Evict illegal immigrants or face jail, landlords told

London, Asharq Al-Awsat-A new UK immigration bill announced by the government on Monday gives landlords the authority to evict their tenants if they lose their right to stay in the country, the BBC reported.

Critics of the British government’s new promises to crack down on illegal immigration say its policies could breed discrimination, with landlords opting for British applicants over foreigners out of fear of being penalized.

Landlords in the United Kingdom can evict undocumented immigrants without a court order, as stated by an upcoming immigration bill.

And under plans to extend across the country a successful pilot scheme started in the West Midlands, landlords will be also required to conduct “Right to Rent” checks on their tenants’ immigration status before offering a tenancy agreement. It could put people in potential danger.

Landlords in England who repeatedly fail to check a new tenant’s immigration status before agreeing a lease could face up to five years in jail, it has been confirmed.

“Illegal immigrants may actually be least affected, as they probably already have to use the sorts of landlords who ask no questions and will rent poor quality accommodation to anyone who’ll pay the rent”. ‘I think that we need to think through the consequences of the kind of systems we are putting into place, ‘ he added.

Rogue landlords or letting agents who break the law will be blacklisted to allow councils to keep track of them – and potentially ban them from renting properties.

They wrote: “Many see Europe, and particularly Britain, as somewhere that offers the prospect of financial gain”.

“[Britain’s] streets are not paved with gold”, she said.

“We will also require them to meet their basic responsibilities as landlords, cracking down on those who rent out unsafe, dirty and overcrowded properties”.

The Landlords Associated has accused the government of introducing the measures “out of the blue“.

“You do wonder how much it relates to the government wanting to be seen to be tough on migration given what’s going on in Calais”.

The Refugee Council expressed “grave concerns” as the Home Office minister James Brokenshire defended plans to remove automatic benefits from families who did not win asylum as a way of signalling that the UK was not “a land of milk and honey”.

Ministers claim the new measures are part of promises made by the Conservative government prior to being re-elected in the May General Election.

The transfer, introduced by Communities Secretary Greg Clark, is about to be included in a brand new Immigration Invoice that parliament will debate within the coming months.