UK Asylum 2024 Updates: Keir Starmer Scrapping UK’s Rwanda Migrant Deportation Plan

According to reports, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer has chosen to abandon the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda policy of the previous Conservative government. Many human rights advocates who claimed the strategy was cruel and ineffectual applaud this decision.

UK Prime Ministers Move Away from Gimmicks

Starmer called the Rwanda plan a charade that was ineffective as a deterrent. He stressed that the strategy was flawed from the beginning and was inherited from the Conservative government. The program had overturned a previous UK Supreme Court decision that had deemed it illegal due to violations of human rights by designating Rwanda as a safe Third Country.

Impact on Asylum Seekers

The program, which started holding asylum seekers in May, was strongly supported by Rishi Sunak, the prime minister at the time. Critics and human rights advocates countered that it overlooked the risks faced by asylum seekers as well as Rwanda’s own human rights problems.

Sunak took a tough stand, although it was widely anticipated that the plan would fail. Less than 1% of asylum seekers were transferred to Rwanda, meaning that advocates for human rights had won.

The news of Kier Starmer was welcomed by rights organizations. For activists and migrants, Sonia Seats of Freedom from Torture hailed it as an enormous win. Amnesty International’s Agnes Callamard pleaded for the labor government to keep its word and abandon the Rwandan agreement in favor of an equitable and effective asylum system.

Future Challenges

There are still issues despite the policy revocation. Starmer’s government needs to come up with fresh ideas to deal with the migration situation because there are historically high numbers of migrants entering the UK. Politics professor Tim Bale emphasized the necessity for different approaches to handling small boats that are attempting to cross the English Channel.

Call for Global Cooperation

Rights activists like Seats emphasized the significance of international collaboration in addressing forced migration. It is recommended that the incoming administration concentrate on finding humane and sustainable solutions rather than externalizing refugee policy.

Kier Starmer’s ruling promises a more humane and efficient system, signaling a dramatic change in the UK’s handling of asylum seekers.

UK’s 5-Point Plan to Cut Immigration 2024

Your acceptance letter from a respectable organization or institution is attached to this document. You can utilize the confirmation letter you receive from Rose Services to bolster your application for a work visa. Along with your passport, digital photo, and résumé, you also need to produce these other documents.

What has changed in the New UK Immigration Rules

To that end, the majority of people who are eager to work in the UK will still apply for a UK visa using a points-based system. But starting in the spring of 2024, applicants will require an offer of a higher-paying job to be granted a work visa. A third higher than the present minimum income of 26,200 British pounds, or more than 38,700 British pounds, will be required of them.

However, this will not apply to certain vocations, like those in health and social care. However, foreign caregivers will not be permitted to bring in family members in that region.

In 2008, the labor ministry introduced a points system that was first utilized for immigrants from non-EU nations. The Conservatives amended it later, following the Brexit vote. PBS began airing at the end of 2020 and focuses on immigrants from both the European Union and outside of it.

How does the Points-Based System Work?

It takes a sufficient number of qualifying points for an applicant to be granted a skilled worker visa. To be eligible for occupations requiring more skill than the minimum requirement and English speaking, applicants must get the first 50 points out of a possible total of points. The remaining 20 points could come from income from a relevant PhD or employment in a shortage occupation.

The cost of the most skilled visa ranges from 719 to 1,500 British pounds, including an annual health premium of 624 British pounds. The health surcharge is going to go up to 1,035 pounds immediately.

Shortage Occupation List

Employers can fill certain roles with the aid of a shortage occupation list. There is a cap on the number of points that applicants can receive, and the pay criterion for certain positions is lower. Currently, positions in healthcare and education, caregiving, graphic design, construction, and veterinary are among the opportunities on the list.

Employers were only permitted to pay foreign workers 80% of the going rate of the job to fill those vacancies. This will be eliminated in the spring of the next year. Labor referred to the proposal as a “salary discount” because it exempted employers from paying local wages.

International caregivers will not be permitted to travel with their dependents starting in the spring of 2024. Additionally, the government suggests reducing the number of listed occupations and reviewing the occupation shortage list.