Immigration news

Ian Dunt, editor of Politics.co.uk, has launched a scathing attack on Migration Watch UK for falsifying the facts about UK immigration. It's no secret that Migration Watch, which describes itself as an independent, non-political think tank, is anti-immigration. Dunt describes how the group 'contorts the facts about immigrants and uses them as a weapon.' During the EU Referendum campaign misleading reports and statements made by Migration Watch received a great deal of publicity. It made the actual decision by the UK to leave the EU more likely.

Murdered labour MP, Jo Cox, wrote an emotional article supporting UK immigration just days before her death in her West Yorkshire constituency on Thursday, 16 June. In the article, Cox urged voters not to 'fall for the spin' plugged by the Leave campaign that 'Brexit' is the best solution for dealing with UK immigration concerns.

According to an analysis of net migration carried out by The Independent, only 24 percent of migration to the UK since 1990 can be attributed to Britain's membership of the European Union.

Ahead of the EU referendum that took place on 23 June 2016, The Independentsaid that its findings quash exaggerated statements made by the Vote Leave campaign – along with The Sun newspaper and anti-immigration group, Migration Watch – about UK immigration and its connection with the country's membership of the EU.

There have been concerns about increasing levels of Xenophobia and racism during and after the recent EU Referendum. It is interesting to note that during an interview with local UK newspaper, The Harrow Times, during the EU Referendum campaign Priti Patel MP, said that the UK must exit the European Union to pursue a UK immigration policy that does not discriminate against people. According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics, 4,526 immigrants moved to Harrow between 2013 and 2014.

The Science and Technology Committee (STC) has urged the UK government to relax Tier 2 visa restrictions for IT companies with 20 or fewer employees. The STC, a government committee, said: "UK immigration policies need to be revised in order to help address the country's 'digital skills crisis.'"

A report published by the STC stated that 'it needs to be made easier for SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) to recruit workers based outside of the European Union (EU).' The report also says that the UK's digital skills gap costs the country £63bn in lost GDP, every year.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) has pledged $100 million in 'tuition-free job training grants' in a bid to help US businesses reduce their use of temporary US work visas, including the popular H-1B and L-1 non-immigrant visas. The grant scheme forms part of America's Promise Job-Driven Grants Program, which was launched by US Vice President, Joe Biden, along with his wife, Jill, on April 25, 2016.