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Concerns over an "influx of foreign nationals" into Guernsey have been met with confirmation offered on the number of dependent visas issued over the past year.
Deputy David de Lisle used yesterday's States meeting as an opportunity to ask the President of Home Affairs what changes have been made to local population management and immigration laws that have allowed for an "influx of foreign nationals and their dependents".
In response, Deputy Rob Prow explained that there have been fewer than 500 issues over the past two years.
"There were 228 dependent visa referrals issued in the 12 months prior to the introduction of the new policy in April 2023, and 209 in the 12 months after," he said.
Deputy Prow then went on to explain that Home Affairs staff have been tasked with reviewing the data to look at which people, in what job roles, are bringing their families to live in the island with them.
"There are a number of caveats in this data, which only serves as a starting point," explained Deputy Prow. "The committee have already directed officers to undertake a more detailed data review, which seeks to look at the distribution of dependents against specific roles, to allow for any informed decisions against any roles included with the policy."
Further questions followed around the number of people moving to the island on medium and long term employment permits and how the changes associated with those have affected immigration into the island.
Deputy De Lisle referenced the previous situation where people who moved here for work on five year licences would then have to leave the island if their employment in that specific role was no longer justified.
He suggested that giving more people long term employment permits - as he said is the case now - has incurred implications which are "of deep concern to the public".
Deputy Prow disagreed with this saying that in the past, the issuance of a medium term employment permit - effectively a five year licence - was not an effective system.
"They created uncertainty and act as a barrier to recruitment," he said.
Further questions followed, with Deputy Roffey describing some as containing "subliminal messaging" that "European immigration is good and non-European immigration is bad".
He also said that changes to housing and employment licenses "just as much apply to people from Home Counties of the UK as they do for somebody from Sub Saharan Africa".
He asked the President of Home Affairs to confirm that "citizens of third countries that relocate to Guernsey in order to help our community and our economy with the skills gap are doing a big favor to the people of Guernsey, and will always be welcomed by this government and made to feel welcome in our community?"
Deputy Prow answered simply: "I completely and utterly agree with him."
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