Immigrants Times UK looking for blog contributors

[goodenterprise]

I am looking for contributors to our Immigrants Times UK Blog that discusses immigration, political and socialogical issues related to immigration in Britain and further afield. Read below:

Every history of immigration shows that in Britain each new group of arrivals has been regarded with suspicion and hostility. First the Jews, then West Indians, people from Asian subcontinent, then asylum seekers and most recently the ‘East Europeans’ – each group was liable to be pronounced unconventional, unclean, unprincipled and generally unwelcome. In recent years there has been a backlash against immigrants in Britain.

This trend is deeply worrying not only for immigrants but for everyone living and working in Britain. The government is obessed with its hard-line approach to immigration and is determined to reduce the number of immigrants from ‘hundredes of thousands to tens of thousands’

This has some serious consequences affecting migrants and their families, not only new-comers, but also 2nd and 3rd generation migrants who helped to build Britain, paid taxes and then put their money back into the economy for the benefit of everyone.

The message to all who wish to come to Britain seem to be: No matter how well you speak English, no matter how much taxes you pay, you will never become one of us.

Click on the blog to find out more and contact me if you are interested:

http://immigrantimes.wordpress.com/

[John]

The message to all who wish to come to Britain seem to be: No matter how well you speak English, no matter how much taxes you pay, you will never become one of us.

Are you aware just how many people are granted British Citizenship each year? If not I think you need to look up the facts.

[mochyn]

IMHO I think the OP is saying that although you as an immigrant live here and work here, speak the language, you will always be seen as an outsider even though you may have citizenship and to a certain extent I think he has a point

[John]

mochyn, you might well be right in saying that is what the OP is saying, but as regards the other point you make, I suspect that depends upon where they live in the UK, and indeed how integrated they want to be.

[goodenterprise]

''although you as an immigrant live here and work here, speak the language, you will always be seen as an outsider even though you may have citizenship''

This is correct gentlemen. Let me give you a very short list of what has been happening recently:

The government introduced first ever cap on skilled visas, proposed series of drastic measures to reduce number of foreign students and their ability to settle permanently, bring family members and obtain employment. Every year more countries are added to the visa list and every year the fees for all applications to Home Office go up.

According to the leaked Home Office paper the Government is planning to abolish appeal rights for family visitors. It also shows that ministers want to scrap the right of appeal for thousands of skilled migrant workers in Britain who want to extend or renew their visas under the points-based system. In a separate move, the Government is also ending the ability to apply for legal aid over immigration disputes.

Btw..all this so called 'crack-down' is being pursued based on unreliable figures from Home Office that conflicts with other department's and agencies' statistics, as nobody really know how many come and go each year.

[John]

''although you as an immigrant live here and work here, speak the language, you will always be seen as an outsider even though you may have citizenship''

OK, but that is not what you posted in your opening post in this topic.

But "seen as an outside" by whom? I certainly don't regard my wife, naturalised in 2004, as an outsider, and neither does she consider herself as an outsider.

Which takes me back to the point I said earlier .... "I suspect that depends upon where they live in the UK, and indeed how integrated they want to be.".

[mulderpf]

I don't agree with this sentiment at all. People often only see what they want to see and skew the facts to suit them and make themselves the victims.

I do not see how the cap on skilled visas, measures to reduce foreign students and their right to settle would make me feel more or less an outsider. I am here, I have my visa and I'm hoping that I can extend and become a citizen. If I can't, I'm not going to take it personally, it's just what happens whenever you migrate to another country.

All the other "crack-downs" you are talking about are against illegal immigrants or immigrants already on the borderline. It doesn't make myself, a perfectly legal immigrant who got here by perfectly good merit on a visa category which has been scrapped now, any less welcome. In fact, I am quite supportive of all this, because of the extent to which the current system has been abused.

You will never feel welcome if you put yourself on the sidelines and remove yourself from society and take government action and changes to immigration laws as a personal action against yourself.

The same way as the police might come and arrest two people on my street for a crime, does not make me feel like the police are coming for me, because they caught two people on my street - because I know I did nothing wrong.

[mochyn]

IMHO I think that the waves of immigrants who were invited to come to the UK after the Second World War from the Carribean and the Indian subcontinent are proud to be called British because they have assimilated into British society and have made valuable contributions over the more than half century they have been here.
The successive generations of those early migrants now are also very vociferous in speaking about the current state of immigration.
One must remember that these people from Pakistan, India, Jamaica came here legally, faced many hardships, did not depends on benefits or Human Rights laws and changed English society.
When I was a kid the national dish was Fish and Chips, now it has been supplanted by Curry.
Pass the poppadoms!

[Aryan2013]

I think what you guys need to recognize is that once you move from your native place, you will be an “outsiderâ€

[Aryan2013]

I don't agree with this sentiment at all. People often only see what they want to see and skew the facts to suit them and make themselves the victims.

I do not see how the cap on skilled visas, measures to reduce foreign students and their right to settle would make me feel more or less an outsider. I am here, I have my visa and I'm hoping that I can extend and become a citizen. If I can't, I'm not going to take it personally, it's just what happens whenever you migrate to another country.

