The Home Office is considering using visa threats to deport the Rochdale grooming gang leader, Shabir Ahmed, to Pakistan. This follows the revocation of Ahmed's British nationality and his release from prison after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences. The government's approach is to threaten to stop issuing visas to Pakistan unless it agrees to Ahmed's deportation. This strategy has been successful in the past, as evidenced by the cooperation of Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in taking back illegal immigrants after visa threats. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is expected to announce her plans to amend the law to deport Ahmed, despite the exemption in the Immigration Act 1971 for those who came to the UK before 1973. This move has sparked debate among Labour MPs, with some urging Andy Burnham to drop the plans. A potential compromise is being considered, which would allow migrant workers and their families who have been in the UK since 2021 to continue qualifying for ILR after five years, but with a longer wait for benefits. This proposal has been criticized by Jonathan Portes, who argues that it would increase poverty and administrative complexity. The outcome of these discussions and the government's approach to immigration remain to be seen, but the focus on visa threats and the potential impact on benefit access for migrants are key aspects of the debate.
