ohara wrote:Just out of interest, which country are you from and under which circumstances did you come to the UK? I don't moan about the £65 charge for PR doc, in fact £65 is nothing. £1005 for citizenship is a fair price to pay considering the privilege.
Suffice to say that I come from a Commonwealth country in Asia and came here on a Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) visa and worked my way to settlement. The conditions of the visa were fairly stringent and at one point I was working two jobs, both in the IT field, both with overtime, to meet the earnings requirement.
I was not referring to you when discussing the £65 charge, but there have been threads on these forums (see
here and
here) disputing the nominal charge.
ohara wrote:work an IT job in the RAF
I am disqualified for many jobs of this nature even after becoming a British citizen because they require your parents to also be British citizens
and for them to have resided in the UK for the preceding ten years.
alvarez0306 wrote:there is no sentiment when in comes to immigration matters.
ohara wrote:just grant us British citizenship without having to jump through all the hoops
I do not mean to cause offense, but immigration and citizenship are too serious a matter for sentiment. They should be clinically analysed in a cold, impersonal, dispassionate and rational manner. Sentiment is best left for matters like football matches and weddings.
ohara wrote:I feel British,..., you'd never know I was foreign unless I told you.
I completely identify with the first part of the statement above.
As for the latter part, I have been told the same as well. Most people (including most of my work colleagues) do not realise that I was not born here, until I tell them explicitly. It helps that my parents and family can pass off as European in both look and speech. I followed the Maastricht debate in my country of origin over that most ancient of world wide webs, the short wave radio. Which is why I was able to post so confidently about that on this thread. That also explains my trenchant support for the BBC. I was not a cool kid at school though.
chaoclive wrote:
Who said that the ROI was part of the Commonwealth? Can you point out where I specifically said that? I was simply pointing out my right, as an Irish citizen, to vote in UK elections. I am very well aware of where the rights derive from.
I did not mean to cause offense. I was merely highlighting the fact that in the context of right of Commonwealth citizens to vote, it could be misconstrued that the ROI was a member of the Commonwealth.
alvarez0306 wrote:I'm getting the vibe that Scotland and Ireland tend to be more pro European then England in general.
alvarez0306 wrote:leaving the eu I believe would have massive financial consequences. Those advocating a Brexit have not actually said what kind of deal Britain would be looking at achieving with the rest of the eu.
I am drafting posts that I hope will clarify that I hope these two points and that I hope to post soon. I'm just too snowed in with work this week.
I will wrap up this post by recommending a blog post that analyses the question which summarises the topic of this thread-Why summer 2016?
Getting the timing right: Cameron weighs up the pros and cons of a June 2016 referendum
I am not a lawyer or immigration advisor. My statements/comments do not constitute legal advice. E&OE. Please do not PM me for advice.