Day of #ActionOnVisas - standing in solidarity

Day of #ActionOnVisas - standing in solidarity

The extortionate costs of visas, long routes to settlement, restrictive and complex system, minimum income requirements, among so many other things, impact upon the lives of people every single day.

With visa fees currently seven to ten times the actual costs of processing them, the International Health Surcharge exceeding the cost of some private medical insurances, and the Minimum Income Requirement for spouses and dependants set at such a level as to exclude more than 50% of the population, it is clear that the system needs changing.

On Thursday 31 December we organised a Day of Action on Visa Costs to raise awareness about the raft of issues facing those going through settlement routes in the UK. The day culminated with an online rally, featuring speakers from a range of backgrounds and organisations. We were thrilled to see so many people attend in solidarity, and many shared their own experiences of going through the current restrictive and draconian settlement system.

There is a significant lack of understanding, including in Parliament, as to what the impact which the current systems have on people actually is. As one of our speakers, Livia Barriera said: “The immigration can be cruel to you, and many migrants have been struggling in silence. I was telling some British friends about the costs, about all the documents, all the bureaucracy, all the mental health issues. It is not just the money, it's also the mental health Issues as well. I was talking about this, and many people didn't know about that.”

We wanted to ensure that our Day of Action showed that people did not have to struggle in silence, that they were not alone, and that there is a genuine movement to make things better, and fairer for everyone. This need for solidarity was summed up by another speaker, Juliana Lobo, who talked about how hard it had been to keep pushing through the system, the cost and the impact on here and her family, and the need to ensure that we are coming together to show support: “I hope we can carry on with these movements of support and encouragement to be able to reach what we deserve, inclusion, respect, dignity, and we need to see the light at the end of the tunnel because it's really hard for people, for everyone.”

The issue with visas crosses into so many aspects of people’s lives, by the very fact that they are about people’s lives. They can lead to exploitation and abuse of some individuals, a point made by Pete Wieltschnig: “Where a migrant worker on a sponsored visa raises a complaint, the Home Office response to labour rights abuses can be to remove the employer's sponsorship license. This means that a worker and all of their colleagues, sometimes over 100, have 60 days to find a new employer willing and able to sponsor that visa, or else they'd be forced to leave the UK, potentially with debts that they could never pay back. If you're entirely dependent on your employer for your ability to remain in the UK, for your income, even for accommodation, can we genuinely say the workers are able to come forward about abuse?”

This was a sentiment echoed by Matt Creagh, from the Trade Union Council (TUC): “Whether that's short-term visas, workers effectively being tied to one employer, or a lack of access to employment rights enforcement, the way the visa system is designed makes it very difficult for migrant workers to be treated fairly. And I think one of the important elements that we're focusing on tonight in the system that needs to change is visa fees… but I think there are lots of avenues in there where we can try and campaign to improve it.”

Speaking directly about the impact on those who are trapped in exploitative positions by restrictive visa routes, Mariko Hayashi, from the Southeast and East Asian Centre CIC (SEEAC) explained:  “The majority of our community members have been paying visa fees for many, many years, which for some people, the cost is close to, or more than the average of annual income in their home countries, and many people borrow money to cover these visa fees and other related costs, including money for brokers, while having their family members back home to support financially. Yet they're tied with their employers, partners, many other conditions attached to the visa, including no recourse to public funds.”

One of the main purposes of the rally was to show the personal impact of the current routes on people’s lives. We heard from ‘Cat’, not her real name, who told us about the harm which being on the ten-year-route to settlement has had on her: “I'm a mom of four. It has not been easy for me at all. I struggle. I have long term illness, mental health, physically, emotionally… sometimes I have to choose to put food on the table for the kids or to save to pay my visa fee. You can see how hard it is… It is a big struggle for me. So, what I'm why I'm here today, just to say that the government should look into what we are talking about today. Visa fees and the 10 years routes have put families into poverty, have cost months into struggling. A lot of my friends died on these 10 years.”

Ana Huembes added about the complexities of being able to access the system, along with the costs involved. These complexities meant that she was delayed in being able to start her academic course. She also expressed the importance of community and support in going through the system though: “like they say, it takes a village to raise a baby, and I feel like it is the same process. It also takes a village and a whole community to go through this difficult process…I know that not everyone has the same support system…I am calling for a ‘human first approach’. Migrants and international students are not numbers to be slashed.”

Looking at the impact of minimum income requirements on families, Raquel from Reunite Families spoke about the pain which her children and stepchildren face being separated, with her husband forced to live abroad as they cannot meet the current requirements. “No family should be left for potentially months in agonizing uncertainty…. Families should not have to navigate costly ways just to be together. These changes are both possible and urgent. Stand with us. Share this message.”

We also heard from Migrant Voice steering group members, who help inform the Migrant Voice Visa Fees campaign, including Flora Mutuku and Keziah Kitonga, who shared stories of their first-hand experiences of the hardships which the current situation causes. As did Joanna Pienkowska, from the Haringey Migrant Support Centre, who spoke about the people they see forced into homelessness and hardship.

Even in the midst of struggle though, we saw the passion and power of people’s words and experiences. This was beautifully portrayed through the poem of Dr Aanka Batta: “Ask somebody that has had to cross oceans to get here, how hope brings them here? But safety doesn't follow suit. Only they can tell you that it's because safety often comes with lies, and it's danger that comes with truth”.

Ending the evening, our final speaker, Anastasia, brought home how universal the struggle can be, as she spoke about coming to the UK as an asylum seeker, but is now faced with finding hundreds of pounds for citizenship fees for her family, which she cannot afford.

The stories we heard throughout the night could be hard at times. They showed the pain which people are going through because of these punitive and cruel systems. They showed something else though, something important to remember, they showed that people are not alone. They showed that there is solidarity, support, care, and compassion out there. They showed that when we all stand together, we can shine a light on the injustices we face, and fight for a better future for everyone