Cash bonds to ensure that immigrants return home

Cash bonds to ensure that immigrants return home


Immigrants seeking to work or study in Britain will have to deposit “cash
bonds” that will be returned only when they return to their home countries, Nick
Clegg will announce.








'Visa overstayers are the major
part of UK Border Agency’s enforcement caseload, Mr Clegg will say Photo: ALAMY







By Robert Winnett, Political
Editor

6:45AM GMT 22 Mar 2013




The Deputy Prime Minister will say that the growing problem of people
overstaying their visas must be addressed and that “innovative” tactics are
needed. Those coming from countries deemed to be high-risk may have to deposit
at least £1,000 under the plans.


In a major speech on immigration, the Liberal Democrat leader will also warn
that Britain cannot “pull up the drawbridge” as the country’s future economic
prosperity depends on high-­quality people moving here.


It is a rare intervention for the Liberal Democrats on immigration policy and
reflects growing concern within the Coalition over the importance of the issue
to voters. Sources close to the Deputy Prime Minister said the Lib Dems would
now be signalling a “tougher stance” towards immigration as polling showed it to
be of growing importance.


In his speech, Mr Clegg will say that immigration needs to be “well managed”
if the system is to enjoy the confidence of ordinary Britons. He says tolerance
of communities across the country was dependent on being intolerant of the abuse
of the immigration system.


“The problem is that the system has not been well-managed,” he will say. “It
has been grossly mismanaged. The previous government left us an immigration
system in disarray. I cannot stress enough just how chaotic it was.



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“The first thing they did, after coming into office, was stop checking if
people were leaving the country. They got rid of exit checks. They weren’t
counting people in and they weren’t counting people out either.”

The Deputy Prime Minister will set out proposals to stem illegal immigration,
including doubling the penalties for employers taking on those without the
necessary documentation.

He will say that one of the main issues is “overstayers” who arrive legally
but do not leave again. “Visa overstayers are the major part of UK Border
Agency’s enforcement caseload,” Mr Clegg will say. “As early as 2006 we had
reports arguing that visa overstaying would be one of the biggest challenges for
our immigration system in the 21st century.

“As people travel more, for work, for holidays, you have more people coming
into the country for temporary periods and so you need to find ways to make sure
they leave.”

He says he has asked the Home Office to examine a system of security bonds
with a view to running a pilot before the end of the year.

“The basic premise is simple: in certain cases, when a visa applicant is
coming from a high-risk country, in addition to satisfying the normal criteria,
UKBA would be able to request a deposit — a kind of cash guarantee,” he will
say. “Once the visitor leaves Britain, the bond will be repaid.”

However, Mr Clegg will also stress the importance of immigration. Noting that
he is the son of Dutch mother and has a Spanish wife, he says the NHS would
“fall over” if immigration was stopped.

In an interview with House, parliament’s magazine, Vince Cable, the Business
Secretary, distanced himself from Tory pledges to restrict immigration to “tens
of thousands” and said Britain needed to “bang the drum” in China and India to
encourage students to study here