London Tourists Bring In £19 Billion But More Skilled Immigration Needed To Boost Economy

Cynthia Barker writes...Hey, in an interview with Jeremy Paxman (on his last BBC Newsnight show) today, Mayor Boris Johnson said that tourists visiting London brings in £19 billion!

There's no doubt that the great city of London attracts UK tourists in their millions and is a major contributor to the British economy.

This week, the Home Office extended a scheme to make it easier to obtain a UK tourist visa for the highest spending visitors: the Chinese!

But the boss of Harrods wants the Home Office to go further and make it easier and quicker for all Chinese visitors to obtain UK tourist visas.

Other leaders including New York's Mayor Bloomberg and our own London Mayor believe that the UK needs more than just short term tourists to boost it growth and economy.

Boris has called for an amnesty for UK visa overstayers in the capital, a move which he claims will add billions to the economy in tax revenue, as well as legalising millions of illegal immigrants living on the fringe of British society.

Businesses wants more skilled and highly skilled immigration to fill UK job vacancies and give the country the people and brains it needs to fuel growth and create jobs. But the government has imposed a cap on non-EU immigration and wants employers to recruit from within the EU or EEA - not as easy as it sounds when other countries, such as Germany and Norway, are also competing for skilled labour including nurses and doctors.

Skilled nurses and doctors are desperately needed to keep our hospitals and care homes staffed and safe for patient care, which is why companies like Concept Care are recruiting nurses from overseas for the NHS this year in countries like: Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, India, China, Finland, Latvia, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the Philippines.

If you need advice on any immigration matter, including overstaying your visa, EU or UK immigration law, or want to appeal against a refusal, call Cynthia Barker on 07850 307687 or 0208 731 5972 or email her your details to immigration@londonccs.com. Cynthia Barker is a qualified OISC Registered Immigration Adviser, with 15 years experience in immigration matters, with a team of Level 3 Immigration Law Practitioners, Concept Care Solutions, Middlesex House, 29-45 High Street, Edgware, HA8 7UU.