IMMIGRANT AMNESTY BILL TO COST £4BILLION

ALLOWING every illegal immigrant to stay in the UK would end up costing the British taxpayer up to £4billion a year, it is claimed today.

An amnesty for the estimated 700,000 illegal migrants already in the country would cost up to £2billion in the first year as they qualified for benefits.

And that figure would probably double after their children or family members joined them, says pressure group Migrationwatch UK.

Research for the group also showed that an amnesty for illegal immigrants was opposed by 70 per cent and favoured by only one in 10.

Londoners were slightly less opposed – 64 per cent – to letting the capital’s estimated 400,000 illegal residents stay.

Conservative London Mayor Boris Johnson revealed last month that his advisers were examining a possible amnesty for certain illegal immigrants on the grounds that, in practice, they could not all be deported. Both Labour and the Conservatives oppose an amnesty, with Immigration Minister Phil Woolas branding it a “naive” idea.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said it would be “counter-productive” by encouraging more migrants to enter the country illegally.

But Mr Johnson claims an amnesty would hugely boost tax revenues.

Today Migrationwatch publishes its calculations of how much a move would cost once all benefits paid to newly-legal migrants had been taken into account. The group challenges Home Office claims over the economic benefit of immigration.

Last night Migrationwatch chairman Sir Andrew Green said: “Clearly the British public can see that to reward people with a meal ticket for life for breaking our laws is an absurd proposition. It will encourage others to come and take their place in the hope of a further amnesty.

“That is exactly what has happened in Italy, which has granted five amnesties in the past 20 years, and in Spain, which has granted six.”

He added: “Claims of a huge increase in tax revenues are ludicrous when benefit payments are taken into account.

“So proponents of an amnesty are left only with their claim to be advancing the cause of social justice.

“However, the real victims are British workers whose wages are held down or perhaps their job opportunities taken by people who came or remained here illegally of their own volition.”

He added: “Competition for work by illegal immigrants should be reduced, not encouraged. The Government and Opposition are right to oppose this ill-considered scheme.” continues here

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