Select Committee · Home Affairs Committee

Migration and asylum

Status: Closed Opened: 4 May 2022 Closed: 24 May 2024 2 recommendations 8 conclusions 1 report

Following the announcement that a General Election will be held on 4 July, Select Committees will be unable to meet from 24 May and will cease to exist from 30 May until after the General Election. This work has therefore closed The Committee is carrying out an umbrella inquiry looking at the latest developments in … Show more

Reports

1 report

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Second Report - Asylum and migration: Albania	HC 197	12 Jun 2023	10	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items

5 Conclusion Second Report - Asylum and migration: A… Rejected

Supporting economic development and promoting short-term work visas offers long-term migration solutions.

The long-term solution to migration from countries such as Albania where emigration is driven not by oppression or war but by absence of jobs and decent incomes lies in supporting such countries to become wealthier. There is no case for special treatment for Albania in provision of work visas: its … Read more

Government response AI summary

The government rejects the idea of actively promoting short-term work visas as a means of transferring wealth or reducing illegal migration, stating this is not the purpose of the UK immigration system and there is no evidence it would be effective.

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Home Office

6 Conclusion Second Report - Asylum and migration: A… Rejected

Promote time-limited short-term visas for seasonal or lacking sectors to aid origin country economic development.

We invite the Government to respond to the idea of actively promoting in those countries that have qualified unemployed workers in particular sectors time-limited or short-term visas for seasonal work, such as fruit-picking, or in sectors in which the UK lacks workers, such as construction, as a means of dispersing … Read more

Government response AI summary

The government refers to its response to point 5, reiterating that it is not the purpose of the UK immigration system to facilitate the international disbursement of wealth, thus rejecting the idea of promoting short-term visas for this aim.

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Home Office

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions

Date	Witnesses
13 Dec 2023	Dan Hobbs · Home Office, Michael Tomlinson KC · Home Office, Tom Pursglove · Home Office	View ↗
7 Dec 2022	Dr Andi Hoxhaj · University College London, Dr Peter William Walsh · The Migration Observatory, Esme Madill · Migrant and Refugee Children's Legal Unit (MiCLU) at Islington Law Centre, His Excellency Qirjako Qirko, Professor Dame Sara Thornton · The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham	View ↗
6 Jul 2022	Alison Pickup · Asylum Aid, David Wood, Enver Solomon · Refugee Council, Rhys Clyne · Institute for Government, Theresa Schleicher · Medical Justice, Tony Smith CBE	View ↗
8 Jun 2022	David Neal	View ↗
11 May 2022	Dan Hobbs · Home Office, Tom Pursglove · Home Office	View ↗

Who gave evidence

15 witnesses

Witness	Organisation	Sessions
Dan Hobbs · Director General, Migration and Borders Group	Home Office	2
Tom Pursglove · Minister of State for Legal Migration and the Bor…	Home Office	2
Alison Pickup · Director	Asylum Aid	1
David Neal	—	1
David Wood	—	1
Dr Andi Hoxhaj · Lecturer in Law, Faculty of Laws	University College London	1
Dr Peter William Walsh · Senior Researcher	The Migration Observatory	1
Enver Solomon · Chief Executive Officer	Refugee Council	1
Esme Madill · Solicitor	Migrant and Refugee Children's Legal Unit (MiCLU) at Islington Law Centre	1
His Excellency Qirjako Qirko	—	1
Michael Tomlinson KC · Minister for Illegal Migration	Home Office	1
Professor Dame Sara Thornton	The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham	1
Rhys Clyne · Senior Researcher	Institute for Government	1
Theresa Schleicher · Casework Manager	Medical Justice	1
Tony Smith CBE	—	1

Correspondence

41 letters

Date	Direction	Title
5 Mar 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Legal Migration and the Border to the Chair follow…
21 Feb 2024	To cttee	Letter from London Councils regarding asylum and migration, dated 2 February 20…
2 Feb 2024	From cttee	Letter to the Minister for Illegal Migration following up the Committee's visit…
31 Jan 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office on the value for money a…
24 Jan 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Legal Migration on the Windrush Compensation Schem…
24 Jan 2024	From cttee	Letter to the Migration Ministers following up the evidence session on 13 Decem…
17 Jan 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Migration Ministers following up the evidence session on 13 Dec…
6 Sep 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Home Secretary on the use of hotels to accommodate Unaccompanie…
17 May 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Home Secretary on the recruitment of the Independent Anti-Slave…
19 Apr 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Home Secretary on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy …
19 Apr 2023	From cttee	Letter to the Home Secretary from the Chairs of HASC and JCHR on unaccompanied …
19 Apr 2023	From cttee	Letter to the Home Secretary on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (A…
23 Mar 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for LUHC on data on a…
23 Mar 2023	From cttee	Letter to the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for LUHC on data on asy…
22 Mar 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Home Secretary on data for small boat crossings, dated 14 March…
22 Mar 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Immigration on passport fees, dated 28 February 20…
22 Mar 2023	From cttee	Letter to the Minister for Immigration on passport fees, dated 6 February 2023
22 Mar 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Immigration to Layla Moran MP on immigration deten…
22 Mar 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Immigration on immigration detention, dated 10 Ma…
8 Mar 2023	To cttee	Letter from the Home Secretary on Tier-1 Investor Scheme Visas, dated 27 Febru…