Immigration

Tuesday 16th November 2010, Guoman Charing Cross Hotel - London, 08:40 - 16:15

Immigration in the UK: Ensuring Cohesion and Protecting Public Services

Overview

Immigration remains a major issue across all sectors, including businesses, universities and wider society. During the general election immigration policy was a key concern for many voters and continues to be a controversial subject for the coalition government. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that between 2004-05 17% of economic growth was as a result of immigration and Migration Watch state that a 1/3 of doctors and dentists qualified abroad.

The former Labour government introduced several measures to regulate immigration, including the development of an Australian style points-system, whereby migrant workers are granted entry based on their skills-level. Through the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act, the former government initiated new requirements for those seeking citizenship, including a condition for individuals to have been in continuous employment for at least 3 years. The former government also introduced citizenship tests and tightened up regulations on over-seas students.

Developments in immigration and human rights law, policy and practice under the coalition government are expected to come into force by the autumn parliamentary session. Policies announced include a commitment to introduce an annual limit on non-EU migrants, and the ending of the detention of children and deportation of individuals where their sexual and gender identity leaves them at risk. The new government has also stated an intention to create a dedicated border force to enhance national security and improve immigration controls.

The coalition government has pledged to speed up the processing of immigration applications, with the UK Border Agency having a back-log of approximately 450,000 applications, prompting concern from some organisations, such as Refugee and Migrant Justice, that decisions may be rushed. Currently, appeals against deportation decisions have a success rate of over 20% and charities fear the need for appeals may rise.

Agenda

This forum will discuss the impact of migration on the UK economy and society and what developments are expected under the new government. It will give stakeholders the opportunity to discuss the future challenges facing the immigration system and border security teams. Sessions will focus on the impact of the coalition government’s immigration policy and consider the human rights and legal issues surrounding migration. Stakeholders will discuss the benefits of migration for the economy and education sector and will examine the challenge for community cohesion.

08:40	Registration and Coffee
09:10	Chair’s Welcome Address Baroness Hamwee (CONFIRMED)
09:20	Opening Keynote: Independent scrutiny of the UK Border Agency The role and remit of the Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency Developing an inspection programme Deciding where and what to inspect My inspection reports to date My findings so far The UK Border Agency’s response to my reports John Vine CBE QPM, Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency (CONFIRMED)
09:40	Legal Developments in Immigration Law Developments in immigration case law The relationship between immigration law and the Human Rights Act EU enlargement and immigration policy The future of accreditation regulation How the appeals system works in practice Ensuring access to legal advice and representation Is there too much bureaucracy surrounding immigration? What barriers prevent individuals from seeking UK citizenship? Ian Macdonald QC, President, Immigration Law Practitioners Association (CONFIRMED)
10:00	Regulating Immigration Services Regulation of immigration services How the OISC promotes good practice across service providers Enforcement powers – ensuring standards across all services Working in partnership to raise standards Suzanne McCarthy, Immigration Services Commissioner (CONFIRMED)
10:20	The Impact of Immigration on Community Cohesion How has immigration affected community cohesion - regional differences in migration What factors threaten cohesion? Tackling community tensions Migrants access to benefits, welfare and social housing Integration into society - should migrants have to take English language and citizenship tests? How can greater community cohesion be encouraged? A locally coordinated approach to cohesion Professor Ted Cantle, Associate Director, IDeA and Professor, Institute of Community Cohesion (CONFIRMED)
10:40	Questions and Answers Session
11:00	Coffee Break and Networking
11:30	Chair’s Welcome Address Tim Finch, Head of Migration, Equalities and Citizenship, Institute of Public Policy Research (CONFIRMED)
11:40	Challenging Beliefs on Immigration The status of immigration in UK political debate How best to resolve public concern over immigration The economic impact of immigration The likely results of an immigration cap on non-EU migrants Should an immigration cap be extended to EU immigration The correlation between reduced immigration and the recession What are the main drivers behind immigration? Tim Finch, Head of Migration, Equalities and Citizenship, Institute of Public Policy Research (CONFIRMED)
12:00	The Challenges and Opportunities for Public Services Understanding and managing local impacts The impact of immigration on social, rental and affordable housing The cost of providing public services to immigrants Considering the needs of migrants when designing services The role of the migrant workforce in delivering public services The impact of the immigration cap on the delivery of services Tim Allen, Programme Director, Local Government Association Analysis and Research (CONFIRMED)
12:20	Questions and Answers Session
12:40	Immigration – A Scottish Perspective The nature of immigration in Scotland How has immigration impacted on public services - cost and delivery Economic migration - benefits and opportunities Providing services for diverse communities - understanding individual needs Strategies for community integration Strategic planning for immigration Likely impacts of the immigration cap Mhoraig Green, Policy Manager, COSLA Strategic Migration Partnership (CONFIRMED)
13:00	Enhanced Immigration Rules and Higher Education Should international students be considered within the immigration debate? To what extent is the UK HE sector reliant on revenue from over-seas students? The impact of public spending cuts on the need to enrol international students The impact of strengthened student visa rules on the rate of student applications Are student visa applications too complex? The contribution over-seas students make to the UK economy Ensuring UK universities are the destination of choice for over-seas students Sharing information - HE and the UK Border Agency Dominic Scott OBE, Chief Executive, UK Council for International Student Affairs (CONFIRMED)
13:20	Questions and Answers Session
13:40	Lunch and Networking
14:40	Chair’s Welcome Address
14:50	Immigration Policy - Impact on the Economy, Workforce and the Individual The contribution of immigration to the UK economy The business case for immigration Supporting legal migration - eradicating illegal migrant labour Trends in labour migration - the list of shortage occupations The effect of the points-based system on recruitment Reducing reliance on over-seas labour Has immigration reduced wages for low-paid jobs? Ensuring migrant workers receive the same pay and treatment as UK nationals The public perception of immigration Ensuring the skills-base of UK nationals The expected outcomes of the immigration cap on recruitment and business development The role of citizenship and English language tests Ensuring access to quality legal advice and representation The impact of holding centres and deportation on individuals and their families Donna Covey, Chief Executive, Refugee Council (CONFIRMED) Sean Bamford, Policy Officer, European Union and International Relations Department, Trades Union Congress (CONFIRMED) Ann Swain, Chief Executive, Association of Professional Staffing Companies - APSCo (CONFIRMED) Sir Andrew Green, Chairman, MigrationwatchUK (CONFIRMED)
15:50	Questions and Answers Session
16:15	Chairs Closing Remarks

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

The audience will be comprised of local authorities, central government departments & bodies, including HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency, trade unions, academia, private, legal & voluntary sectors. Delegates will also include chief inspectors, heads of citysafe, heads of communications, policy managers and advisors, hate crime co- community and race relations officers, deputy chief constables, chief crown prosecutors and CPS Staff, community cohesion managers, community safety managers, community involvement officers, inclusion managers equality managers, harmonious communities programme managers, head of governance and rights, equality and diversity team leaders, community and all those interested in the migration and citizenship issue.