MIGRANTS who breach rules and overstay in the UK after their visa expires will be prevented from accessing benefits, services and work under the new immigration plan announced on Monday (24).
A ‘digital visa’ will give ministers real-time data on a person’s immigration status and enable the government and departments to know whether a person is “in” or “out” of the UK at any given point in time.
Under the plan, access to benefits such as the NHS will stop if migrants overstay their visas. It will also permit sharing of information across government departments so migrants can access public services such as the NHS.
Similarly, job applicants will no longer be required to prove their status as employers would already have access to the information.
“The use of automation to generate or update a digital status from a border crossing outcome event will enable the ability to accurately calculate and share a person’s status with third parties and other government departments that give access to benefits, services and work to those who are eligible,” the new immigration plan document read.
“It will also deny them to those here illegally or without the necessary entitlements, reducing the major pull factors for illegal migration.”
Home secretary Priti Patel said, “Our new fully digital border will provide the ability to count people in and count people out of the country.”
“We will have a far clearer picture of who is here and whether they should be - and will act when they are not,” she said.
Work towards a digital system for immigration status will “reduce costs and improve border security by reducing the possibility of forgery or theft” of identity documents.
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)