Concerns that Jersey's migration policy 'has no clear vision'

A Jersey politician has raised concerns that there is no "clear vision for the future population" of the island.

Following a scrutiny report on the government's work to develop a population policy, Deputy Jess Perchard says there is no agreement on what they plan to achieve in terms of population size.

The scrutiny report highlighted that more needs to be done to ensure diversity of the members of the Migration Policy Development Board and to ensure young people and children are given a voice.

The Migration Policy Development Board was established by the Chief Minister in February 2019 to develop a population and migration policy for Jersey. The board then published an interim report in October 2019.

That report says that there is a "complicated and confusing" approach to migration as there are different rules for different areas of government.

The Panel has recommended that the Migration Policy Development Board makes a number of changes to its composition, remit, and methodology, and aims to engage and seek as large a range of views as possible.

Suggested changes include:

  • Giving more consideration to the diversity of the Board

  • Committing to examining the human rights implications of a new Migration Policy

  • Doing more to engage children and young people in developing a new migration policy