Create an earned amnesty route for migrants without leave to remain

Create an organised and earned scheme for migrants in the UK without leave to remain to earn amnesty and secure leave to remain to enable them to live with dignity and contribute to the UK's economy.

The scheme should be open to all who have not broken the law and have resided in the UK for over 12 years.

The immigration system does not meet the needs of many, there are concerns that the new Points Based System will not improve things, and a risk that there will be a skills shortage when the UK leaves the EU.

The current Prime Minister has expressed support for a proposal along these lines. The scheme could be run along the lines of how the Home Office processed legacy cases between 2006 and 2011, so there is a precedent for it. It could alleviate great hardship to the most vulnerable and exploited in society.

The Government therefore has no plans to create an earned amnesty route for such migrants.

The Government remains committed to an immigration policy which welcomes and celebrates people here legally but deters illegal immigration. We must prevent the abuse of benefits and services, remove immigration offenders and foreign national offenders from the UK and disrupt the organised crime groups that prey on the vulnerable.

The Immigration Rules already provide for undocumented migrants, who have not broken the law except for remaining here without lawful immigration status and have been in the UK for a long time, to regularise their status. This will remain the case when the new points-based immigration system is implemented. If appropriate in light of the situation in their country of origin, migrants may claim asylum or otherwise make an application for leave to remain where there are grounds to do so. The Government will therefore not create a new earned amnesty route as requested by this petition.

The current private life Immigration Rules provide for an adult who: has lived continuously in the UK for at least 20 years; is aged between 18 and 25 years and has spent at least half of their life living here; or, has lived continuously in the UK for less than 20 years, but there would be very significant obstacles to their integration into the country of return; or, a child (under 18 years), who has lived continuously in the UK for 7 years where it would not be reasonable for them to leave; to remain in the UK.