To think the British Government is fueling the Immigration crisis?

[MsToni]

Before I start, I'd like to say that I'm happy to share my life with people of all races and I believe Immigration can have some positives, if controlled and managed properly.

I do some volunteering work with a legal advisory body and a particular case got my attention.

A young lady came in with her son and needed some advice with her status. She had come into the UK in 05 as a student and had extended twice to complete her studies. She wanted a post study work visa to work for a year or two to gain some international work experience before moving back home
Her application was rejected because her funds fell below the required minimum over one day. The lawyer appealed on the basis that the funds fell below the required limit due to a clerical error of the bank. The judge's hand was rightly tied because the UKBA applied its rules albeit too strictly but on the appeal based on right to family life in the UK, she succeeded. She now has discretionary leave to remain and will add to the ever swelling numbers of people settling in the UK.

My point is - she never wanted to settle in the UK. She only wanted to work for a few years and go back home. But because of the ridiculously rigid application of the UKBA rules, a large number of people are being compelled to go the Human Right route and they will continue to succeed because the UKBA rules are nonsensical, rigid, inflexible and doesn't give any leeway for consideration.

The UK Government truly needs to get its act together regarding Immigration and the EU control over our laws.

What are your thoughts?

Just because she has leave to remain, doesn't mean she has to stay, does it? No one is forcing her to stay longer than she wants to.

She also sounds like a contributing member of society, which should be the number one criteria to remain, IMHO.

I should mention that I am here on an Indefinite Leave To Remain due to marrying a citizen and have no intention of leaving, as we now have a son who is also a citizen of this country and of my own (US).

I actually think the IDLR rules are too strict now. If I was applying for my visa now I'd never get it because I'd never pass the 'life in Britain' test which would be fair enough except that everyone I know, who is a citizen, who has taken the test can't pass it. As opposed to the US immigration test which is actually about US history and government. I could answer the test questions on the internet with no thought and my husband could answer them with about 30 seconds thought. That's a fair test, IMHO.

I am on indefinite leave to remain and intend to leave. I passed the test and also had an interview at £1000!. If I leave for 2 years running, I lose that.
I will probably, reluctantly, apply for a passport before we go, just in case my partner decides he cant hack it and we need to come back.

Indeed, no one is forcing her. But cases that are resolved like that indicate that the Government is indirectly giving people the option of remaining here - especially - if they resort to legal means - when they should instead focus on having fair immigration rules.

....and having a bit of flexibility in implementing those rules.

I find it confusing that she didnt apply for a work permit in the usual way instead of looking for a post study work visa. I have had three work permits here and have never had to have funds as my employer was my sponsor.
She was given poor advice is forced to apply for LTR involuntarily.

That's the usual route.

Study visa, Post study work visa, then an employer can apply for a Work Permit for her.

She did get accurate advice.

Really? I just got a work permit after applying for a job and being successful. No visa.

A work permit is a form of visa, not so? The Visa dictates your status in the country.

And the new immigration rules spells out the route.

I would have thought it better to advise that she go home (as she has stated her intention was never to stay anyway so I would imagine this wouldnt be an issue) and then apply from her home country. Then she could have a work permit organised by her employers (independent of funds and based on her appointment). I suspect she wants to stay.

Oh I've had it up to hear with Immigration this & that.

My family fled appalling poverty, disease, unemployment and living in absolute squalor after the death of several young children - so terrible was their life they got onto a wooden boat and emigrated with nothing at all to a far off land they knew nothing about. 150 years or so later I emigrate back to London - and people moan to ME about immigrants/immigration constantly.

Only any good when it suits the Brits isn't it! (This sucks lets leave and go to NZ/Oz/USA/India, and then, oooh we've not got enough cleaners in the NHS/people to pick crops, let's get some Africans/Eastern Europeans/Chinese in to do the job we Brits are "too good for", and then ooooh too may people of culture here now, let's immigrate to Spain/NZ/Australia, we're perfectly entitled to after all, we are British!)

BTW, what "immigration crisis" OP? Did I miss the memo?

I do know the UK has an "ageing population crisis", with the UK demographic now being a triangle standing on its little tiny point. Not enough children to become economic adults to look after the oldies.

I would like to point out that very few Brits consider themselves to be 'too good' to be cleaners or pick crops. The reason a lot of Eastern Europeans can afford to live here temporarily and pick crops is because they are living in accommodation provided by the farmer, so don't have the living costs that a British worker would have. They are paid a very low wage, which goes further in their home countries than it does in the UK and any tax is refundable.
Therefore, they can afford to do this for a limited time. A person who has to pay a mortgage/rent/council tax/fuel costs etc in this country, couldn't survive on the wages paid to pick crops.

It would be better if employers had to pay all workers a living wage and then you could judge whether Brits consider themselves 'too good' to do these jobs.

Obviously, you will get work shy people in all countries, but in the UK you will only notice the British ones because the people who've come here from abroad to work are not going to fit into that category.

Ah, there you are. I have , as an immigrant, contributed to fixing that ageing population crisis -having produced two fine english boys.

The problem is the "nice" immigrants are the ones who encounter problems like the OP mentions and get tarred with a bad name.

It is just a real shame that we can't deport all the immigrants who do nothing for society..... And there are a hell of a lot of them.

As usual, the good people in society get crapped on whilst scum just don't care about the impact of their actions.

ThisIsANiceCage - the UK does have an ageing population, due to increasing longevity rather than any decrease in birth rate. We certainly don't have the inverted population pyramid that you suggest (a feature of countries like Japan). In fact here is our population pyramid.

The population of the UK has increased by over 10% in my lifetime. I worry about the impact this has on our environment.

Ooh, you're right, hogsback. Apologies, I am indeed thinking of the Japan pyramid, often cited as an example of how we really don't want to end up.

But we still do have major concerns about how to keep an ageing population. Agree longevity is a major factor, although birthrate has also declined overall. But that still leaves us wondering how to pay for the older population. More, the number of old people needing high levels of medical and personal care is rising rapidly. Eg Dementia timebomb 'will hit 1.2m'

Thanks for that link to the ONS site, btw. Somewhere in that lot will be information the population pyramid doesn't on its own show, for example whether the sudden change in birthrate trend in 2002 is linked in any way to immigration.

Also agree that environmental impact is a concern. But that's as much a function of per capita consumption as of population. Random link on per capita resource consumption worldwide