Prime Minister sets out new immigration measures

31 March 2010

The Prime Minister has explained how the government is transforming the way it deals with immigration through its "controlled and fair" points-based system.

In a speech delivered in Shoreditch, East London earlier today, where he was joined by Home Secretary Alan Johnson, the Prime Minister said that under the points-based system unskilled migrant workers from outside the EU will not be allowed into the UK due to reduced need for their services.

The Prime Minister also said better training of British nationals would progressively tackle the skills shortages that have led to posts being filled by migrants.

The Prime Minister said:

'The system we have introduced gives us the ability to secure the skills we need and to secure our borders against those who are not welcome here.

'And I believe the responsible way to debate migration is to debate how we can use this system over the coming years to continue to control migration fairly, to reduce the overall need for migration, while continuing to attract the key people who will make the biggest contribution to the growth of our economy.'

He also announced that two of the professions which have attracted most non-EU nationals - chefs and care workers - are to be removed from the shortage list by 2012 and 2014 respectively.

Mr Brown also noted that asylum claims were back to the levels of the early 1990s and recent provisional figures suggest net inward migration has fallen from 170,000 in 2007 to 147,000 in 2009.

During the speech the Number 10 website held a live online discussion with Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas. The Minister answered questions about immigration during the Prime Minister's speech.