Boris says Oz ‘points system’ coming here.

EllanVannin, the case you refer to was a lady who had applied for a parent visa onshore, ie in Australia. If you are over 65 you can do this, pass a medical and then you are put on a bridging visa until your parent visa is processed and granted. (There is no points test for a parent visa, there are other criteria. The points test is for skilled visas). Parent visa processing can take several years and before the visa is granted you need to pass another medical. Unfortunately the lady in question failed the medical and her visa was refused. This was the reason she was threatened with deportation. She has since passed away, yes, but she was unaware of the threat to deport her as her family had not told her.

Parts of London were like 'little Australia' when I was younger.

There are about 55,000 Australians resident in London. Some of the ones I know who came here have no links to this country - but they have gone home again.

It's quite possible that Australian nurses are working here because they want to see other parts of the world. Does anyone remember seeing the VW Campervans lined up along the Aldwych? All those Aussies and Kiwis wanting to see the old country.
Some of them may even want to marry British people!! Or perhaps met them when they came over to work here.

I remember when we had an influx of Australian dentists many years ago.

Wadesnan - all non-EU workers have to have permits to enter the UK. The issue of unskilled/low skilled workers applies only to EU migrants and this will change when we leave.

Yes Jennifer, how right you are, send them home.

Since 2016, overall long-term immigration to the UK for work has continued to decrease and looking at all available data sources.

Office of National Statistics.

Callistemon It's quite possible that Australian nurses are working here because they want to see other parts of the world. Does anyone remember seeing the VW Campervans lined up along the Aldwych? All those Aussies and Kiwis wanting to see the old country.

I would also like to know what he plans to do about all those immigrants entering our country illegally on boats. We never get to hear how many , if any, get sent back home. Javid claimed he would put a stop to it but still they come.

Having a points system would not stop qualified and skilled staff coming to UK. It would stop those who have no skills who would take the unskilled jobs, for lower wages, than the local population. Any employer will always look to keep their outgoings, including wages, as low as possible and unskilled labour from abroad merely facilitates that.

I read in the paper the other day that an elderly ex-pat was threatened with deportation because she was a burden on Australia's health system. The old lady since died because of the threat hanging over her . The 93 year old had lived in Perth for 11 years.

This isn't the first time that elderly British have been threatened.

What use is the points system in these circumstances ?

Callistemon, there may well be Australian nurses working in London where there's a marked difference in pay than here in the NW. There shouldn't be as they all do the same job.

If we didn't have immigrant staff here there'd be nobody working in the hospitals etc. They're very caring people who also work in nursing/residential homes too. When my D did agency work for BUPA years ago there were Philipino's on contract/work visa's who were patient people who enjoyed the work but the pay was rubbish which is why they didn't renew their contracts. These were trained staff !

For those who think we DO need immigration, can I ask at what point it stops? How high does the population have to get before enough is enough? Yes we have always been a nation of immigrants but not on this scale - so many in a short space of time.

Salaried general practitioners (GPs) earn £56,525 to £85,298 depending on the length of service and experience.
Is that not a decent wage?

Funny, then, EllanVannin that we have Australian nurses working here in the UK.

I wonder why?

The cost of living in Australia is higher too, now.

Foreign people

Until our doctors and nurses are paid a decent wage for what they do then more and more will move abroad. It's an insult what they're paid for and what's expected of them, it's an utter disgrace.

Australia pays far more and probably appreciates them more too. Police officers and fire officers are also upping sticks and leaving.

It scares me what we're going to be left with in the future.

Imm6 The NHS will not cope, is not coping now we are losing doctors and nurses. The infrastructure cannot and isn't being built without the skilled labour. Neither are coping with a government who couldn't run a WI let alone a country.

I believe, as do many who use our demographics to plan for the future do, that we need immigration. None of what you say proves otherwise. We are a nation of immigrants.

What do you base your "we don't need immigrants" on? It sounds as if you are not basing this on a single fact. Currently pensioners pay only 11% of the UKs Income Tax revenues. How do you think Pensions can be paid with an aging population? If we leave and there are big problems with the economy what is left to cut - state pensions. Immigrants are usually young with a higher percentage working than the native population.

If you are going to throw around your "don't needs" give those of us you are trying to inflict a far worse standard of living on some facts not just what sounds very like prejudice.

You can take us out of the EU, build a stupid wall if you want but you will not actually be able to stop us having to trade with other countries who will insist on visas for their workers. You will never, in this day and age isolate us without many knock on effects which and you would be the first, I have no doubt, to complain about.

How on earth are we going to force people to work? When we were growing up there were still apprentice schemes and nurses learnt whilst working. Now apprenticeships are fewer and if someone wants to be a Registered Nurse they need a degree although some hospitals have recently started to offer apprenticeships.

Totally agree with Urmstongran. Why on earth should we take in people irrespective of whether they've paid into the system. How on earth can we keep taking more and more people? The infrastructure won't cope, schools won't cope, the NHS won't cope. We are changing the face of Britain. We don't need immigrants. We need to train people to do the jobs required not import more people. And, is it fair for other countries to train nurses and doctors for example and for them then to emigrate to the UK?

Australia has a payroll system. France now has one - w.e.f.
1 January 2019 - which is one reason why Macron is unpopular and why the gilet jaunes have been on the streets.

The minimum wage - aka living wage in the UK is currently £8.21. Whenever an increase is announced businesses are in uproar saying that they can't afford it. At the same time, people are receiving working family tax credits (I know that the name of the benefit has now changed) which means that the taxpayer is financing the large corporations who pay the minimum wage. So the directors and shareholders of these large organisations, such as supermarkets, coffee chains, online retailers, can pay themselves large bonuses and dividends without eating into their profits by paying a decent wage.

ps that is before holiday pay and pension contributions and whatever else the Government charges per worker (is there a Payroll Tax?)

I see that they minimum pay is about $19 per hour; I know they have to pay about $25 per hour to attract good workers - even then some of the locals just don't want to work.

And casual hotel workers won’t be receiving holiday pay, pension contributions etc.
I'm surprised - I thought the employment rules were very strict. Certainly my family over there have to pay their casual workers at least the minimum wage plus holiday pay and pension contributions.
I don't think they get paid if they just don't turn up because they have eg drunk too much the night before and 'thrown a sickie'.

Re queries from other posters.
I can only speak for Canberra, as I don’t know about hotels elsewhere. Yes, I agree as although it IS the capital it doesn’t seem to be on people’s must visit list.
And casual hotel workers won’t be receiving holiday pay, pension contributions etc. If you don’t turn up you won’t get paid.
At daughter’s hotel, they get sent job centre people, some of whom just don’t want to work, as over here.

At least you'll keep us Kiwis out !