Expedited review of immigration rules under way

Deputy Marc Leadbeater said a review of the regime was a top priority for the committee

A review of Guernsey's immigration rules that aims to make them more "community-friendly" has started.

The States is currently under instruction to review the population management law before the end of 2027.

Committee for Home Affairs President Marc Leadbeater said it was too important to wait until then and indicated the States would look to tighten up the rules.

In the last political term the States agreed to look at increasing the population by about 300 people each year for the next 30 years.

Guernsey's population management regime is a law controlling the island's population size and composition by requiring everyone aged 16 or over to hold a population management certificate or permit to live and work.

Deputy Leadbeater said his committee had started work on a review of the island's population regime "straight away" as it had been identified as a priority for his committee.

"Initially we are going to do a scoping phase and see what we can do within committee at the moment to make some changes to the law and make it more community-friendly," he said.

He suggested removing some jobs from the list that qualify for a long-term employment permit.

"It's a top priority for the electorate," he said.

"The regime has become quite business-friendly over its lifetime since it was introduced in 2017 and maybe we need to swing that pendulum back slightly, but we need to be mindful that we do not stifle the economy at the same time."

Policy and Resources President Lindsay de Sausmarez, a long-term critic of moves to increase Guernsey's population, said she hoped the review "provided the opportunity to look at how we might do some things a little differently".

She said it would allow officials to "really focus on ways to boost economic productivity" in a way that was less dependent on "expanding our population to the extent previously agreed".

Inaccurate population data

The States previously admitted it does not have accurate data on the island's current population and this is one of the issues that may come up in the review.

Scott Bloomfield, head of service delivery at the Revenue Service, said as part of the exercise to correct the figures it had identified "951 people who we now know have left the island".

"This will be reflected in the next population report to be published," he said.

"Of the 951 people, approximately 650 people left the island before the end of 2022, with the remaining number having left since the beginning of 2023."

Alan Sillett from the Hospitality Association said he wanted to see stability from any new regime

States figures showed Guernsey's population was 64,781 at the end of 31 December 2023 - a rise of 1.4% or 910 people from the previous year.

Alan Sillett, who leads the Guernsey Hospitality Association, said he wanted stability and welcomed changes which meant his members could hire from anywhere in the world.

"I would just like to see that the government of Guernsey values and appreciates the hospitality and tourism sector, that is the first thing," he said.

"We are vital to the island, we have a symbiotic relationship with finance and we enhance the attractiveness of the island as a place to live and visit."

Deputy Aidan Matthews campaigned in June to try and curtail increases in population

Deputy Aidan Matthews argued the reportedly high level of inward migration had increased the price of rental properties.

The average cost of a rental property in Guernsey, was £2,075 per month at the end of June - 0.3% higher than the previous quarter, 5.3% higher than the second quarter of 2024 and 50.8% higher than five years ago.

Matthews suggested the reintroduction of a limit on the size of houses incoming migrants could buy and the range of occupations qualifying for a long-term permit should be covered by the review.

"Those are things I think that could be done relatively quickly," he said.