Minister hints at tougher line on UK visas

In his first major speech since the coalition Government took office, Mr Green said the annual cap on economic migrants from outside the EU would not be enough on its own to deliver the target of reducing net immigration to the “tens of thousands”.

He said the unsustainable levels of net migration, which leapt by a fifth last year to 196,000, must be brought down and “all routes into the UK” must be studied to ensure only the “brightest and best” migrants entered the country to study and work.

Speaking at the Royal Commonwealth Club, Mr Green said: “We need steady downward pressure on many routes to long-term immigration in order to hit our net migration commitment.

“We are looking at all routes, and will need to set rules for each of them that give us the immigrants we need.

“Each of these policies will be controversial with those who have become used to the previous system.

“Change is seldom easy. But in an increasingly globalised world it is ever more important that proper immigration controls are not only in place but are seen to be in place.”

If the UK does not create public confidence in its immigration system, Mr Green said “we will remain vulnerable to those who want to find scapegoats for social problems”.

Home Office-commissioned research showed the largest group of visas granted in 2004 were to 186,000 students, more than one-fifth of whom – about 37,000 people – were still in the UK five years later.

The research found that numbers of visas issued to students and their dependants had risen to 307,000 by the year to June 2010.