As reported by The Guardian, a recent study of the World Values Survey Wave found that among 24 countries, the UK's population has the most positive view of immigration. 71% of the British population doesn't think that locals should be prioritized over expats in hiring practices. At the same time, part of the UK government is keen on restricting immigration – a position that is in opposition to wider public opinion.
The UK population is more pro-immigration than 10 years ago
The World Values Survey (WVS) is a longitudinal study group established by an international consortium of social scientists in the 1980s. Their goal is to study the evolution of societal values and beliefs over time. In 2009, they carried out a study of people's perceptions of immigration in 24 countries. In 2022, they repeated the same study in order to have a comparative insight: did public sentiment about immigration evolve over the decade of the 2010s?
Five countries recorded increased public acceptance of immigration: Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Spain and the UK. Among the five, the UK had the biggest increase. Back in 2009, a whole 65% of Britons surveyed thought that the government and businesses should focus more on hiring locals rather than on economic immigration. As The Guardian says, this was in the context of rampant unemployment. In 2023, the situation is quite the opposite: only 29% believe in workforce nationalization. Right now, there is a labor shortage in the UK, with over 1 million unfilled vacancies.
The Home Office wants to make immigration law more strict
Under the leadership of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the UK's Home Office has been trying to restrict immigration in various ways. The highly controversial Illegal Immigration Bill was recently introduced in parliament and might soon be passed. Braverman is also trying to convince her fellow party members to decrease post-study work rights and restrict some forms of family reunification. These stand in opposition to prevailing public opinion.
What is the Illegal Immigration Bill? If passed, this bill will prevent small boats from crossing the English Channel as well as allow the Home Office to detain and deport undocumented immigrants very easily. It will also leave undocumented migrants, even those fleeing persecution, without the protection of existing anti-slavery laws. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has expressed grave concern about the last point, warning that it would breach multiple human rights conventions. Despite this, the Home Office still seems intent on pushing forward this bill.
Another change that Home Secretary Braverman wants to pass is reducing the post-study work rights of international students. Since the Graduate Visa was launched in 2021, international students get the automatic right to stay in the UK for 2 years after graduating – regardless of what kind of job they got, even if they are self-employed.
As part of wider efforts to cut immigration numbers, Braverman wants to drastically reduce the post-study work period down to 6 months. She also wants to prevent a sizable part of international students from bringing their dependents with them to the UK. Education experts, including the Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan, disagree and have warned that this would tarnish the UK's reputation as an education hub as well as worsen the labor shortage.
Other immigration law amendments have already been passed, including some which are more pro-migration. As the legal firm Pinsent Masons reports, as of 12 April 2023, the minimum salary that sponsored, skilled expat workers have to be paid will be £26,200 instead of £25,600. Other rates for expat workers, like the hourly rate and the minimum salary for inexperienced workers, will also be increased.
The Youth Mobility and Working Holiday schemes have also been expanded. The UK has reached new agreements with Commonwealth countries, notably New Zealand, Australia and India, to increase the length of stay or quota of young people on these visas. For example, New Zealanders under 35 can now spend 3 instead of 2 years in the UK under these schemes.
It might seem contradictory that these pro-migration policies are being implemented side-by-side with far less immigrant-friendly ones. In any case, some of the latter seem to have more serious consequences, like problems with international human rights law or the drop in international students. Having public opinion and immigration policies that are diametrically opposed to each other can potentially lead to public dissatisfaction and political instability.
