The pressure group Migrationwatch UK has argued that an amnesty on illegal immigrants would put too much pressure on council housing.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Call for immigrant amnesty in UK

For Migrationwatch, Sir Andrew said that while the UK needed some economic migrants, there should be more restrictions on people being allowed to settle permanently.

BBC: Home Affairs Committee

The report comes after MigrationWatch UK claimed it would take 20 or 30 years to build enough social housing for illegal immigrants if there was an amnesty.

BBC: NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Immigration amnesty is ruled out

But the lobby group MigrationWatch, which supports tighter immigration controls, has predicted that 50, 000 Bulgarians and Romanians will come to the UK every year when the restrictions are lifted.

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Campaign group MigrationWatch UK also dismissed Mr Woolas' claims.

BBC: Crowds of people

Evidence was heard on 14 September from Sophie Barrett-Brown and Nicholas Rollason from the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association, Amit Kapadia from the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme Forum, and Sir Andrew Green of Migrationwatch.

BBC: Home Affairs Committee