Editorial: 'Troubling' - visa fees…

Editorials

Editorial: 'Troubling' - visa fees during Covid-19

Shantel works in a care home in Birmingham. On top of the unimaginable stress of the last few weeks, she has had to apply to renew her visa, which, at the time of writing, expires in two days. She can’t afford the extortionate fee, so she applied for a fee waiver more than a month ago, but she’s still waiting to hear if that’s been granted. If it’s rejected, she will have to find around £2,100 in the next 48 hours. This pandemic has undoubtedly left many people feeling vulnerable…

Shantel works in a care home in Birmingham. On top of the unimaginable stress of the last few weeks, she has had to apply to renew her visa, which, at…

Editorial: Act now, save lives

Six weeks ago, we called on the Government to make eight simple changes that would make it possible for all migrants to keep themselves and others safe from Covid-19. Only one has been made (ending in-person tribunal hearings), with tinkering around the edges on some others. This lack of decisive action has left unknown numbers of migrants around the UK struggling to feed themselves and their families, living in unsafe, insecure accommodation, too scared to access healthcare, and fearful for their futures. Some could even lose their lives, dying at home from…

Six weeks ago, we called on the Government to make eight simple changes that would make it possible for all migrants to keep themselves and others safe from Covid-19. Only one has…

Editorial: All talk, no action

It’s been refreshing to hear so much praise for some groups of migrant workers during these first weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown. But amongst the platitudes, the Government has wasted no time in pushing ahead with its plan for a crude and discriminatory points-based immigration system that, if already in force, would have prevented many of those migrants from coming here and doing these frontline jobs. Yes, it was remarkable to hear Piers Morgan – usually one of the UK’s most combative voices on immigration issues – reading a roll…

It’s been refreshing to hear so much praise for some groups of migrant workers during these first weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown. But amongst the platitudes, the Government has wasted…

Editorial: A time to be bold

With Covid-19, the threat to the rights of migrants and refugees around the world is growing. Conflict and persecution do not stop during a pandemic and people still need to flee their homes to find safety. But travelling is even more difficult and dangerous than usual, and the path to refuge criss-crossed with shuttered borders. We’ve also seen some countries such as Lebanon use the pandemic as an excuse to crack down on refugees in their countries. Meanwhile, migrants around the world are finding themselves trapped in their new home with visas expiring,…

With Covid-19, the threat to the rights of migrants and refugees around the world is growing. Conflict and persecution do not stop during a pandemic and people still need to…

Editorial: Help migrants protect themselves

As Covid-19 continues to spread, urgent policy changes are required to make sure that everyone in the UK – including every migrant – is able to protect themselves and others. The Home Office is already making changes – suspending face-to-face asylum interviews and reporting requirements, and making treatment for Covid-19 non-chargeable, for example – but these must go much further and much faster. The Emergency Powers Bill currently going through Parliament will give the Government significant new powers in light of the pandemic, including allowing for police and immigration officers…

As Covid-19 continues to spread, urgent policy changes are required to make sure that everyone in the UK – including every migrant – is able to protect themselves and others.…

Editorial: Migrants are humans too

The situation at the Greece-Turkey border is the result of a shameful unwillingness to see migrants as human beings, to acknowledge their right to agency over their own lives, and to contemplate anything beyond short-term, sticking plaster approaches to the movement of human beings. Many of the migrants gathered at the border have been used as pawns in a geopolitical game for years and are now once again being manipulated for political gains. While several EU countries have done good work resettling refugees in the last few years, we have…

The situation at the Greece-Turkey border is the result of a shameful unwillingness to see migrants as human beings, to acknowledge their right to agency over their own lives, and…

Editorial: Stop scapegoating migrants

This Government continues to treat migrants as a problem and panders to the unfounded fears of a minority of the British public, fears created and stoked by successive governments in a bid to win votes. This was made clear in the policy statement on the UK's future points-based immigration system, published on 19 February 2020. The Government must stop presenting certain groups of migrants as problems that need to be solved and instead openly acknowledge the value – economic, social and cultural – that migrants bring to the UK. They…

This Government continues to treat migrants as a problem and panders to the unfounded fears of a minority of the British public, fears created and stoked by successive governments in…

Ten years of Migrant Voice

This week marks ten years of the journey of Migrant Voice from an idea to a well-recognised UK charity. The idea was borne out of the anger, frustration and feelings of helplessness in the face of increasingly negative perceptions and behaviour towards migrants, and the decision to turn them into positive energy and a plan of action. The lead up to the 2010 general election was a time and a space from which we were absent. A huge debate was taking place about migration, and everyone was talking about migrants…

This week marks ten years of the journey of Migrant Voice from an idea to a well-recognised UK charity. The idea was borne out of the anger, frustration and feelings…

Editorial: Put people before numbers

A work-based immigration system matching the vision laid out in the recently published Migration Advisory Committee report would be a dismal one – and we call on the Government to reject these recommendations and design a system that truly works for all. The report – the result of studies commissioned by the Home Office into the salary threshold and a possible future points-based system – recommends a post-Brexit system that combines these two approaches. While we do welcome some of the MAC’s recommendations – such as lowering the general salary…

A work-based immigration system matching the vision laid out in the recently published Migration Advisory Committee report would be a dismal one – and we call on the Government to…

Editorial: Make 2020 a year of reform

“I keep asking myself, how long am I going to live like this?” These are the words of Espoir, one of our members in Birmingham, who is originally from Cameroon and is claiming asylum here. Like many migrants and asylum seekers in the UK waiting for an immigration or asylum decision, Espoir is subjected to long delays and an attitude of suspicion, and she’s forced to live an undignified life while she waits. These issues epitomise the chronic problems with the current Home Office and immigration system – problems of…

“I keep asking myself, how long am I going to live like this?” These are the words of Espoir, one of our members in Birmingham, who is originally from Cameroon…

Editorial: 'Troubling' - visa fees during Covid-19

Editorials