Greens say they welcome the economic and societal contributions made by immigrants and refugees
The Green Party launched its election manifesto today and the section on immigration shows the party taking a strong pro-migration and pro-refugee stance.
The Greens pledge that they would end the 'hostile environment' approach towards migrants in the UK, and they would push to abolish the minimum income requirements for family or spouse visas, abolish the Immigration Health Surcharge, and abolish the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition.
Visa fees would be reduced to their actual cost and any profit margin would be removed.
Immigration detention would be ended in all but the most extreme situations.
More safe routes would be established for refugees to come to the UK, and asylum seekers would be given the right to work.
The Greens also favour dismantling the Home Office and creating a new Department of Migration alongside a Department of Justice.
The full section on immigration from the Green Party manifesto is reproduced below:
REAL HOPE. REAL CHANGE.
The Green Party's Manifesto for a Fairer, Greener Country
[…]
SHARING A FAIRER, GREENER WELCOME
How we treat people who have chosen the UK as their home says a great deal about our values and national character. Greens are proud that we are country forged by migrants and welcome the economic and societal contributions that immigrants and refugees make to British society.
We understand that migration is inevitable, and that people have always moved around. We also recognise we all have a collective responsibility for the climate emergency and that the UK has a duty to support people forced to move due to changes in their home environment, whether internally or overseas.
Green MPs would advocate for inclusivity and an outward-looking approach to the world. We want to be welcoming, promote social cohesion and support migrants to put down roots.
Elected Greens will push for:
• An end to the hostile environment.
• An end to the minimum income requirements for spouses of those holding work visas.
• Safe routes to sanctuary for those fleeing danger, persecution and war.
Asylum and protection
No one becomes a refugee lightly. People leave their homes, friends and often their family because they are forced to do so through circumstances that are intolerable.
The Green Party acknowledges the right to claim asylum, in any country, as set out in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Elected Greens will campaign for a system of asylum and humanitarian protection that treats the applicant fairly, humanely and without discrimination.
Elected Greens will push for:
• The United Kingdom to work with other countries to establish safe routes by which those fleeing persecution, war, or climate disaster may arrive in the country of their choice to make their case without having to risk their lives.
• A fast and fair process to assess asylum applications.
• Those seeking asylum and protection to be permitted to work while their application is being decided.
Ending the hostile environment
The hostile environment approach has not only been found at times to be unlawful, it has caused immense suffering for those who have been caught up in it, including the Windrush generation.
Green MPs would campaign to abolish the No Recourse to Public Funds condition that exacerbates social, economic, and racial inequalities.
We would also campaign to abolish the ten-year route to settlement which unfairly traps people in poverty and hardship.
We believe that migration is not a criminal offence under any circumstances and that there should be an end to immigration detention for all migrants unless they are a danger to public safety.
All visa-holding residents should have the right to vote in all elections and referendums.
Fixing a broken system
We will push to dismantle the dysfunctional Home Office and create a new Department of Migration alongside a Department of Justice, thus separating functions around migration and citizenship from the criminal justice system.
The system of visa applications should be simplified and all applications should be processed swiftly, and with empathy and intelligence.
We would seek the end to the exploitation of people for profit and only charge application fees at cost.
Access to the NHS should be free and comprehensive for migrants with visas.
Workers, students and families
We want to attract the best researchers for our universities, the top talent for our start-ups and to welcome those who come to work in our health and social services, on our farms, and in our offices.
Elected Greens will therefore push for migrants, including students, to be allowed to bring members of their family to the UK who would normally live with them in their country of origin, or would do so if it were permitted by law or custom.
Elected Greens will push to remove minimum income requirements from all applications including spousal visas, because all British citizens should have the right to reside with their loved ones no matter their income.
Migration and climate breakdown
People have always moved in search of better lives, but famine and the increasing conflict in the world is driving an increase in involuntary migration. As the climate crisis worsens and the impacts on people in marginalised communities become more severe, more people may be forced to leave their homes. Our proposed significant increase to the overseas aid budget, as well as our policy of supporting lower-income countries to deal with the climate crisis, are vital to ensure people can stay in their home communities, but we will also ensure that those who are forced to leave can do so safely and with dignity, without fear or intimidation.