UK Drops Immigration Bombshell: Yvette Cooper Vows to ‘Restore Order’ with Tough New Rules

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said that a new immigration plan, called the Immigration White Paper, will help bring the UK’s immigration system back under control. She explained that the aim is to reduce the overall number of migrants coming into the country while still supporting the economy.

One big change in this plan is that migrants will now need to have at least a graduate-level qualification in order to get a visa to work in the UK. The government also plans to raise the minimum salary that workers must be paid to qualify. People in lower-skilled jobs will only be allowed to come to the UK for a short period of time, and only if they are working in sectors where there is a serious staff shortage.

Yvette Cooper said the immigration system she inherited had been left in a mess. She blamed the previous government for removing the EU free movement rule without putting a strong system in place. This allowed companies to bring in foreign workers easily, while not doing enough to train workers already in the UK. She said this led to a sharp increase in overseas recruitment and left many people in the UK without jobs or education.

She also said this situation damaged trust in the system, made the job market unfair, and hurt the economy. Cooper promised that the new plan will fix these problems. It will reduce migration, support local training and job skills, and still help grow the UK economy.

Official statistics show that migration has surged since Brexit. Net migration hit a record 903,000 in the year ending June 2023, before falling to around 728,000 the following year. The government said it is determined to bring these numbers down and deal with what’s causing them.

There have also been reports that the UK may soon ask migrants to speak better English if they want to work in the country. While the Prime Minister’s spokesperson did not confirm this, he said that speaking the language is important for helping people fit into society.

The Financial Times reported that migrants might need to live in the UK for up to 10 years before they can apply for permanent residency.

Labour, the ruling party, had promised a fair and properly managed immigration system during the election. But now they are being tougher on migration, especially with growing support for Reform UK, a party that strongly opposes high levels of immigration. Reform UK recently won many local council seats and even took a parliamentary seat from Labour in the latest elections.