Britain's immigration system in 'intensive care', MP warns

Britain's immigration system is in "intensive care", the chair of an influential parliamentary committee has warned.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said a rising backlog of missing migrants and unresolved immigration cases had pushed the immigration system into a critical condition.

In its latest report on the work of the Home Office's immigration directorates, the Committee also hit out at the Government's use of a single immigration target to reduce net migration to less than 100,000 - now broadly seen as unattainable - as "too blunt" and "arbitrary".

"An arbitrary target set by ministers, however well intentioned, only serves to reduce public confidence in the ability of any government to deliver a future pledge on immigration," the report said.

"The Government also needs to be clear about which factors are and are not within its control, and about which migration flows it wishes to contain, and which it wishes to encourage."

But Immigration and security minister James Brokenshire defended the Government's record.

He said: "This Government is building an immigration system which is fair to British citizens and legitimate migrants, and tough on those who flout the law.

"Our reforms have curbed abuse, clamped down on nearly 800 bogus colleges, slashed 45,000 visas from the further education route; and cut family visas by nearly a third since it came to power."