobs or earned below national minimum wages. Moreover, around 37 percent of such applicants lived with their friends or family members.

All such issues are of vital importance and need to be tackled by introducing suitable reforms in the UK family marriage visa route, Green informed.

So, the aim of new UK family migration route will be to make sure that the UK allows only those immigrants who are beneficial to the communities and the UK economy as a whole, he clarified.