Conservative Party MP Damian Green said Britain should adopt Australian-style limits on immigration in light of the global financial crisis. Green made his comments simultaneously with the release of data showing UK unemployment had risen above two million for the first time since 1997, and following an announcement by the Australian government that it would reduce its skilled migrant program by nearly 20,000 to 115,000 this financial year in an effort to protect local jobs in the tough economic climate.

In support of his position, Green also stated that one in seven children in British primary schools does not speak English as a first language. Responses to Parliamentary questions reflected that in 2004, 452,388 primary school children spoke English as a second language, and that in 2008 that figure had increased by 113,500, a rise of almost 25 percent. UK communities secretary Hazel Blears is expected to announce that anyone from outside the European Union applying for a student or work visa will have to pay a migrant tax, which will go to local authorities to assist with the impact of immigration on their schools, doctors' surgeries and other public services.