Migration policy is failing, report claims 

The government's migration policy is leading to intolerable levels of abuse of migrant workers, a new report claims.

The 'managed migration' system currently favoured by ministers is accused of focusing too much on convincing voters that numbers of migrants are "under control".

But in addition to imposing high levels of abuse on low-skilled and irregular migrants, government policy is heavily criticised for failing to meet the economic requirements of the country and for going against the UK's promise of assisting the reduction of poverty in developing countries.

The criticism comes from a commission set up by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), which has spent a year examining the ways in which it feels UK migration policy is failing.

Its report calls for a radical overhaul of the migration system - with a move away from the emphasis on permanent settlement towards a focus on the benefits of temporary migration.

The report argues that in a global economy, a focus on controlling the numbers of people crossing the border is neither effective nor efficient.

And it outlines a number of proposals for a new approach to economic migration which would help movement across borders, rather than preventing entry.

It says there should be a clear separation between migration for work and for settlement in the UK and no distinction in classes of migrants by skill levels.

Low-skilled workers are key to the high skills UK economy, the report stresses. And it argues that a migration policy is needed which a significant section of the electorate understands and supports.

The RSA says a migration system linked to employers’ demand for workers, which also diverts irregular migrants into legal channels should be introduced.

And it says there should be "multi-lateral responsibility" for the severe debt burden for migrants.

Chairman of the commission Nigel Harris said: "In practice we have seen managed migration fail both to control total entrants and to meet labour demand in a cost-effective manner.

"The government needs to move away from its obsession with pandering to xenophobic attitudes and start to look at how the UK can maintain its competitiveness in a global economy."