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Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2008

rose to move, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2008. The noble Lord said: In February 2008, we began the rollout of the points-based system. At that time, we also announced our proposals for all the immigration and nationality fees we intended to charge during 2008-09. These regulations specify the fees for the next part of the points-based system to be implemented. The Government are determined to continue to drive through the real improvements to the immigration system that we have said that we will deliver. We will protect our border and our national interests, tackle immigration crime and implement fast and fair decisions. These fees will help contribute to us delivering the biggest shake-up to our border protection and immigration system for over 45 years. We have made substantial progress and are seeing the results. Stronger border controls are delivering falls in annual asylum claims, which are now the lowest for 14 years. Anyone applying for a visa now has his fingerprints checked against UK databases. So far, we have enrolled 1.7 million sets of fingerprints—that is, people—detecting 1,600 cases of identity swaps. In 2007, we removed an immigration offender from this country every eight minutes. Britain is the richer for migration, culturally, socially and economically. However, if migration is to continue to bring benefits to this country, it must be carefully controlled, and we are delivering that through the continued roll-out of the points-based system. It is right and fair to both the users of the immigration system and to the general public in the UK that those who benefit most from the immigration system contribute proportionately more to the true end-to-end costs of that system. In setting current fee levels, we established the important principle of setting the fees for our applications and services on the basis of the value to the applicant. We are continuing to apply this principle in setting fees for the next parts of the points-based system to be implemented. In order to do this, we are using the powers under Section 42 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004, which have been amended by Section 20 of the UK Borders Act 2007. We have kept migrant fees for the next part of the points-based system to be implemented at broadly the same level as existing comparable current applications. Where we are introducing new fees for new services, we have proposed fees that reflect the benefits and entitlements of the application to the migrant or employer. The fees for new products that are covered in the regulations being discussed today are as follows. An application under tier 1 of the points-based system for a visa as an investor or an entrepreneur will be £600. An application under tier 1 of the points-based system for leave to remain as an investor or an entrepreneur will be £750. An application under tier 1 of the points-based system for a visa in the post-study category will be £205. An application under tier 1 of the points-based system for leave to remain in the post-study category will be £400. An application under tier 2 of the points-based system for a visa will be £205. An application under tier 2 of the points-based system for leave to remain will be £400. An application for a tier 2 certificate of sponsorship will be £170. An application for a multiple tier sponsorship licence where the sponsor is not a small sponsor will be £1,000. An application for registration as a British citizen under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997 will be £400. The purpose of tier 1 of the points-based system is to attract the most talented migrants who have the most to contribute economically to the United Kingdom. The skilled migrant tier—tier 2—is aimed at enabling UK employers to recruit individuals from outside the European economic area to fill a job that cannot be filled by a British or European economic area worker. In common with other parts of the points-based system, on introduction tier 2 will require migrants to have a sponsor licensed by the UK Border Agency. The fee to register on the sponsor register was set in the regulations debated on 25 February. These regulations bring in fees for the different types of sponsor licences that businesses will be able to apply for. We welcome the contribution that legal migrants make to the economy and cultural life of the United Kingdom, and we have ensured that the proposed fees are at levels that will not damage the UK’s international competitiveness. We believe these fees for the next part of the points-based system to be implemented are fair and proportionate, and are set at levels that recognise the value and benefits of a successful application to both the migrant and the employer. The fees have been set to ensure the UK maintains its position as an attractive destination for work and to do business. We have consulted key stakeholders on our proposals, including the business community, and the majority of responses to our consultation document and at the consultation events agreed with our current policy of setting fees for tier 1 and tier 2 above cost recovery while setting fees for tiers 4 and 5 at or below cost recovery. The fees proposed here are fair and proportionate. They recover the costs of considering the application and help contribute to the true aim to end the costs of the system. I commend this instrument to the Committee. I beg to move. Moved, That the Grand Committee do report to the House that it has considered the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2008. 20th report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.—(Lord West of Spithead.)