Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [ Lords]

Part of Bailiffs (Repeals and Amendment) – in the House of Commons at 3:45 pm on 2 June 2009.

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Photo of Robert Key Robert Key Conservative, Salisbury 3:45, 2 June 2009

British immigration policy must be tough, but it must also be fair. Clause 39 refers to exceptions to the application of part 2, which deals with citizenship. In my constituency, there are about 40 families from the Malayali community in southern India. Those people have perfectly respectable jobs as doctors, computer engineers and so on. They have broken not a single rule and are not a burden on the state. They have been working here and they will shortly qualify for citizenship of this country. Under the Bill, unless we keep the amendment that was made in another place, they will not qualify for citizenship because the period of grace will disappear. Will the Home Secretary assure the House that, in the interest of fairness, she will not seek to remove clause 39 from the Bill?