The JCWI claims that the limit has been put in place without proper consultation, and the level of the limit has not been placed before Parliament.

Damian Green said:

'We will rigorously defend this challenge and are confident of success. The government has been clear: we will introduce our permanent annual limit on economic migrants from outside the EU from April 2011.

'While we decide how the annual limit should operate, it is imperative that we have interim measures in place to avoid a rush of applications from migrants before the new rules take effect.

'We are fully committed to reduce the level of net migration back down to the levels of the 1990s - tens of thousands each year, not hundreds of thousands. Introducing a limit on migrants from outside Europe coming here to work is just one of the ways we intend to achieve this.'

On 28 June 2010, the government announced that it would place an interim limit on non-European migrants coming to the UK to live and work. Set at 24,100, the interim limit equates to a 5 per cent reduction compared to the same period last year. At the same time, a consultation was launched on the mechanisms for implementing a permanent annual limit, which is due to be introduced in April 2011.

The figures indicate the effect of closing the makeshift 'jungle' camp for illegal immigrants in Calais a year ago.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said:

'Our figures indicate that the strength of UK and French controls at Calais, along with the steps taken to clear the notorious camps near the port, have sent a clear message to illegal migrants making for the British border: don't bother, you won't get in.

'In the year following the camp's clearance, we have seen an almost 80 per cent reduction in the number of illegal immigrants caught attempting to evade our strict controls at the port, suggesting a dramatic fall in the number of illegal immigrants trying to breach the border.

'I'm not complacent - we must maintain our stringent border checks and I am committed to continuing to work with the French government to build on this success.'

The UK Border Agency has officers based in France to stop illegal immigrants before they get to the UK. They use sniffer dogs, heartbeat detectors and carbon dioxide probes to find people hiding in lorries attempting to enter the UK illegally.

His 39-year-old wife, Ajitha, admitted conspiring to pervert the course of justice, and was given a 9 month sentence.

A third defendant, Tirunagaraja Prasad Thalla, 32, also of Livingstone Road, admitted a money laundering offence and was jailed for 9 months.

Action will be taken to deport all 3 of them at the end of their sentences.

The Kokas were involved in setting up a number of bogus companies for which the main purpose was to allow immigrants to extend their visas.

The companies would supply wage slips and transfer temporary 'incomes' to applicants' bank accounts to make it look like they had highly-skilled and well-paid jobs when they applied for a visa extension. The money would subsequently be paid back through bank accounts run by Thalla.

Kaseepathi Koka also supplied forged bank statements and would complete immigration applications on behalf of his clients, despite not being qualified or registered to do so.

The trio were thought to be making approximately £250,000 per year from the scam.

In all, it is thought the gang assisted around 100 immigrants to stay in the country. Those individuals now face removal from the UK.

Robert Coxhead, the senior Investigating officer on the West London immigration crime team, said:

'This was a sophisticated criminal enterprise, which had the explicit aim of helping those who had no right to be in the UK evade immigration controls.

'The sentences handed down today show just how seriously the courts take such offences.

'As this case shows, illegal immigration can be big business. But I hope this sends out a message that we are committed to tackling the criminal groups behind it, putting the ringleaders before the courts, and, ultimately, behind bars.

'We will also now begin confiscation hearings to ensure that, as well as spending time in prison, they won't benefit financially from their criminality.'

Three other men who were involved in the scam had previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges at a hearing in June. They were all jailed and subsequently deported back to India.

Damian Green, Minister for Immigration, said:

'At home and abroad, we are tackling highly organised crime groups who make their living by trying to exploit the immigration system and breach our border security.

'Some of these hide people in lorries in an attempt to cross our borders illegally; some provide them with fake identity documents; others set up bogus colleges or arrange sham marriages. Worst of all - some force women and children to work against their will in the sex industry.

This month, the UK Border Agency is carrying out an intense period of activity to go after these organised crime groups to put the ringleaders before the courts and shut off the supply of illegal immigrants at its source.'

