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Home Affairs Committee: Immigration system unprepared for Brexit

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Article Tags:
brexit
Home Affairs Committee: Immigration system unprepared for Brexit

The Commons Home Affairs Committee has criticised the Home Office over delays to the Immigration White Paper and warns of serious problems for immigration service delivery and border security as a result of lack of decisions, proper planning or sufficient resources, in its report into the delivery of proposed changes to immigration following Brexit.

The report raises serious questions about the Home Office’s ability to implement the systems and staffing required to deliver proposed Brexit changes and criticises the continued uncertainty over the status of EU nationals.

The committee concludes:

  • The delays to the Immigration white paper and lack of clarity over the government’s intentions on immigration are creating anxiety for EU citizens in the UK, uncertainty for UK businesses, preventing proper planning and putting already overstretched immigration officials in an ‘impossible position’. That is unacceptable.

  • With little more than a year to go, the government is still failing to set out crucial details on the registration of current residents.

  • Urgent clarity is needed over the government’s immigration objectives for the transition period so that Parliament can debate and scrutinise the proposals before they are finalised.

  • Insufficient resources have been allocated and insufficient staff are planned to be sure of a smooth registration process or to cope with additional border requirements on people or goods.

  • Given the delays, lack of decisions and resources, UK Visas and Immigration will not be able to deliver two EU citizen registration schemes (one for existing residents and one for new arrivals) effectively by March 2019.

  • An already overstretched Border Force does not have the capacity to deliver additional checks at the border by March 2019 – and the problems will be worse if they are expected to deliver additional customs checks as well. The government should aim to keep customs arrangements the same in the transition period. Rushed and under-resourced changes will undermine border security.

    • Chair of the committee, Yvette Cooper MP said: “Government drift is putting everyone in an impossible position. Decisions and announcements keep being delayed. Crucial details are still lacking. There aren’t enough resources and staff in place. Our inquiry found that the immigration and border system is already understaffed with significant problems and it will not cope with last minute and under-resourced Brexit changes.

    “We need urgent clarity about both registration and border plans for next year so that Parliament can scrutinise them and so that families, employers and officials can plan.

    “The lack of detail with just over a year to go is irresponsible. We recognise that the government needs time to consider long term changes, but the Home Office urgently needs to set out its intentions for next year. Will there be one registration scheme or two? Same rules during the transition or not? Extra border checks or not?

    “Are they planning to ask employers to check registration documents? Or landlords? Will the same rules apply for Norway and Iceland as the EU? Can you still get settled status if you move regularly between the UK and EU for work? If these issues need to be resolved in the negotiations, ministers should at least set out what their negotiating objectives are so that Parliament can debate them in advance.”

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