Numbers game

FOREIGN criminals roaming Britain, lost files and a porous border system – the Home Office’s approach to immigration has been flawed for as long as anyone can remember. So the review of rules that allow immigrants to bring their families into this country should be greeted with immense caution.

By The Newsroom

Published 4th Jul 2011, 10:33 BST

It is right that people who are genuinely under threat in their home country, such as the asylum seeker from war-torn Burundi who has won permission to bring her three children here, are given sanctuary. Such cases, however, make up only a small proportion of the total number of people who enter Britain legally.

David Cameron has a long way to go before he reduces net inward migration to the tens of thousands from its current high rate, which is a legacy of Labour’s confused approach to the system.

Over the last decade, Britain has failed to tackle those who abuse its entry laws, such as foreigners on student visas who overstay and criminals who are not returned to their home country upon release from prison. So the Home Office is right to look again at the rules surrounding migrant families, but their importance pales in comparison to the need for a coherent strategy on immigration, delivered competently.