Strangers Into Citizens - The LSE Study: Interim Findings

The LSE Study: Interim Findings

In March 2009 the LSE published the interim findings of a report commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to explore the proposition of an earned regularisation scheme.

It noted three categories of irregular migrant: (1) illegal entrants—those who evade formal migration controls and present false papers (the minority); (2) migrants who entered legally and have been lawfully present in the UK but whose remain after the end of the agreed period (the overwhelming majority); and (3) children born in the UK to irregular migrants, who are not migrants themselves but have no right to remain.

The second category, into which the majority falls, includes two main subcategories: (i) failed asylum seekers who stay in the UK despite a final decision refusing them the right to remain; and (ii) overstayers whose period of legal residency has expired without renewal. This second group also includes those who are no longer eligible to stay because of the Government's introduction of a points system.

The report noted that eligibility for regularisation programmes varies greatly between countries, and that proportions of the irregular population accepted for such programmes were mostly in the range of 60 to 90 per cent.

A "very preliminary note" on the costs of regularisation noted that there were costs associated with regularisation which arose from the increased use of services (schools, education, health, housing, welfare benefits etc.). But the LSE noted that the extent of use would vary widely and in some cases make little or no impact. The report also observes that there are economic benefits from reducing the size of irregularity which have not yet been addressed.