i just got this from another forum:
Here is part of a new letter from Tony McNulty MP,
Minister for Immigration, Asylum, Nationality
"Changes in the settlement rules
You have raised a number of points in your letter, which I will deal with in turn. I understand that you raised these points with Baroness Ashton at the time of the passage through the House of Lords of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill, You will understand, therefore, if I reply in similar terms,
You state that the Chinese community was not consulted over the move to the five year qualification period and that the change is retrospective, The change in the minimum qualifying period for settlement was announced by the Government in February 2005 in its paper ontrolling Our Borders: the Five Year Strategy for Asylum and Immigration? We consulted extensively on many of the new elements Contained in that paper, principally the points- based system. in the period between February 2005 and now - the time of the actual rules change - the Government has not received any views on the change in the qualifying period for settlement.
This is possibly because the change does not affect anyone right to remain and work in the UK; anyone with valid leave to remain and who is continuing in employment will qualify to remain as before and should have no difficulty in completing the fifth year. If their employment were about to cease after four years they would not qualify for settlement anyway. It is therefore difficult to accept the argument that a particular group's immigration position is being worsened or made less secure by this measure.
You also mention the effect that this change will have on Chinese nationals who are in the United Kingdom for business purposes. I am sorry to hear that you feel that this will have a hard effect on those members of the Chinese community who are here for work-related reasons. I have explained above
that this change does not affect anyone's right to stay in the UK and to follow their chosen employment or way of earning a living. The UK welcomes those people still. We do not believe that anyone is being unfairly required to change things like remaining in employment or the number of visits to relatives as a result of this. We believe that this change is also of benefit to those arriving in the UK as entrepreneurs or to set up in business. A 5-year qualifying period leads to a pattern of leave being granted of 2-years followed by 3 years. This will be of benefit to those setting up in business or entering as investors, innovators and in a self-employed capacity where a 2-year inital leave period for establishing oneself is more realistic.
I am sorry that you feel that this is a surprise change and that it will affect the plans of the Chinese people working here. I do not share this view. Nobody s being asked to change the amount of work that they do or to change how they make their living. We would not grant settlement to someone who had no likelihood of continuing to earn their living as they had before.
You also mention the effect that this might have on things such as Chinese people applying for a mortgage or for admission to university. I have sympathy for anyone who has difficulty in getting a mortgage and I acknowledge that it can be a stressful endeavour, but the lending policy of banks and building societies is a matter for those individual organisations. It is not something that can be directed by Government. Similarly, although local authorities have a residence policy when it comes to education there is no substantial change in the way that university places are allocated as a result of our change. Nevertheless, we are ready to listen to you about any unintended hardships that are directly instigated by this change but for most areas of life, if not all, things will simply continue as usual.
You raise the issue of whether this will be seen as a welcome or unwelcome signal to potential newcomers. I have explained that we think that this change will be of benefit to those arriving in the UK to set up in business or carry out investment activity. The UK is one of the most welcoming environments internationally for those seeking to set up in self-employment.
Finally, you point out that EU Directives do not prevent a member state granting settlement after 4 years. This is true but the Government does not feel that there are any benefits to be had by maintaining a different provision for EU nationals in the UK than applies elsewhere in the EU. There is a great deal of sense in being in line with other partners where this is possible. Once this is accepted, then the UK is left with applying the same to all nationals, EU and non-EU, or having a system with one qualifying period for EU nationals and a separate one for non-EU nationals. This would be undesirable and it is not something that we want.
The UK is committed to being an attractive destination for hard working and skilled people. Indeed, we have acknowledged frequently the great benefits that migrant groups bring to this country. These changes do not alter that view, but we are equally committed to settlement as one of the later stages in a journey towards attachment and integration into the UK."
It seems that the minisiter is expressing some degree of willingness to LISTEN. Everyone affected must gather their cases this Sat at the public meeting. Christine Lee will be meeting the Home Office officials on the 10th with the evidence.
Saturday 8th April – 2pm
Oriental City
Cultural Room, 2nd Floor
299 Edgware Road
NW9 0JJ
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joseph.DJ@558.net于 3 Apr 2006, 14:09 重新编辑过
