Nine Ukip immigration policies explained

Ukip talks tough on immigration policy, but how many people actually know what they are proposing to do in their manifesto?

Here are nine key policies from Nigel Farage's party.

1. Britain would leave the European Union

A Ukip government would leave the European Union to "take back control of our borders". Since Nigel Farage's party is only predicted to win a handful of seats, there is no danger of a majority Ukip government just yet. But what is a real possibility is that Ukip would support the Conservatives if they fall short of a majority – on the condition of a referendum on an exit from the EU.

Farage is resolute on what he wants. "I have absolutely no desire to swap the chance to get Britain out of the EU for some grandee position in government," he says. " The EU is facing an existential crisis and, given that it only takes a few weeks to launch and organise a referendum, it should be held in 2015."

2. Work permits for skilled workers

Ukip says it recognises the benefits of "limited, controlled" immigration. Work permits would be issued to fill skills gaps in the UK jobs market such as in the health service. But EU workers, who currently have the right to live and work in the UK, would face the same points-based system and time-limited work permits that currently applies to non-EU migrants.

Foreign health service professionals coming to work in the NHS will be required to speak English to "a standard acceptable to the profession" and they will be properly qualified for the job. The policy comes against the backdrop of a rise in the number of foreign nurses joining the NHS. Data from 103 English NHS hospital trusts show that 5,778 nurses were recruited from overseas in the 12 months to September 2014, with the largest numbers coming from Spain, Portugal, the Phillipines and Italy. This compares with a figure of just 1,360 reported by 40 trusts in the previous year.

3. Foreign workers must speak English and find accommodation before arriving in the UK

Those coming to work in the UK must have a job to go to, must speak English and must have accommodation agreed prior to their arrival under Ukip diktat.

Nigel Farage has previously said: "I want to live in a country that is at ease with itself, where we speak the same language.. where our kids can play football with each other, and we all get on."

4. Foreigners must have private health insurance

All visitors and migrants coming to the UK would be required to have NHS-approved private health insurance as a condition of entry. Ukip estimates this would save the NHS £2billion per year. Migrants would only be able to take advantage of NHS care, free of private insurance schemes, after paying National Insurance for five years.

What would Ukip spend the extra money on? They say they will commit to spending £200million of the savings to end hospital car parking charges in England.

5. Cut back on benefits for migrants

Migrants would only be eligible for benefits (in work or out of work) when they have been paying tax and National Insurance for five years and will only be eligible for permanent residence after ten years.

Despite fears over so-called "benefits tourism" – where foreign nationals enter the country to claim generous benefits – a 2009 report by the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM) at University College London found that migrants from countries in central and eastern Europe who joined the EU in 2004 were 60 per cent less likely than native-born Brits to claim benefits. In addition, in every year since 2004 those migrants had paid in more than they had taken out from the system.

6. Tighter restrictions on bring foreign spouses and children to UK

Tighter restrictions for flying in foreign nationals' family members to live in the UK

Ukip will reinstate the 'primary purpose rule' for bringing foreign spouses and children to the UK. What was the rule? Well, as the BBC reporter back in 1997 when it was abolished by Labour, it required foreign nationals married to British citizens "to prove that the primary purpose of their marriage was not to obtain British residency". If those wishing to take up residency in the UK could not prove this to the satisfaction of immigration officers, they were denied entry in the UK. The change in the law was designed to place the burden of proof on immigration officials rather than those applying for residency.

At the time the Home Secretary Jack Straw described it "arbitrary, unfair and ineffective" and said that the rule had "penalised genuine cases, divided families and unnecessarily increased the administrative burden on the immigration system". Ukip want to bring it back.

7. No amnesty for illegal immigrants

While the Green Party proposes an amnesty for immigrants who have lived in the UK illegally for more than five years, Ukip will not afford such rights to them.

The party says it will not offer an amnesty for illegal immigrants or those gaining British passports through fraud.

8. Refugees will be protected (sort of)

We’d maintain principles of UN Convention on Refugees for Asylum and have immediate review of the asylum process which aims to speed up rights to Leave To Remain and discover logjam on those declined asylum statuses.

In 2013, Nigel Farage said it was time for "a proper debate" on "the difference between a refugee - who fears for his or her life - or somebody moving simply for economic benefit". He added: "I think refugees are a very different thing to economic migration and I think this country should honour the 1951 declaration on refugee status that was agreed.

"The original ideas of defining what a refugee is were good ones and I think, actually, there is a responsibility on all of us in the free West to try and help some of those people fleeing Syria, literally in fear of their lives."

Within days of making that statement Mr Farage faced a backlash from Ukip supporters and then suggested that the UK should take Syrian Christians but Muslims should go to other countries.

9. Students from the EU will pay the same student fee rates as International students.

In 2013 the average annual tuition fees for international students was £18,759, with some fees rising to as high as £38,532.

EU students who choose to study in the UK are able to pay the same tuition fees as UK students which are capped at £9,000.

Under Ukip plans that lower rate for EU students would be scrapped and they would face international rates.

Source: The Telegraph