The Labor Party government of the United Kingdom has pulled out the immigration regulation card.
According to the BBC, Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announced the immigration restriction policy on the 12th (local time). The key measures include the abolition of care worker visas and raising the requirements for skilled worker visas.
The Home Office did not specify a concrete reduction target. However, the Home Office analyzed that there would be an effect of reducing 100,000 per year by 2029.
The new immigration policy extends the residency period required for permanent residency and citizenship applications from the current five years to ten years. It will also suspend the issuance of new care sector visas introduced during the Boris Johnson administration.
The skilled worker visa strengthens the qualification standards to 'master's degree or higher.' There are also plans to raise the related corporations' fees by 32%. Currently, the first-year fee for large corporations is about £1,000 (approximately 1.87 million won).
Regulations related to international students will also become stricter. The employment eligibility period after graduation will be reduced from two years to 18 months. A plan to impose new taxes on universities' international student tuition revenue is also under review.
Prime Minister Starmer noted, 'Finally regaining control of the borders,' and added, 'We will strengthen the entire immigration system, including employment, family, and study.'
According to the BBC, 'Regaining control of the borders' was a slogan used by the pro-Brexit side during the 2016 referendum. The Labor Party, which claims to be center-left, has borrowed a slogan previously used by the right-wing.
The hardline immigration policy within the Labor Party is facing backlash from progressive factions within the party.
A Labor Party MP warned, 'It would be a political mistake to respond strongly to legal immigration while failing to resolve the issue of illegal immigration.'