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earliest opportunity. Over 1.9 million EEA/Swiss citizens have already received settled or pre-settled
status. 57
• Allowing international students to stay in the UK for two years after graduating to help them find a
job. International students who have successfully completed a degree from a trusted UK university or
higher education provider will be able to stay in the UK for two years to find work. 58
• Introducing a new NHS Visa, offering fast-track entry to the UK for qualified overseas doctors and
nurses under more generous terms. It will provide a three to five-year work visa with a fast-track
decision, a larger dedicated advice service for applicants, and reduced upfront fees. We have already
removed doctors and nurses from the Tier 2 visa cap. 59
• Ensured that people come to the UK for the right reasons and clamped down on illegal immigration.
We have previously imposed tougher rules for sponsor international students, limited access to benefits
for migrants and stopped people sending benefits home. We also introduced measures to prevent illegal
immigrants from accessing public services like our NHS, as well as housing, driving licences and bank
accounts. We have introduced sanctions on illegal workers and rogue employers, who often take advantage
of vulnerable migrants, and made it easier and quicker to remove people with no right to be here. 60
Political points to make
• Labour’s official policy is to maintain and extend freedom of movement – meaning uncontrolled and
unlimited immigration. Labour’s Conference voted for a motion which said Labour will include
maintaining and extending freedom of movement in their next manifesto. 61
• John McDonnell has repeatedly advocated for ‘open borders’. In 2013 he said: ‘If we’re a civilised
society we should have open borders… It should be a basic human right’. In 2016 he wrote: ‘Inevitably in
this century we will have open borders… borders are almost going to become irrelevant by the end of this
century, so we should be preparing for that’. 62
• Labour’s plan for unlimited and uncontrolled immigration could see net migration treble to 840,000.
Extending freedom of movement to the rest of the world then it would see annual net migration soaring to
840,000 a year over the next decade. 63
Q&A
Q: Will net migration fall or rise under the new immigration system?
Overall, we would like to see net migration fall. Under our new points-based immigration system, fewer low
skilled migrants will come to the country and the British people will have control over who is coming here.
We still want the best and brightest coming here and contributing to our economy – whether that’s by starting
a business, studying or working in our public services.
57
Home Office, EU Settlement Scheme Statistics, 14 November 2019, link.
58
Prime Minister’s Office, News Story, 11 September 2019, link.
59
UK Visas and Immigration, News Story, 15 June 2018, link.
60
Prime Minister’s Office, Press Release, 29 July 2014, link; HMT/DWP, News Story, 8 April 2014, link; Immigration Act 2014, accessed 23 September 2018, link;
Immigration Act 2016, accessed 23 September 2018, link.
61
LabourList, 25 September 2019, link.
62
South London Peoples Assembly, YouTube, 7 August 2013, link; The Telegraph, 1 February 2016, link.
63
The Sun, 14 November 2019, link; The Telegraph, 14 November 2019, link.
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