The British cabinet wants to reduce the number of arrivals until the new government develops rules for introducing quotas on the number of immigrants
The Labour opposition has already called this initiative a "pointless ploy" by the authorities. Party representatives claim that the coalition government is merely creating the illusion of solving the immigration problem.
The restrictions will apply exclusively to people classified as "highly skilled migrants." This innovation does not affect nationals of EU member states: they, as before, will be able to live and work in Britain without hindrance.
On BBC, the Home Secretary noted that the coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats agreed to set annual quotas for entry into the country next April. "Immigration is good for the country, but uncontrolled immigration is not. That is why we need to impose restrictions now," said Theresa May. According to her, immigration was one of the key issues of the election campaign, and for the Conservatives who came to power, "it is very important to keep their promises."
In response to criticism of the innovations from business representatives, Business Secretary Vince Cable said that the restrictions would be "very flexible" and would not harm the country's economic recovery.
During his election campaign, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would limit "net" migration – i.e., the number of immigrants minus emigrants – from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands. Currently, that number is 163,000 people per year.
The Labour Party does not take the plans seriously, saying that only a very small proportion of immigrants come to Britain from outside the EU. The Liberal Democrats opposed immigration restrictions during the election campaign, but supported the Conservative plan after joining the coalition government. As compensation, the Liberal Democrats secured the abolition of detaining children in immigration centers.
Alp Mehmet from Migration Watch UK welcomed the government's plans. "We need to carefully consider how to reduce the number of immigrants from hundreds to tens of thousands. I think 40,000 is a realistic figure. So this is good news for everyone – both for the country's residents and for migrants," said Alp Mehmet.
Meanwhile, the British Confederation of Employment, which unites recruitment agencies with a combined annual turnover of £27 billion, criticized the government's measures, stating that the country's economy will suffer the most. Recruitment agencies emphasize that there is already an acute shortage of labor in some sectors.
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