Up to 181,000 migrants may have overstayed visas

[Mecky]

This is despite the fact that the UKBA is extremely underfunded and short-staffed in the first placed and is now facing cuts of around a 30% cut. Crazy

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12736759

[Hots on]

The new government are committed to dealing with the whole immigration issue. They've made some good progress so far, but they have a mountain to climb after 13 years of Labours social engineering project.

[ricgem2002]

The new government are committed to dealing with the whole immigration issue. They've made some good progress so far, but they have a mountain to climb after 13 years of Labours social engineering project.

so they cut the funding of the people who are there to chase them

[Ms Macbeth]

Having spent some time working in an office that deals with immigration, I feel that in many cases the people who have broken the terms of their visa and stayed on aren't dealt with swiftly enough. Many applications are from overstayers who know perfectly well that they have broken their UK entry conditions. Some will then try and get permission to stay here longer by claiming asylum, which can result in long drawn out appeals. In reality asylum should if necessary should have been claimed the minute they arrived, and not a few years down the line.

 

Others will form relationships which they claim gives them the right to stay here illegally. My view is that when they eventually surface, they should go home and apply for re-entry. Any genuine reasons for staying here should be checked out very quickly.

 

As state in the National Audit report from the link in the OP:

The agency has not taken enough systematic action to ensure, where it can, that migrants leave the UK when they are no longer entitled to remain

[orbs]

181,000 is that all? i would say more like 3.9m

[Halibut]

181,000 is that all? i would say more like 3.9m

 

On what grounds would you claim that number?

[Resident]

The thing is that even when they do catch them it's often the case they can't send them immediately home because the overstayers have learnt that no papers/passport = no deportation. The UKBA have no choice then but to release them on bail, thanks to the wonderful EU laws thrust upon us, and the overstayers promptly disappear.

 

As for the asylum thing. It's my personal opinion that many asylum seekers pass through 'safe' countries in order to get here, especially through France. So when asylum is claimed, the UK immigration service should return the seeker to nearest 'safe' country from the seeker's point of origin.

 

We should also hold the French government responsible for the financial burden for the 'clandestines' that attempt crossings via the channel ports. There is a massive camp known as "the jungle" full of these 'clandestines' on French soil, yet the French government refuse to deal with them.

[Ms Macbeth]

The thing is that even when they do catch them it's often the case they can't send them immediately home because the overstayers have learnt that no papers/passport = no deportation. The UKBA have no choice then but to release them on bail, thanks to the wonderful EU laws thrust upon us, and the overstayers promptly disappear.

 

As for the asylum thing. It's my personal opinion that many asylum seekers pass through 'safe' countries in order to get here, especially through France. So when asylum is claimed, the UK immigration service should return the seeker to nearest 'safe' country from the seeker's point of origin.

 

We should also hold the French government responsible for the financial burden for the 'clandestines' that attempt crossings via the channel ports. There is a massive camp known as "the jungle" full of these 'clandestines' on French soil, yet the French government refuse to deal with them.

 

Most people classed as overstayers will have come into the country legally and will have/have had passports. They are here illegally once their visa runs out, but they get confused with people who have come here without valid papers, usually asylum seekers or illegal entrants.

 

There are many reasons why asylum seekers might come to the UK rather than other European countries, its not always about benefits. If you suddenly had to leave the UK, wouldn't you prefer to go to a country where you could speak some of the language? I know I would. Historical ties with Britain mean that in many countries across the world English is often a second language, and is taught in schools.

 

However, I do think agree that the camps that have been set up around Calais are the responsibility of the French government and the people in them should claim asylum there. Given the freedom of movement in Europe now, if an asylum seeker is given leave to settle in France, eventually they will be able to move anywhere in Europe including the UK.

[Mecky]

The new government are committed to dealing with the whole immigration issue. They've made some good progress so far, but they have a mountain to climb after 13 years of Labours social engineering project.

 

No they haven't, in fact it's much worse now that it has been over recent years.

[Resident]

1. Most people classed as overstayers will have come into the country legally and will have/have had passports. They are here illegally once their visa runs out, but they get confused with people who have come here without valid papers, usually asylum seekers or illegal entrants.
    
    
   
2. There are many reasons why asylum seekers might come to the UK rather than other European countries, its not always about benefits. If you suddenly had to leave the UK, wouldn't you prefer to go to a country where you could speak some of the language? I know I would. Historical ties with Britain mean that in many countries across the world English is often a second language, and is taught in schools.
   

 

However, I do think agree that the camps that have been set up around Calais are the responsibility of the French government and the people in them should claim asylum there. Given the freedom of movement in Europe now, if an asylum seeker is given leave to settle in France, eventually they will be able to move anywhere in Europe including the UK.

 

1. I'm not disputing that overstayers arrive in the country legally however those that come here even legally and do not intend to go back once their visa runs out/becomes invalid (in the case of student visas) learn very quickly that if the UKBA cannot find their passport when they are detected and detained cannot be sent back to their country of origin. Even if the UKBA can positively identify who they are, without the passport they cannot deport them immediately. Instead they have to apply for Emergency Travel Documents from the country of origin in order to get them through all the border checks. Inside the EU, ETDs can be issued within 24 hours but outside it can take days/weeks. Given that detention centres are full, the UKBA have no choice but to release them on bail only for the overstayer to disappear.
    
    
   
2. I don't have the figures at hand but you would be surprised at the low number of asylum seekers that actually do speak a word of english by the time they arrive. It's even been proven on many occasions that some asylum seekers aren't genuine and have been 'trained' by traffickers to say specific phrases etc to try to beat the system.