The 337-page document from the Migration Policy Development Board recommends a nine-month status for seasonal workers, a four-year status for year-round staff requirements and a ten-year status for staff to fill specific skills gaps within the labour market.
A long-term status, which gives people full access to the local housing and job markets, would only be available to people who have been brought up in Jersey and to people who have earned their ten-year status.
The board’s interim report was criticised for questions it raised about the potential for workers to be allowed to come to Jersey temporarily but not bring their families with them.
The final report says that migrants should ‘feel welcomed as valued members of the Jersey community’ and recommends that a ‘separate workstream’ is set up to consider the detailed impact of any proposed changes.
It also recommends that, under the new system, workers with a valid Control of Housing and Work card should have a right to free or subsidised healthcare from their first day in the Island, and that that provision should be extended to civil or married partners and dependent children living in Jersey.
The report adds: ‘The board has found it difficult to find the appropriate balance between the government’s pledge to “put children first”, the current CHW law and the remit of the board to produce more responsive migration controls. It has also heard evidence on the difficulties faced by migrant families associated with the current two-tier housing system. It recommends that a separate workstream is set up to consider the detailed impact of the proposed CHW.’
Chief Minister John Le Fondré welcomed the report, which will now be used to develop the official policy to be debated by the States later this year.
He said: ‘The board’s final report has provided a good basis for the Council of Ministers’ considerations on the matter of population control. It is an emotive subject, and one that Islanders feel passionate about resolving. This report offers recommendations on how the government can proceed to make the decisions required to deliver responsive and economically sustainable controls.
‘I thank the board members, and those who engaged with the board’s research, for their time and commitment to this important subject. The government is determined to address the difficulties that arise with controlling who comes to live, work and access public services in Jersey.’
