High earners exempted from immigration cap (UK)

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Bankers, lawyers and other high-earning migrants coming to Britain to work in jobs carrying salaries of £150,000 a year or more are to be exempt from the annual limit on immigration.

Scientific researchers are also to be given a "significant advantage" when the permanent immigration cap promised by the Conservatives during the election campaign comes into effect in April.

But, despite claims to being more "business-friendly", the final version of the immigration cap detailed on Wednesday shows that it is still designed to close the door on up to 6,300 skilled workers from outside Europe compared with two years ago.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/feb/15/high-earners-exempted-migrant-cap

[sakabatou]

1. Why does the world hate the poor and middle class?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

2. I don't think it's a matter of hating the poor.

Maybe more a matter of too many people already on benefits.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. That's essentially bollocks, since legal immigrants don't qualify for benefits.

Not until they're granted indefinite leave to remain by the Home Office. I'm an American; my wife is British. I'm resident in the UK on a spouse visa. Stamped on my passport: "no recourse to public funds", which means "no benefits". (I continue to be surprised at how many people who go on about immigration and immigrants on benefits have no idea of the actual reality of the situation.) The rules are different for EU citizens, obviously, but the immigration cap doesn't apply to them anyway (and as such is not going to affect overall levels of immigration if immigrants continue to come to the UK from new EU countries like Poland).

[Boudica the Lyoness]

6. Dunno

I'm British and my husband is American. We live in the US. A few years ago we considered getting a place in England or Wales. I called the Home Office and was told if my husband moved to England with me he could get on the NHS just like me. That's tax payer funded and all that.

Maybe they just stamped "no recourse to public funds" on your passport because you pissed them off when you said bollocks. :)

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. The NHS isn't a benefit

all legal long-term UK residents are entitled to NHS treatment. Legal immigrants get NHS healthcare; they don't get benefits (for a list of which see here).

[Boudica the Lyoness]

8. I wish healthcare was considered a right here in the US.

Looked at the list. It seems pretty sensible.

[WatsonT]

4. It's not hating the poor

it's looking out for their own first. The UK can't take in every starving person on the planet: no country can. So we have caps on immigration. Something must determine who gets in and who doesn't. And selecting for those who would benefit their new country the most just makes sense.

[MikeW]

5. wish we put US citizens first in this country

But we have too many people here on DU that dont understand that.