UK Immigration Policy Is Dancing to a Dutch Economic Tune
A University of Amsterdam research paper has made the question of migrants a financial issue.
The UK immigration debate has become an economic battlefield.
Photographer: Niklas Halle’n/AFP/Getty Images
“Indefinite leave to remain” is an odd formulation, a conjunction of opposites that sounds like a vote during the Brexit referendum to keep all options open, as one radio presenter joked last week. The UK’s term for settled status/permanent residency probably meant little to most people until recently, unless they arrived in the country on a visa or (like this columnist) have family members in that position. It’s now at the heart of a fractious immigration debate.
This year, the Labour government, the Conservative opposition and Reform UK – the anti-immigrant populist party that leads in opinion polls – have all proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain, or ILR. It isn’t immediately obvious why. People care mostly about the number of people coming into the country, which peaked at 1.3 million in 2023 and is now dropping sharply, based on official data. Surveys show voters think immigration is too high and they want it to come down. That doesn’t automatically translate to changing the rules on those already here.