New borders, new management: The dilemmas of modern immigration policies

This article reviews developments in immigration law and policy in the UK since the election of the New Labour government in 1997. It argues that a significant break was made with the zero immigration traditions of previous governments as policy was opened to the admission of significant levels of labour migration. Within this new schema the movement of refugees and asylum-seekers has been seen as a threat to the orderly form of managed migration flows now required. Consequently, New Labour policies have significantly eroded the rights of asylum-seekers. The study argues that this approach has implications for other areas of immigration and race relations policy. Migration management is now intended to regulate wider aspects of the life of immigrants, including access to jobs, welfare services, family reunification, and ultimately integration and the acquisition of citizenship.