P.137/2020 Migration Control Policy (Phase 1)

​Following the presentation of the final report of the Migration Policy Development Board, the Chief Minister lodged P.137/2020 – Migration Control Policy, to make changes to the Island’s migration policy by amending the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012. The proposition seeks to end automatic graduation from one Control of Housing and Work permission to another and provides more responsive controls to the number of migrants who acquire the right to settle permanently in Jersey.

An amendment to the proposition has been lodged by Deputy Jess Perchard, which includes a deadline of December 2021 for the proposed common population policy development and commits the Government to update the policy annually based on prior year population growth.

The proposition envisages a number of phases spread over the next 18 months (until the 2022 election). The Panel will therefore divide its work into phases to examine each part of the proposition through a series of targeted reviews. 

During Phase 1, the Panel will examine the rationale underpinning the suggested amendments against the findings of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel’s report on population and migration, and the Migration Policy Development Board’s report.

​The Panel is focussed on providing an initial, high level analysis of the proposed amendments to the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 as detailed in P.137/2020 – Migration Control Policy (Part C). The Panel's call for evidence has closed and it is now in the process of drafting its report.

​The Phase 1* review by the Review Panel will provide a high-level assessment of P.137/2020 - Migration Control Policy (Part C) which specifically relate to the proposed amendments to the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012.

The Panel will: 

1. Examine the rationale underpinning the proposed amendments to the Control of  Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012
   

2. Assess if the proposed amendments to the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 succeed in structuring migration in Jersey against clear strategic priorities.

3. Evaluate if the proposed amendments to the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 are fair and equitable.

(*Phase 1 correlates to the timeline associated with P137/2020. Subsequent phases will invariably be guided by the timeframes for Government action on the separate parts of the Proposition. This enables the Review Panel to examine the detail of each part through targeted reviews.)