Britain and France join forces on immigration

By Nigel Morris Tuesday, 25 March 2008
www.independent.co.uk

Plans for a joint drive by Britain and France against illegal immigration could backfire by forcing “soft targets” to return to dangerous countries, refugee groups have warned.

The initiative will be announced by Gordon Brown and the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who arrives in Britain for a two-day state visit tomorrow.

The leaders will also set out plans to co-operate over the crisis threatening world money markets, nuclear power and defence.

Mr Sarkozy, who will be accompanied by his new wife, Carla Bruni, will be welcomed by the Prince of Wales. The couple will stay at Windsor Castle.

The immigration package is likely to be agreed by the leaders on Thursday. It includes proposals to arrange joint charter flights to return failed asylum-seekers to their home countries. Mr Sarkozy wants international co-operation over immigration to be a theme of France’s European Union presidency from July and will set the tone this week. The leaders will also promise to increase numbers of officials checking lorries at Channel ports and fresh action against people-smuggling gangs.

Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “Our leaders would do better to focus on joint initiatives to make countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan safe for people to return to – rather than forcing them to go back when it is clearly not safe.”

Keith Best, chief executive of the Immigration Advisory Service, urged Mr Sarkozy to be sceptical of Britain’s approach to deporting asylum-seekers, which often resulted in “soft targets” being singled out for removal.

Airlift will bring 2,000 hand-picked Iraqis to new life in Britain

Diane Taylor, Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian, Tuesday March 25 2008
Article history

The government is preparing to airlift up to 2,000 Iraqis out of their country to begin a new life in the UK, the first time that Iraqis will arrive here with their status as refugees assured.

Those hand-picked to come to Britain include translators and other staff who have supported British forces in Iraq. The plan follows controversy last year about the government refusing many interpreters sanctuary in the UK despite the fact their work could put their lives in danger.

Documents seen by the Guardian show the Home Office and Ministry of Defence are working with Migrant Helpline, a charity which provides advice and support for refugees and asylum seekers, to help the Iraqis to settle.

The scheme is due to run over a seven-month period beginning in April, with fortnightly flights of up to 100 people.

“The [Iraqis] will be accommodated for two days in Slough prior to being transported to resettlement areas in the north or in Scotland,” the documents state.

The so-called direct access scheme was announced by the government last year and is open to those who have worked in a variety of jobs for British forces and have been made redundant.

David Miliband, the foreign secretary, said last October that Iraqis working for the British government with at least 12 months’ continuous service could apply for a one-off package of financial help “to meet the costs of relocation for themselves and their dependants in Iraq or the region”, or they would be able to apply for “exceptional leave to enter the UK”.

The Foreign Office said about 450 applications had been accepted and 450 rejected, 100 were still undecided, and another 100 were being processed. The total figure of 2,000 includes dependants.

An MoD spokesman said: “We owe people a debt of gratitude for the commitment they have shown to their country and the risks they have taken.”

The chief executive of Slough council, Ruth Bagley, said: “We understand the Home Office’s plan is to accommodate these people in Slough for two days before transporting them to resettlement areas in the UK. While Slough has not been asked to take responsibility for these people as refugees, it is possible that some will choose to remain in the immediate area. I am in discussions with the government about funding for providing any support.”

Sarah Parker, of the Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq, said: “It’s good the Home Office feels obliged to accept some Iraqis the British forces depended on, but they should be offering sanctuary to everyone who has put themselves at risk rather than coming up with a nitpicking scheme like this one. This shows they have accepted it’s dangerous for some Iraqis there; perhaps they should look again at the Iraqis they are planning to remove from the UK.”

The news comes after the Guardian revealed that the Home Office is returning hundreds of Iraqi asylum seekers to central and southern Iraq for the first time, a decision condemned by human rights groups.

Sanctuary for Yakob

RELATED ARTICLE: MSPs back asylum campaign for gay Syrian facing jail and torture

Scotland on Sunday

BRITAIN is supposed to be a civilised country. Scotland, in particular, revels in a reputation as a welcoming place. If our claim to these two national traits means anything, then we must allow Jojo Jako Yakob a sanctuary in our land.
The son of a Syrian opposition politician, Yakob claims he was initially terrorised by the authorities for political reasons, including electric shock treatment and culminating in a police officer shooting him in the arm. He then describes the water torture and daily beatings he endured when prison guards realised he was gay. Syria says it does not persecute homosexuals, but one beating left Yakob in a coma for 20 days. Faced with the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence, he understandably decided that his only option was to flee. He made it to Britain, where he now awaits possible deportation in Polmont.

