London:
A leading group representing professionals from India and other non-European Union countries has said that Britain's efforts to tighten immigration should not mean the retrospective application of new laws.
The government last week unveiled a draft bill that seeks to further tighten immigration rules, including the new concept of migrants being granted 'permission' to enter or stay in the UK.
Expressing concern, Amit Kapadia, executive director of the Highly Skilled Migrants Forum, said introducing new laws often resulted in targeting existing migrants who were responsible tax payers and law-abiding residents. Migrants have to satisfy the requirements of the points-based system before they can enter, work and stay in the UK.
"In view of the current economic climate, there could be instances of migrants losing their jobs and we believe that these circumstances must be taken into consideration when deciding on whether or not they will be 'permitted' to continuously live in this country," Kapadia said. The new shortage occupation list, he said, would significantly reduce the number of foreign employees, which will affect many existing migrants' immigration status.
"It is not justified on the government's part to exercise its powers of expulsion indiscriminately, especially if these migrants were unaware of the changing circumstances when they first made their application," Kapadia said. "It is our concern that the new draft bill, which intends to introduce the new streamlined power of expulsion, would further abuse human rights laws and would unfairly penalise honest and hard-working migrants just as the Citizenship and Immigration Act which was passed in July 2009 will do," he added.
Kapadia said any effort to introduce new laws retrospectively "will force migrants to agitate against the unfairness of the system".
The government last week unveiled a draft bill that seeks to further tighten immigration rules, including the new concept of migrants being granted 'permission' to enter or stay in the UK.
Expressing concern, Amit Kapadia, executive director of the Highly Skilled Migrants Forum, said introducing new laws often resulted in targeting existing migrants who were responsible tax payers and law-abiding residents. Migrants have to satisfy the requirements of the points-based system before they can enter, work and stay in the UK.
"In view of the current economic climate, there could be instances of migrants losing their jobs and we believe that these circumstances must be taken into consideration when deciding on whether or not they will be 'permitted' to continuously live in this country," Kapadia said. The new shortage occupation list, he said, would significantly reduce the number of foreign employees, which will affect many existing migrants' immigration status.
"It is not justified on the government's part to exercise its powers of expulsion indiscriminately, especially if these migrants were unaware of the changing circumstances when they first made their application," Kapadia said. "It is our concern that the new draft bill, which intends to introduce the new streamlined power of expulsion, would further abuse human rights laws and would unfairly penalise honest and hard-working migrants just as the Citizenship and Immigration Act which was passed in July 2009 will do," he added.
Kapadia said any effort to introduce new laws retrospectively "will force migrants to agitate against the unfairness of the system".
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