Tuesday, February 08, 2005
The Points system
that was the bane of unskilled Americans desperate to move to Canada after the elections may now be adopted by the UK.
The British government yesterday proposed tighter immigration controls and said only skilled workers who speak English would be allowed to settle in Britain permanently.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the government also would fingerprint foreigners applying for visas to stop them from remaining in Britain once their permits expire.
The measures, which would not affect citizens of the European Union, are part of a Europe-wide drive to tackle illegal immigration — an issue particularly sensitive for Prime Minister Tony Blair's government as it gears up for national elections expected in May.
This is an important step for UK immigration, but I think that it's even more important that the other EU countries stand up and take notice. Language is arguably one of the most important parts of a nation's culture, and integrating immigrants into that culture is one thing that many EU countries (here's looking at you France) have had difficulty doing, and must do in the future if they have to survive.
The British government yesterday proposed tighter immigration controls and said only skilled workers who speak English would be allowed to settle in Britain permanently.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the government also would fingerprint foreigners applying for visas to stop them from remaining in Britain once their permits expire.
The measures, which would not affect citizens of the European Union, are part of a Europe-wide drive to tackle illegal immigration — an issue particularly sensitive for Prime Minister Tony Blair's government as it gears up for national elections expected in May.
This is an important step for UK immigration, but I think that it's even more important that the other EU countries stand up and take notice. Language is arguably one of the most important parts of a nation's culture, and integrating immigrants into that culture is one thing that many EU countries (here's looking at you France) have had difficulty doing, and must do in the future if they have to survive.
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