In many ways, Yakob’s story mirrors that of Iranian Mehdi Kazemi, 19, who last week won a delay over a deportation order that, campaigners insist, would see him executed in his homeland for being gay. While it is not so clear-cut that Yakob faces the death penalty in Syria, he would at least face brutal persecution, and he deserves the same efforts to keep him safe in Britain.

We therefore urge readers to back our campaign in Yakob’s support: sign our online petition; make your feelings known to MPs, MSPs and anyone else in authority who will listen. Let’s show Yakob – and the world – that he was right to regard Scotland as a haven from oppression.

Make it easier for migrants to go to Scotland, says bias chief

By Simon Johnson, Scottish Political Correspondent
The Telegraph

Immigration rules should be skewed to make it easier for foreign workers to settle in Scotland instead of England, the head of Britain’s new equality agency argued yesterday.

Sir Trevor Phillips said the Government’s new points-based immigration system should be weighted to encourage skilled foreigners to move north of the Border rather than settle in London or the south-east.

Critics warned last night that less strict rules north of the Border would lead to Scotland becoming the “back door” for migrants to enter the rest of the United Kingdom.

But Sir Trevor, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and former chairman of the London Assembly, argued that the move would fill gaps in Scotland’s workforce and ease pressure on public services and housing elsewhere.

Under the new points-based system being phased in over the coming months, skilled foreign workers who want to move to the UK must meet a number of criteria. These include being offered a job that meets a skills shortage according to a list currently being drawn up by the Home Office’s Migration Advisory Committee (Mac).

The committee has been asked to draw up a separate list for Scotland, which the SNP administration hopes will make it easier for immigrants to work north of the Border.

Government figures published by The Daily Telegraph yesterday reveal that the number of immigrants forecast to enter Britain each year has risen to around 190,000, 45,000 higher than the 2004 statistic.

Sir Trevor said foreigners who agreed to settle in Scotland should be given more points, potentially allowing in UK migrants who would otherwise be barred. He said: “We now have a system by which, generally speaking, people will get into the country if they have a job offer and have skills that are in demand, which will accrue points.

“What I’m suggesting is that in totting up those points, you could bias the system so those who have jobs in Scotland get extra points.

“We should be creating an incentive for people to move to Scotland rather than tending to do what they do now, which is heading straight to London and the south-east.”

The idea replicates schemes in Australia and Canada, which are based on moving migrants to regions where there are fewer population pressures.

Speaking prior to addressing a business conference in St Andrews yesterday, Sir Trevor said this would benefit the Scottish economy, help reverse population decline and stymie the influx of foreigners to London.

“Most migrants will head to London or Toronto or Paris or Sydney because that’s where they’ve heard of,” he added. “Under the new system, we have the opportunity to take the edge off that and divert the flow a bit.”

Sir Trevor argued that there was less immigrant pressure placed on public services and housing in Scotland than in London and the south-east, meaning good community relations would be easier to achieve.

Rules could ensure that those who broke the terms of their visa, by moving out of Scotland, would be deported. But Sir Andrew Green, the chairman of the Migrationwatch think tank, said: “We cannot allow Scotland to become a back door to Britain. Once people are allowed to settle in Scotland, they will acquire a human rights claim to remain in the United Kingdom.”

The Border and Immigration Agency said that Mac would advise the Government on where migration could fill gaps in the UK labour market.

An agency spokeswoman said: “The Mac has already started work on the first shortage occupation list for skilled employment which it aims to publish in June.

“There are specific issues in Scotland, such as the declining population, that the points system could help offset, and we have therefore asked the Mac to produce a separate Scottish shortage occupation list.”

A Scottish Executive spokesman added: “We are confident that Scotland can attract talent from around the world and we are exploring a range of options with the Home Office, which will make it easier for those who are skilled to work here and to remain in Scotland.”