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Managed Migration

Unkind colleagues on the Front Bench suggested that the people cheering next door might have been Scottish, not Portuguese, if goals were scored against England. I am sure that that is not case. I cannot answer the hon. Lady substantively without knowing the specific constituents’ cases to which she refers. Broadly, we should not confuse the new scheme with general settlement. We have clearly said that, in the points-based system, tiers 1 and 2, which essentially cover highly skilled migrants and areas where significant skills shortages have been identified, are settlement routes. Tier 3 is, by definition, temporary. Tier 4 covers students and may lead to a settlement route—there are ways out of that. Tier 5 covers short-term activities, such as youth exchange and cultural exchange. Again, it is temporary. The tiers should not therefore be confused with pending applications for indefinite leave to remain—ILR. Those with pending applications for ILR on their journey to settlement will simply complete four to five years if they apply in the normal way—if they have no criminal records and so on. If ILR follows extended leave to remain—ELR—or other elements, from asylum to settlement via refugee status, with or without temporary protection, that is outside the points-based system. We are not therefore locking up every single element of the settlement and nationality routes, including the points-based system, together. I am sorry if that is convoluted and does not answer all the hon. Lady’s points but I am happy to discuss it further at another time.