Migrants a boost for the economy

Figures from the immigration department for 2016/17 show that out of a total of 183,000 permanent immigrants, 124,000 were in the skilled stream

NO PROBLEM: Figures from the immigration department for 2016/17 show that out of a total of 183,000 permanent immigrants, 124,000 were in the skilled stream. Picture: EOIN BLACKWELL

IN A recent letter about immigration levels (QT 14/03), Douglas Young of Silkstone wrote that "Many are really poor, uneducated and have little or no skills so they will not be very productive.”

This is simply not true.

Figures from the immigration department for 2016/17 show that out of a total of 183,000 permanent immigrants, 124,000 were in the skilled stream.

For a visa under this stream, the immigrant must have nominated skills that are in short supply in the country.

It is not true that, as Mr Young suggests, "many of them won't pay taxes and will require welfare for a very long time”.

For a start, only 42,000 of them are independent immigrants.

The rest were sponsored by public or private employers and therefore already have jobs.

The others must have the nominated skills, including familiarity with English.

Mr Young is really talking about humanitarian stream immigrants fleeing here "due to the effects of world instability” and for whom "it is a noble and humanitarian action” for us to accept.

But, Mr Young, "these people” only numbered 18,000, less than 10 per cent of the total.

It is not a "noble and humanitarian action”.

It is pure hard-headed economics.

KEN ALDERTON

One Mile

Originally published as Migrants a boost for the economy