Regulations to set application fees at or below the cost of processing are subject to the negative parliamentary procedure, and these fees will increase from 1 October 2010. Where a fee is charged that is set above the cost of processing, the regulations are subject to the affirmative parliamentary process; these fees are due to come into effect in November, subject to parliamentary timetabling.

The date when the increased fees will come into effect will be published on this website nearer the time.

The UK Border Agency believes that the proposals to increase fees continue to strike the right balance between maintaining secure and effective border controls and ensuring that our fees structure does not inhibit the UK's ability to attract migrants and visitors who make a valued contribution. This will help to support the immigration system, maintain public confidence and ensure that migration is managed for the benefit of the UK.

Details of the proposed fees are set out in a written ministerial statement by Immigration Minister Damian Green. You can find the statement, and assessments of the new fees' likely impact, in the Fees for our services section.

'This means that the unsustainable levels of net migration seen in recent years must be brought down.'

He said the government is determined to make decisions based on evidence, which is why it has just released new a research report called 'The migrant journey'.

The report analyses the behaviour of immigrants who came to the UK in 2004 through all managed routes except visitor routes. It reveals that the largest group of migrants were students, with around 186,000 granted visas. More than 20 per cent of them were still in the UK 5 years later.

The minister said:

'We need to understand more clearly why a significant proportion of students are still here more than 5 years after their arrival. And we also need a system which can scrutinise effectively, and if necessary take action against, those whose long-term presence would be of little or no economic benefit.'

He also pointed to evidence that some migrants coming in under the Tier 1 highly skilled work route are not doing specialised jobs. And he added:

'I was also struck by some of the individual applications I saw under the [Tier 2] skilled worker category: people running takeaway restaurants and production-line workers on salaries in the low £20,000s. These are not the sort of jobs we talk about when we think of bringing in skilled immigrants who have talents not available among our own workforce or the unemployed...

'We will not make Britain prosperous in the long term by telling our own workers "don't bother to learn new skills, we can bring them all in from overseas".'

The minister described planned changes to the immigration system (including an annual limit on workers from outside the European Union) may be 'controversial' but necessary:

'We absolutely need sustainable immigration levels. This will relieve pressure on public services, and stop immigration being such a delicate political issue.

• Tier 1 (General) form
• Tier 1 (Post-study Work) form
• Tier 2 form
• Tier 4 (General) form
• Tier 4 (Child) form
• PBS Dependant form

Last month the Home Office withdrew the facility to pay the application fee by cash at public enquiry offices, and the above application forms have been amended to remove all references to cash payments.

We have also made the following additional changes to the Tier 1 (General) and Tier 2 application forms.

• Tier 1 (General) - we have corrected a question number (U2)
• Tier 2 - We have changed the help text about enrolling biometric information at a post office.

You should use the new forms from now on. However, in line with paragraph 34 (I) of the Immigration Rules, the Home Office will continue to accept applications made on the previous version of the application forms up to and including 27 September 2010. Any application submitted until 27 September 2010 will be considered under the new Immigration Rules, regardless of the version of the application form used.

He will explain that the current points-based system for immigration is not yet properly controlling the numbers of people coming into the UK, and that an effective system needs to be found.

Forthcoming reviews will therefore:

• look at who is qualifying, in both the work and study categories, to ensure that the brightest and best are being attracted to the UK;
• study why those who come here on immigration routes that do not lead to settlement find it easy to change routes and settle here permanently; and
• ensure a steady downward trend on every route to long-term immigration.

The minister will also discuss a new research report published today by the Home Office. 'The migrant journey' is based on analysis of all the people who came to the UK in 2004 (except those making short-term visits). The largest group of visas were found to be for students - and, of the 186,000 students granted visas in 2004, more than 20 per cent were still in the UK 5 years later.

The number of foreign students in the UK is rising: in the year to June 2010, more than 320,000 visas were issued to students and their dependants visiting for more than 6 months. The minister believes these levels are unsustainable, and will say that this will be looked at as a priority.

Alongside this, the government will also look at work routes that lead to citizenship. In 2004, more than 105,000 migrants were granted visas in one of these work routes - and the report shows that 40 per cent of them group were still in the UK in 2009.