A Christian migration expert has given a cautious “welcome” to the new U.K. Labour Government’s plans to redevelop the asylum and immigration system, announced Wednesday, July 17, by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.
The king revealed the proposals as part of the monarch’s traditional speech unveiling the government’s legislative plans for the near future.
About 685,000 migrants, largely driven by non-EU citizens, arrived in the UK last year, 2023, according to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. Most of these immigrants came legally via work and study routes, mainly working in health and care roles.
The previous U.K. Government noted 52,530 “irregular migrants” detected arriving between June 2022 to June 2023, of which 85 percent arrived on small boats via dangerous and illegal crossings across the English Channel.
“My government will seek to strengthen the border and make streets safer,” said King Charles III, during his speech, wearing a crown and ceremonial robe at the Palace of Westminster in London.
“A Bill will be introduced to modernize the asylum and immigration system, establishing a new Border Security Command and delivering enhanced counter terror powers to tackle organized immigration crime [Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill].”
Dr. Krishna Kandiah OBE, founder and director of Sanctuary Foundation, which supports refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan and other places, commented on social media channel LinkedIn about the government’s plans.
“I welcome modernizing the asylum system as we need a way to clear the backlog of claims and provide a fast and fair asylum assessment process,“ Kandiah wrote. “I also welcome going after the organised criminal gangs involved in smuggling and trafficking people to the U.K.”
However, Kandiah pointed out that the speech avoided setting out plans to help refugees fleeing life threatening situations who wanted to follow legal and not illegal channels to reach the U.K.
“I would like to have seen some mention of legal routes for people who need to flee war and terror and come to the UK,” added Kandiah. “We cannot help every refugee, but part of our service to the world is to take our fair share of those that need sanctuary.”
The previous Conservative Government set up a ‘Rwanda Scheme’, to fly migrants to Rwanda in Africa, which caused controversy over human rights issues and costs, but the new government ditched the plan.
Sanctuary Foundation, founded by Kandiah, works in partnership with organizations such as governments, churches and civil society groups to provide a “compassionate service” to vulnerable people.
Kandiah has been previously interviewed by Christian Daily International about the plight of thousands of children in the U.K. in desperate need of adoption or fostering care.
