At the opening of the autumn session of Parliament, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper laid out a series of measures to supposedly crack down on immigration, while at the same time announcing plans to bring more alleged refugees into the country, including from Gaza, and to extend the right to stay in the country for Ukrainian asylum seekers.
In an apparent attempt to fend off the rising challenge from Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party amid public fury over mass migration, Home Secretary Cooper announced a temporary measure to block asylum seekers from bringing their family members to the UK.
However, critics were quick to note that the raft of proposals included fresh schemes for immigration into Britain, including an “expedited” visa scheme for Palestinians from Gaza to come to the country and study in UK universities. Such students will be brought to the country within weeks to attend the autumn semester, Cooper said, according to the Evening Standard.
The Home Secretary went on to announce that the government will “establish a permanent framework” for supposed refugees to come to Britain to study.
Additionally, the left-wing government — currently mired in a row with Jerusalem after backing Palestinian statehood — said that it would take “immediate action to rescue children who have been seriously injured in a horrendous onslaught on civilians in Gaza so they can get the health treatment they need.”
Cooper said that her Home Office is also planning “expedited visas” for the family members of Palestinian children brought to the country for medical care.
The cabinet minister went on to say that the Labour government will “continue to do our bit to support Ukraine” by extending the asylum scheme for Ukrainians, allowing them to remain in the country for at least another two years.
While Cooper rejected calls from the Green Party to lift the prohibition on asylum seekers working in Britain, noting that it would only further incentivise illegal immigration into the country, the Home Secretary suggested that the government would look to allow student refugees to work during their studies.
The backing of more refugees coming into the UK was largely overlooked by the establishment press, which instead focused on the alleged tightening of restrictions on chain migration for asylum seekers.
Cooper noted that under the current framework, it is easier for recently successful refugees to bring their families to the UK than it is for British citizens to obtain visas for their foreign spouses or partners. However, the announced prohibition will only be in place until the government passes new legislation, under which refugees will once again be able to apply for family reunion, provided they meet fresh requirements, including English proficiency and an income threshold of £29,000.
Last year, a record 20,817 migrants were brought to the country under refugee family reunion visas. However, far more came under the broader category of chain migration through regular migrants, with around 80,000 more visas being issued to migrant family members.
Cooper also stated that the government will consider issuing guidance for judges on how to interpret Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The broadly defined clause, which protects the right to a “private and family life,” has been frequently used to block the deportation of criminal migrants.
Yet, this pales in comparison to the hardline stance taken by Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, who has vowed to withdraw Britain entirely from the ECHR as well as eliminate the Tony Blair-era human rights laws, which effectively enshrined ECHR principles into British law. Farage has also vowed to establish a deportation command centre with the aim of removing at least 600,000 illegals from the UK during his first term in office.
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