The purpose of the Bill is to:
To strengthen border controls, by bringing together customs and immigration powers, and to ensure that newcomers to the United Kingdom earn the right to stay. It will strengthen the law and support the development of the UK Border Agency.
The main elements of the Bill are:
A strong border
- Providing for better integration of customs and immigration functions within the new Border Agency.
Ensuring migrants earn the right to stay
- Implementing the new path to citizenship, with progress slowed down if migrants don’t make an effort to integrate or commit even minor crimes.
A firm but fair system
- Implementing a new duty for the UK Border Agency to safeguard the welfare of children.
- Ensuring fairness in nationality cases by removing the historical cut-off point for enabling children of British mothers born before 1961 to become British themselves, and recognising our obligation to the armed forces by enabling those serving overseas to register their children as British.
The main benefits of the provisions -
Supporting legislation to underpin the UK Border Agency's operations will mean:
- Increasing operational effectiveness of the UK Border
- Set out the new path to citizenship and ensure that newcomers to the UK earn the right to stay
