UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken bold steps to curb migration in the country, as seen in a recent video he posted on social media platform X. In the video, Sunak can be seen stamping a sheet of paper with red ink that boldly states, “STOPPED.” This comes two weeks after King Charles approved legislation crucial to Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The sheets of paper in the video had text written over them, highlighting specific areas where migration has been curbed. This includes foreign master’s students bringing family members, overseas care workers bringing family dependants, and immigration undercutting British workers. Sunak proudly announced in the post that student dependant applications are now down by 80 per cent.
Last year, the UK government announced a new immigration crackdown aimed at overseas students, restricting their visa rights to bring dependent family members with them while enrolled at a British institution. The new rules, which came into effect on January 1, 2024, also make it harder for immigrants to bring family members to the UK, with some exceptions for the health and social care sectors.
However, these measures have faced criticism from trade unions, with the general secretary of the Unison trade union calling them a “total disaster” for the health and care sector. She expressed concerns that migrant workers, who are crucial to these sectors, may now choose to go to more welcoming countries rather than be separated from their families.