Foreign criminals to be banned from entering UK

London, July 13 (IANS) UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is set to announce on Monday a ban on foreign criminals sentenced to more than a year in jail from entering the country.

Patel will unveil details of how the UK’s points-based immigration system will operate after freedom of movement ends, the Metro newspaper reported.

Ministers will be given powers to exclude or deport foreign criminals who have received prison sentences of more than a year, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

Officials will also reportedly be able to bar persistent offenders such as pickpockets and burglars, even if they have been sentenced to less than a year.

The change would mean criminals from the European Union (EU)would be treated the same as currently happens to those from non-EU countries.

Under the present rules, convicted criminals from the bloc can only be excluded on a case-by-case basis.

The new immigration system, will come into effect on January 1, 2021, is designed to cut the number of low-skilled migrants entering Britain from the beginning of next year, but aims to make it easier for higher-skilled workers to get UK visas.

People who want to live and work in the UK will need to gain 70 points to be eligible to apply for a visa.

“The British people voted to take back control of our borders and introduce a new points-based immigration system” the Metro newspaper quoted Patel as saying on Sunday in reference to the new system.

“Now we have left the EU, we are free to unleash this country’s full potential and implement the changes we need to restore trust in the immigration system and deliver a new fairer, firmer, skills-led system from January 1, 2021.”

–IANS

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