UK Plans Migration Crackdown

It's time to get tough on people trying to get into the country - that's according to the new immigration minister. Phil Woolas is calling for a cut in the number of migrants allowed into the UK, as Sky's David Bowden reports.

In the reshuffle, the Prime Minister has put me in change of the immigration policy? Phil Woolas’ appointment as Immigration Minister ruffled a few feathers amongst pro-immigration campaigners, and his latest comments would have done nothing to ease their worries. Out and about in his Oldham constituency, the minister laid out his argument/ for curbing the number of people who are allowed to settle in this country. Mindful of the race riots which scarred Oldham in 2001. I think we have to, as a country, talk about immigration, not talking about it is what led to the problems in my constituency 7 years ago. The lesson of that was that we have to talk about it. We have to do so, in a mature way and a non-discriminatory way, informed by facts, but we have to talk about it. Among the voters of Oldham, Mr. Woolas' views seem to chime.

We need to know how many people are coming, and how many people are living in this country, I think he is doing the right thing.

we can't get jobs and there is too many people, so I think, definitely, this is something required about that.

If you come in and made the effort to come here, then you should be working, not just to live off and feed off the benefit and everything we've got. We have worked for that. So I don't think it's fair that people should be coming in the end, just living off benefits, they should be working, there should be a limit and restriction.

But immigration-support groups are concerned. The government's stance is the thin end of an unworkable wedge.

There are large number of skills in this country, which we cannot fill from, within the indigenous population, or the European Economic Area. And those people, they are gonna have to come in from outside. We are a trading nation.

The Home Office says it's points-based system, similar to that used in Australia, will allow flexible migration. And if it had been up and running last year, 12% fewer migrant workers would have been allowed in. The system is complex and covers a number of skills. For example, a highly skilled migrant who wants to settle permanently in the UK needs to score a total of 75 points or more from a series of categories.

Education is important. If you've got a PhD, you will score 50 points. But a bachelor's degree is only worth 30. Age plays a big part, too. The younger, the better. Those who are under 28 get 20 points. If you are over 31, you get nothing. High earners, too, are valued. Those earning the equivalent of 40,000 pounds or more a year get 45 points. But less pay means fewer points, just 5 is the lowest category.

With recession around the corner and unemployment rising, the government is acutely aware that doing nothing to curb immigration would leave it open to the accusation that British jobs were being snapped up by foreign workers.

David Bowden, Sky News.

參考中文翻譯：

根據新的移民部長所說——是時候嚴加管理試圖來英國的人口的時候了。Phil Woolas呼吁減少來英國的移民數量。Sky新聞的David Bowden報道。

在重組過程中，首相任命我來修改移民政策。任命Phil Woolas為移民部長惹怒了一些支持移民活動者，他最近的言論也不能緩解他們的憂慮。在他的Oldham選區，部長發表了言論，要求控制被允許來英國定居的移民數量。競選的鬧事者2001年震驚了Oldham。我認為，作為一個國家，我們必須探討移民的問題，并不是探討7年前他們在我的選區導致了一系列問題。我們吸取的教訓是，我們必須開誠布公的談論這個問題。我們必須以一種成熟的，非歧視的，實事求是的方式來談論這個問題。在Oldham的眾多支持者中，Woolas先生的觀點似乎能引起共鳴。

我們需要知道有多少人要來，現在在這個國家居住的有多少人。我認為他做的是對的。

我們找不到工作，人太多了，所以，我認為，絕對需要這樣做。

如果你來了或者正在努力移民到這里，你必須工作，而不是享受既得利益。我們為那些付出了努力。所以我認為不公平，在我們付出努力之后，他們來享受好處，他們也應該工作，應該有一個限制。

但是支持移民的人也有他們的擔憂。他們認為政府的決策是不可行的。

我們的國家有大量的技能，而這些職位不能由本國土著居民或者歐洲地區的居民填滿。所以需要從外面引入人才。我們是一個貿易型的國家。

英國內政部表示，英國采取分數體系，類似于澳大利亞，允許彈性的移民。如果去年就加以限制的話，被允許進入英國的人就會減少12%。該體系很復雜，包含了很多技能。例如，如果一個高技能的移民想在英國永久定居，按照一系列標準來考核他的總分必須達到75分。

教育程度也是很重要的。如果你有哲學博士學位，你可以獲得50分，但是學士學位僅值30分。年齡也起到很重要的作用，越年輕越好。28歲以下可以得20分，如果你超過31歲，一分也沒有。賺錢多的人也比較有價值。年收入40，000英鎊以上的人可以得45分。但是賺的越少意味著分數越少，5分是最低值。

由于世界各地經濟衰退，失業率上升，政府擔心，如果不采取措施控制移民數量，會受到指控，英國的工作被外國工人搶走。