In numbers: New immigration rules could make UK citizenship harder to attain than US

25 comments

1. There’s a lot of wailing over this, but has anyone actually looked at the migration figures?

   They went off the scale at the end of 2019. We’re currently at 900,000 NET migration a year. It’s simply unsustainable.

2. > Net migration to the UK remains far above its pre-Brexit level, when it stood at around 200,000 to 250,000.

   Sounds like Brexit was a roaring success for people that wanted to reduce immigration. I’m sure Farage’s ideas and policies will work now.

3. It was already harder and offers fewer benefits. (Source: I naturalised in both Uk and USA)

4. I’ll wait to see how it affects; I don’t believe the government will do a full ten year ilr across the board. More likely specific carve outs for different sectors and different visas. I really doubt there will also be a cliff edge drop like many are fearing in this thread. Sunak wasn’t able to do it with dependant visas, Starmer won’t. My bet is a gradule increase across a couple of years.

   However, if they do implement this even for care workers and skilled worker visas. Its actually huge and will drop immigration substantially.

5. So? The UK, and especially England where most immigrants end up, has a lot less space than the US.

6. The average Brit can barely get a work Visa in the U.S, unless you tick some very specific boxes. Seems hard to believe that U.S Citizenship would somehow become any easier than the UK.

7. In some senses US citizenship is extremely easy to attain. There are 50000 “lottery” places every year. I’m not saying it’s “easy” to get a place, but when you get a lottery place there’s no other requirement for you to meet.

8. Even if illegal migration makes up 10% of the figures THAT’S what the PM should be focusing on – not punishing those who come here and contribute

9. The UK is a much smaller country with far bigger housing pressures. It should be harder to get into the US.

10. I am a migrant on a skilled worker visa, planning to apply for indefinite leave to remain in 2028. Now I may have to wait until 2033. I’m a reasonably high earner, pay my taxes, hardly use the NHS, volunteer in my local community and have integrated with British society. This has really pulled the rug out from under my feet for me and my spouse and our future plans

11. So they want to keep skilled workers away but keep letting ilegal inmigrants flooding the UK? Amazing /s

12. Some common sense items to reduce people bring their families over without meeting certain requirements. But changing from 5 to 10 years citizenship is crazy, it’s will also drive skilled workers away from making the UK their home. And it’s total nonsense saying brits will pickup the jobs, they could today and don’t, so why will they tomorrow?

13. I’m fine with this

    Honestly given how insane it’s been under the Tories we really need a complete pause for a few years

14. IT engineer on Skilled Worker Visa here. I’m on higher tax bracket and pay quite a bit on taxes over the other expenses my company had to pay for the visa. I understand why this needs to be implemented and agree that the current rate of immigration is not sustainable (was surprised that a lot of measures announced were not in place).

    My visa comes with many conditions, mainly I can’t do any other work (full or part time), switch jobs, or get any benefits (NHS is not a benefit since we pay surcharge for it when getting visa, also I have good private medical so most people like me use that instead). And from my company, I do feel they put me on the lower end of the band when it comes to promotions or increments despite what feedback I get due to the additional expenses they spend.

    I’m not sure how this is going to affect people like me, but I’m not going to stick around 10 years to find out simply because its too much time filled with uncertainty (what if the laws change again in that time).

15. Honestly I want to help people but even I can see the negative effects migration is having on the country now.

    I am old enough to remember things being better at a time and honestly I now feel a number of things but mainly the facts around safety.

    My wife has been grabbed on 3 separate occasions by immigrant men and luckily one of those times I was not far behind so got to throw him against a wall.

    I understand the benefit it can somewhat have to the economy but my main sticking point is that women are now less safe than ever it seems.

    I hear horror story’s of people on nights out being attacked or intimidated, it has to stop and these people instantly removed.

16. It was actually already harder, just not on the basis of the time you’d have to wait. The US system is actually a cheaper process and laxer on financial requirements than the UK’s already was. It just has a fucking massive backlog so realistically you would be waiting a decade to get approved.

17. But look at all the benefits you receive in the UK compared to the U.S.

18. Irrelevant. Why is this a headline? Is Independent intentionally doing propaganda for mass immigration?

19. are they taking lessons from trump or afd in germany?

20. The problem you have is when it comes to Universities. A lot of jobs in Universities and most of their income comes from foreign students. They simply don’t make anywhere near the same amount of money from British students.

21. Both me and my partner came here legally and were seriously considering making a life here but this pretty much puts all that to a halt. We don’t want to go back to fascist USA but it doesn’t seem like we are welcome here. We both contribute and pay out a lot to be here. It’s extremely disheartening to see the xenophobic attitudes still strong in the UK. I get that immigration is unsustainable currently but this plan will hurt those who are wanting to be here legally way more than those who are refugees. 

22. Good. For every skilled engineer or scientist there are 1000 care workers and deliveroo riders with 2-5 dependants each. The fact is those that contribute highly are unseen and unsung, but the pressures of mass migration has made living here worse for everyone – natives and migrants alike.

23. Immigration isn’t the problem it’s illegal immigration people want stopped.

24. Any other migrants here that are fine with the change and perhaps happy with the change?

    Or am I alone.

25. That’s for legal migration and acquisition of documents and eventually the citizenship. What about boats full of illegals that have no passport that come here by force with no vetting or background checks? They could be gang rapists, drug dealers, murderers for all we know.

    Why does the government not take drastic measures like the US? It’s too late to reason and talk it out. It’s way too late for empathy and compassion. The country is in shambles and another few years will make it at a point of no return where Islam and Sharia Law will be common practice with natives being enslaved by the ethnic minorities. Girls will be raped, violence and murders will be common practice on the daily and nothing will be done about it because Muslim officials will have positions of power favoring their own, regardless of how heinous their crimes might have been.

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