Prime Minister Boris – his record on immigration
In terms of immigration, the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his colleagues from the Leave Campaign have already talked about their plans for an Australian points-based system. But what does he mean, and why doesn’t he know we already have a points-based system?
system already in place
In Australia, potential migrants are scored on their age, skills, qualifications, and crucially whether they have a job offer. Our current Tier 2 system works in exactly the same way for non-EU skilled migrants. Applicants must show they are the best candidate for a particular job which has a minimum salary requirement, and have met the job’s qualifications.
However, once we have Brexit (with or without a Deal), it will mean the end of free movement for EU citizens and it is expected that the ‘Australian’ system will be implemented for them as well.
As the former Mayor of London, Boris will know how important it is to allow skilled migrants to come to the UK to bolster our economy and international standing.
Immigration Voting record
Using information from TheyWorkFor You (publicwhip.org.uk), we examine other aspects of the new PM’s previous voting record on immigration policy.
Johnson is in favour of stronger enforcement of the immigration rules and supports a stricter asylum system.
- He has voted against giving asylum seekers permission to work if a decision on their application takes over six months.
- He is in favour of restricting support to failed asylum seekers and illegal migrants, and voted against the proposed ban on detaining of pregnant women. It is worth noting that Australia has an offshore refugee processing centre. Would this be something that would be considered here?
- He also originally voted against protecting the rights of citizens of the EU and their family members who were resident in the UK on referendum day in 2016.
‘One-man melting pot’
Personally, Johnson holds dual nationality, as he was born in New York, and is an American and British citizen. His paternal great-grandfather was Turkish, and he has Russian-Jewish heritage on his mother’s side. He has described himself as a ‘one-man melting pot’.
However, during the 2016 referendum, he spoke out about the danger of Turkey joining the EU and said ‘the only way to avoid having common borders with Turkey is to vote Leave and take back control.’
We await the announcement of the new Immigration Minister who replaces Caroline Nokes, and details of Johnson’s future immigration policy.
