Banks to join British PM May’s ‘hostile environment’ plan
LONDON: Millions of bank accounts are to be checked as part of a strategy to create a “hostile environment” for illegal migrants in the UK, adding a new level of uncertainty in the current Brexit-related climate.
The terminology“hostile environment ”– usually used to refer to a conflict or war situation–was first used by Prime Minister Theresa May when she was the home secretary.
“The aim is to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration … What we don’ t want is a situation where people think that they can come here and over stay because they’re able to access everything they need,” she had said in an interview in 2012.
The plans were included in the Immigration Act, 2014 and expanded in the Immigration Act, 2016. These include land lords carrying out immigration checks, academics reporting on international students at universities, and new checks while applying for driving licences.
The idea is to make it so difficult for individuals to remain without permission that they will either ref rain from trying to enter Britain or if already present, leave voluntarily.
Beginning January 2018, around 70 million bank accounts are to checked. However, the timing has added a new worry for EU nationals, who are currently unsure about their future postBrexit — the checks could affect genuine migrants too.
Sat b ir Singh, chief executive of the campaign group Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, critic is ed the latest check :“Immigration status is very complex, and the home office consistently gives out incorrect information and guidance. Migrants and ethnic minorities with every right to be here will be affected by the imposition of these new checks.”