By Mark Gardener-

Only recently, we were reminded that Theresa May’s government intends to impose tough penalties that include jail sentences, on landlords and employers that fail to confirm the legitimate immigration status of their tenants and employees respectively. That tough position is being set to show May means business when it comes to listening to the wishes of Brexit voters but has caused a storm with critics saying it will encourage more racial profiling and more racism.

However, the government’s stance is they will deal with any negative consequences separately but will be firm on issues of migration to the U.K. Goodwill, the immigration minister, has re-affirmed the position of the government on migration, stressing the priority being given to the goal of controlling migration.

His comments come as new statistics revealed that the number of EU citizens immigrating to the UK has hit a new high, with an estimated 284,000 arriving in the year ending June- 19,000 more than the previous year according to the office for national statistics

The figures, covering the period up to the EU referendum and shortly after, shows overall long-term net migration from all countries remained at a near-record level – 335,000 – just a thousand under the previous peak from last year.

Romania is the country with the largest number of migrants, making up 10% of all immigrants.

The official position of the government is that it still a long way from its target of controlling migration. Its aim is to get net migration below 100,000, so that more people are leaving than arriving.

Those arriving in Britain this year was its highest ever,  estimated at 650,000 , up  by 11,000.

“The British people have sent a very clear message that they want more control of immigration and we are committed to getting net migration down to sustainable levels in the tens of thousands,” the immigration minister said.

“There is no consent for uncontrolled immigration, which puts pressure on schools, hospitals and public services, he continued.

“That is why reducing the number of migrants coming to the UK will be a key priority of our negotiations to leave the EU.”

Migration control will be tough and challenging, but one the government is determined to take on. The administrative and bureaucratic processes necessary to identify, register, and limit all legal EU nationals allowed to permanently reside in the U.K won’t be easy.

 The government’s plans to impose tough penalties on landlords and employers is said to be part of a wider plan to make migration to the UK unattractive for those who do not have the legitimate right to live in the U.K.

The tough mechanism aimed at migration control will be extended to schools, eventually making it very difficult for illegal immigrants to comfortably settle in the U.K. Quite frankly, it will mean that the tough measures will effectively be designed to sniff out illegal immigrants faster than ever before.

It will inevitably lead to more hate crime, one the police will have to robustly address.

The urgency of migration control, the government would argue, is reflected in the recent rush for British passport applications from EU nationals currently living in Britain. The government’s stance is that only those who were already living in the UK on and before June 23-when Brexit was declared by the referendum vote- will be eligible for a British passport.

On Wednesday, the home office revealed that applications for British passports from EU countries had been its highest ever since the UK referendum, triple its usual figures. And an intense debate was sparked when Theresa May refused to give any guarantees of permanent stay to EU citizens currently living in the U.K without equal assurance that similar guarantees will be granted to U.K nationals living in EU countries.

EU bosses want any guarantees of permanent stay to U.K nationals in EU countries, to occur only after the formal trigger of Article 50, which itself is being entangled in a legal process full of uncerianties.  Scotland and Wales  are both making representations to the Supreme Court which is due to hear the appeal by the government against the unfavourable high court ruling that the permission of Parliament must be sought before Article 50 is triggered in 2017.

The journey for migration control will be a long one, but the U.K government is determined to travel every distance it takes to ensure the outcome Brexit voters asked for.