United Refugee Organization

6 December 2007A proposal to use a new Government Bill to simplify immigration law has received positive feedback, the Home Office revealed today.The Home Office held a consultation on plans to replace all the Immigration Acts since the early 1970s with one clear, transparent, single piece of legislation.Feedback on this consultation, which began on 6 June 2007, shows that the simplification principles were supported by 64 percent of respondents.Many of those who responded backed the Border and Immigration Agency’s commitment to transparency, clarity, predictability and the use of plain English.The new Immigration Bill was announced in the Queen’s Speech at the beginning of November this year.The Bill will clearly distinguish between temporary and permanent UK residents, laying out exactly what rights people can expect and how they can earn citizenship.Borders and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said:“We are currently undertaking the biggest reform of our immigration system for 40 years.“Over the next eighteen months we will introduce our Australian-style points based system for workers, roll out our e-borders programme to count people in and out of the country and require ID cards for foreign nationals. Our legislation must be able to adapt to these changes and the challenges they bring.“Since the introduction of the initial Immigration Act in 1971 the world has changed dramatically. Now more than ever our laws must be clear – people must speak our language, obey our rules, and pay their taxes.”Since the initial Immigration Act was introduced in 1971 there have been ten new Acts, with the latest being the UK Borders Act 2007. There has also been a whole host of statutory instruments, guidelines and instructions.Respondents to the consultation asked for a number of issues to be addressed by the new legislation, including improved access to rules; reduced waiting times, improved data sharing; and joined up legislation with other departments.The Home Office will now carry out a detailed analysis of existing laws, and then intends to consult with the public on more specific proposals for legislation. A draft Bill will be published for pre-legislative scrutiny in 2008