Catholic leaders condemn Priti Patel's immigration crackdown for shutting out people trying to 'contribute to society'

Bishops also attack EU citizens left 'without legal status' and 'devastating consequences' of indefinite detention of torture-victims

The harsh immigration bill will needlessly shut out people trying to “contribute to society”, say Catholic leaders in a stinging attack on the plans.

They also warn that many thousands of EU citizens risk being left “without legal status” unless there are changes to the much-criticised settled status scheme.

And they urge Priti Patel, the home secretary, to use the bill to end indefinite detention of immigrants, condemning its “devastating consequences” for the vulnerable, including victims of torture.

The criticisms – as the bill is debated in detail in the Commons – come after The Independent revealed some Conservative MPs are urging Boris Johnson to soften the impact on lower-paid migrants, the heroes of the coronavirus crisis.

The former Tory cabinet minister David Davis, meanwhile, is leading a revolt against “cruel” detention without limit, warning it is making the scandal of modern slavery worse.

Now Catholic bishops have protested that the legislation “will drastically alter people’s opportunities to build their lives here and contribute to society”.

In a joint statement, leaders in England, Wales and Scotland also push for:

* A “meaningful safety-net” to ensure EU citizens are not left in limbo by the June 2021 deadline for settled status applications – including an extension, if necessary.

* A time limit on immigration detention – warning “victims of torture, survivors of trafficking and people fleeing religious persecution” are being locked up indefinitely.

* The scrapping of the minimum income threshold for family visas – which “unjustly separates” tens of thousands of couples, parents and children.

* The repeal of laws against “illegal working” – because “fear of prosecution deters people from escaping abusive employment practices” or “exploitation”.

The bill – to replace free movement of EU citizens, after Brexit is completed next January – will impose a minimum salary threshold of £25,600 for most workers seeking to enter the UK.

There will be no exemptions for so-called low-skilled jobs, other than seasonal workers, and social care has been excluded from a list of shortage occupations with a lower wage floor of as low as £20,480.

Around 70 per cent of the 200,000 EU migrants who have come to the UK each year are expected to be excluded by the new rules, officials believe – which would mean around 140,000 shut out.

On settled status, the statement reads: “No scheme will reach all European citizens in the UK.

“Even if a small proportion do not make an application by the June 2021 deadline, this could leave thousands of people without legal status.”

And, on indefinite detention, the bishops said: “The UK remains the only European country without a time limit on detention.

“This has devastating consequences for the wellbeing of vulnerable individuals who find themselves detained including some victims of torture, survivors of trafficking and people fleeing religious persecution in their home countries.”

But a Home Office spokesperson defended the bill, saying: “Change is vital if we are to deliver a high-skill, high-wage and high productivity economy.”