Policy

Policy and Society

No document, no justice

There are many ways to become an “undocumented migrant” in the UK and their exact number is unclear. Studies have guesstimated the total at between 417,000 and 863,000. Their status makes them vulnerable to exploitation by bosses, landlords and money-lenders, and to sexual exploitation. A variety of circumstances can cause people to fall into the undocumented category. Because people fleeing their country in search of asylum often find there are no legal routes to safe countries, they may enter the UK illegally, even though it is legal to claim asylum.…

There are many ways to become an “undocumented migrant” in the UK and their exact number is unclear. Studies have guesstimated the total at between 417,000 and 863,000. Their status…

UK immigration and the future after Brexit

By mid-2015, the population of the UK was 65.1 million, with 13.3% born abroad. Among the foreign-born, there are both short term migrants such as students, and long term or permanent migrants, including EU citizens working in UK, international migrants from outside Europe, and refugees. Though the latest report from British Social Attitudes Survey shows that British attitudes towards immigration have grown more positive in the past decade, the divide between supporters and opponents has widened as well. Moreover, after the 2016 EU referendum, changes will take place to migration,…

By mid-2015, the population of the UK was 65.1 million, with 13.3% born abroad. Among the foreign-born, there are both short term migrants such as students, and long term or…

A migrant artist's new perspective on victims of conflict

For her current project, The Aftermath Passage, Mary creates portraits of people who have experienced war and conflict in order to highlight their stories and make people aware of the impact of such events. She usually takes time getting to know them, asks how they want to be portrayed and then takes their photo. She also gets them to write their own version of their experiences to be shown with the final portrait. Portraits can be very powerful, in Mary’s view. “I find people start to want to know more…

For her current project, The Aftermath Passage, Mary creates portraits of people who have experienced war and conflict in order to highlight their stories and make people aware of the…

Hindoostane Coffee House, the 200-year-old Indian restaurant

The contributions that migrants bring to the United Kingdom are often delectable and exquisite. One such example is Hindoostane Coffee House (HCH), the first Indian Restaurant owned by an Indian which also offered a take away service. It was owned by Sake Dean Mahomet, a Bengali traveller and entrepreneur who build the food business at his house, located 34 George Street, Portman Square, near Baker Street in 1810. Unfortunately, the restaurant didn't last long. It was forced to close a year later because at that time it was not common…

The contributions that migrants bring to the United Kingdom are often delectable and exquisite. One such example is Hindoostane Coffee House (HCH), the first Indian Restaurant owned by an Indian…

Eritrean asylum seekers: UK Government relying on discredited Danish report

Three young Eritrean men recently told me about their journey from Eritrea to the UK, across the Mediterranean, through Calais and on to Scotland where they now live. All had fled forced conscription and random, repeated detention. During the conversation one of them pushed an article across the table. It explained the April announcement that the Home Office was going to use ”new and ‘up-to-date’ guidelines that policy makers should adhere on handling claims made by Eritrean asylum seekers.” The article reported that the new Home Office policy is a result of…

Three young Eritrean men recently told me about their journey from Eritrea to the UK, across the Mediterranean, through Calais and on to Scotland where they now live. All had…

EU migrants and voting rights in the upcoming referendum

EU migrants and voting rights in the upcoming referendum EU migrants’ views ‘There is already an anti-EU bias involved in the process as it is rather obvious that any EU citizen residing in the UK would vote yes; otherwise they would be shooting themselves in the foot.’ commented Dr. Natalia Paszkiewicz from Poland on the fact that EU migrants in the UK don’t get a vote in the in-out referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. As part of the Conservatives’ election manifesto, the referendum is due to take place…

EU migrants and voting rights in the upcoming referendum EU migrants’ views ‘There is already an anti-EU bias involved in the process as it is rather obvious that any EU…

Migrant groups urge politicians to 'stop the scare-mongering'

Migrant support organisations have condemned the use of political fear-mongering which they say is creating a negative attitude toward migrants. “The new government should abandon the culture of disbelief in which every immigrant is somehow a threat, and instead inform the public about the benefits of migration and how we can make it work for all of us,” says Zrinka Bralo, executive director of the Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum. “Government should shift the emphasis in policy-making and migration management from enforcement to integration,” she says. “This means abandoning deterrents…

Migrant support organisations have condemned the use of political fear-mongering which they say is creating a negative attitude toward migrants. “The new government should abandon the culture of disbelief in…

New immigration rules: nurses at risk of losing their jobs

The Royal College of Nursing raise their concerns in response to plans revealed by the Conservative Party to cut migration to the UK from outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Under this immigration policy, nurses who fail to earn over £35,000 after 6 years of residency in the UK will be deported in a move that will cost around £39.7 million. This policy is part of the wider promise made by David Cameron to cut migration and to prevent the demand for overseas nurses. Over 3,300 nurses are at risk…

The Royal College of Nursing raise their concerns in response to plans revealed by the Conservative Party to cut migration to the UK from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).…

The Gathered Together project

For most families moving to the UK, the first communities they come into contact with are their children’s schools. But becoming a part of the school community can be a challenge. The Gathered Together project (run by BEMIS, a body supporting the development of Scotland’s ethnic minorities voluntary sector, and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council) works with parents from ethnic minorities to get them more involved with their schools and with their children’s learning. Says Lorraine Dougan, head teacher at Golfhill primary in Glasgow, where over a third of the…

For most families moving to the UK, the first communities they come into contact with are their children’s schools. But becoming a part of the school community can be a…

The mosque my great-great-grandmother built

Woking is the site of a beautiful place of worship built by a remarkable woman. Ira Mathur, a Trinidadian who studied in Canada and England, tells its story and that of her visionary great great grandmother When I was at university in London my grandmother, Shahnur Jehan Begum, wrote to me from Bangalore, India: “Go and see the first mosque built in Northern Europe. It was commissioned in 1889 by your great great grandmother, Nawab Sultan Jehan Begum of Bhopal. It is in Woking, not far from London.” So I visited the…

Woking is the site of a beautiful place of worship built by a remarkable woman. Ira Mathur, a Trinidadian who studied in Canada and England, tells its story and that of…