All the other "crack-downs" you are talking about are against illegal immigrants or immigrants already on the borderline. It doesn't make myself, a perfectly legal immigrant who got here by perfectly good merit on a visa category which has been scrapped now, any less welcome. In fact, I am quite supportive of all this, because of the extent to which the current system has been abused.

You will never feel welcome if you put yourself on the sidelines and remove yourself from society and take government action and changes to immigration laws as a personal action against yourself.

The same way as the police might come and arrest two people on my street for a crime, does not make me feel like the police are coming for me, because they caught two people on my street - because I know I did nothing wrong.

May be you are new into this country and may have not seen much, give me 10-15 years and we will sit down after that

[PaperPusher]

The government said that it intends to reduce NET migration to the tens of thousands a year from NET migration of hundreds of thousands a year. Hundreds of thousands of migrants are still going to be able to move to the UK each year.

Around three million migrants have moved to the UK since the late 90s. And that is the figure for arrivals minus departures. That is a pretty big welcome to many millions.

Students have never had the right to settle. They have always supposed to study and then leave at the end of their course of study. Many are able to switch to other routes, and good luck to them for being able to do that really. However, the student route has never been a route that is supposed to lead to settlement.

The skilled migrant route is a relatively new route, before it was just work permits and some other lesser used routes. It should be a route that is in the interests of the UK rather than a right for people thousands of miles away to move the UK.

If you see negative press about immigration, stop reading the Daily Mail.

In my family there are first, second and third generation immigrants. I think their experience is pretty varied. My mother in law, in a council flat, on benefits, first generation, very poor English, some horrible personal values such as pro domestic violence and forced marriage (really) is not always welcomed by all of the people all of the time. She did not exactly welcome me in to her family either. As far as I am concerned she has brought some of it herself.

There is a strong anti-immigration sentiment among some. Does not mean that the person has no friends or family who are immigrants. Often, in my experience it is the pace of change and number of arrivals that people want to change. My first generation mother in law doesn't like the changes to her area over the past decade, people take time to get used to change in many cases. Please do not mistake discussions about numbers as dislike for immigrants as people, although there is a danger it can slip in to that.

[mochyn]

[quote="Aryan2013"]I think what you guys need to recognize is that once you move from your native place, you will be an “outsiderâ€

[John]

mochyn, I fear you have just upset the whole populations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland!

Apart from that you make a good point.

[geriatrix]

[quote="Aryan2013"]Also, can someone explain me why people born and bred here for 4 generations have to “identifyâ€

[PaperPusher]

(Argh, edited my old post by mistake)

I meant there is also usually a 'prefer not to say' option.

The government gets valuable information about how well, or otherwise, people with different ethnic origins fare in British society. France, which has no idea, seems to sweep the issues under the carpet because there is no hard data, or very little, to prove what people can see in front of them.

[quote="sushdmehta"][quote="Aryan2013"]Also, can someone explain me why people born and bred here for 4 generations have to “identifyâ€

[geriatrix]

There is usually a 'prefer not to say' box.

If there is one, it can be used by anyone - irrespective of his ethnic origin. In such case, whether one wishes to be "identified" or not is entirely his own choice.

[mochyn]

mochyn, I fear you have just upset the whole populations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland!

Apart from that you make a good point.

Since I am Welsh I may have just upset myself by making a dearly beloved comment oops

[Aryan2013]

[quote="mochyn"][quote="Aryan2013"]I think what you guys need to recognize is that once you move from your native place, you will be an “outsiderâ€

[Aryan2013]

[quote="sushdmehta"][quote="Aryan2013"]Also, can someone explain me why people born and bred here for 4 generations have to “identifyâ€

[Aryan2013]

There is usually a 'prefer not to say' box.

If there is one, it can be used by anyone - irrespective of his ethnic origin. In such case, whether one wishes to be "identified" or not is entirely his own choice.

My point was not about completing a stupid form, it was about people "identifying" you with your origin/root, whether you want it or not, whether you like it or not??

[geriatrix]

Exactly my point!!
You will be identified with your "roots", full stop.

My point was not about completing a stupid form, it was about people "identifying" you with your origin/root, whether you want it or not, whether you like it or not??

And my point was that everyone - including the (British) white ethnic group - is identified in the same manner. And one gets identified in this manner only if he chooses to be identified so.

There will always be at least two groups of people (just not in the UK, but in every country where people migrate for "better life") - one who are /will be of the opinion that the society they live in / with treats immigrants differently / unfairly, and the other who (will) have no such complaints. Why? - because of a mix of personal opinions, biases, presumptions and experiences.

Some migrants find themselves unable to "integrate / settle" in UK even after living here for 10 years but settled status in the UK and British citizenship remain a priority for them. On the other hand, some migrants "integrate / settle" soon after arriving here and settled status is neither a subject to worry about nor a measure of their success in adapting themselves. Which side of the fence one may find himself on is also dependant on the efforts one makes to integrate in the "British" society and the "British" way of living, and how unbiased one is when making judgement(s) about (white ethnic) "British" people / society as a whole.

It is clear from the OP's opening post which side of the fence he is looking at for his target audience. It is amusing though that the OP's blog states (and quite prominently so) a universal fact - "there are always two sides to each story".