to be surprised by how many people are anti-immigration?

[Mimstar]

I was called naive today. Apparently 'if you aren't concerned by immigration, you've got your head in wonderland'.

And I thought - actually, I know hardly anybody else who isn't anti-immigration.

I'm trying to understand this attitude, it seems so common nowadays. Maybe I do have my head in wonderland.

I'm so tired of hearing 'job stealers!' type comments.

We just can't support the amount of people that are moving here.

Errrr... They support themselves.

They also contribute to the infrastructure of this country.

Any evidence to back up all those assertions, jojane?

You'd hate me, gordylovessheep. (Sarcasm positively dripping!) Paid tuition as private uni student back in the days when foreign students couldn't work, left for a decade, came back as higher rate taxpayer from day one, paid thousands in visa fees, permission to marry (which by the way had to be obtained for £250 despite being in the country legally for four and a half years by that point), etc etc, never eligible to claim welfare or benefits, and (since I'm a contractor) not even eligible to claim it now that I'm a citizen due to gaps in employment. I volunteer extensively in my community to the extent I'm now second in command at two great time sucks and still work full time and have a toddler (couldn't do it without hubby, that's for sure).

I don't even send any of it home.

I'm such a terrible immigrant. You might as well blame me for the whole mess.

skyler - well, it isn't really, but my mate was talking about this. She says that Viking raids are over-emphasised - that, basically, we should probably look at written records of the day in the same way we look at responses to immigration today. That is, we should recognise that some people will over-estimate or even fictionalise what is going on. It's really interesting - there has for a long time been work to see whether DNA can tell us about immigration patterns. And certainly in some areas of the country - notably the North-East - we know there must have been substantial numbers of immigrants. But, apparently, there are also areas where it seems unlikely there were many immigrants, but people liked to think there were.

Obviously, one of the hardest things to work out is whether immigration was by force, or not. And we will never completely know. But for what I understand (and it is really limited) if you look at the prose styles, it seems that the idea of immigrants coming to hurt us and take our lands is a trope - it's often traced to Herod or to Rome - and it's not entirely realistic.

Gordyslovesheep now you're just being Clasicist! I cant bring myself to hide this yet. P.s it's post like yours that make me wish MN had a like button! :)

Sorry phone autocorrected for me

Revengeofkarma - we don't want your type here.

Bloody well coming over here and working hard and contributing to society while spending your earnings and thereby putting money back into the economy.

Next you'll be telling us you can speak English and you're not a petty criminal...

"The newcomers have gradually replaced the English population in whole districts, [of the East End] and many streets and lanes and alleys have fallen before them; they have introduced new trades as well as new habits and they live and crowd together."

"They speak a foreign language, wear different clothes, eat strange-smelling foods and practice an unfamiliar religion."

These are some of the comments made about Jewish immigrants in London 100+ years ago. They were accused of taking jobs from the indigenous population and causing a housing shortage. They also (oh the horror of it) bought up disused churches and converted them to synagogues.

As the saying goes - "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it"

That's interesting LRD. I must talk to a colleague who teaches Viking Britain about this. Would also be interesting to see what archeological evidence adds to the picture.
Mind you, immigration by force describes the Norman settlement as well.

Sorry, derail over.

English is my native tongue, though I speak one other language fluently and four others to GCSE A-grade.

My numerous CRB checks show no crimes petty or otherwise, which is good as one of my volunteer roles has me teaching child and vulnerable adult protection!

Immigrants are terrible people. I'm living proof.

Shellyboobs - looking at my finances, I think most of my income was spent on visa fees!

skyler - oh, your colleague will very likely say I am wrong! I never studied AS England beyond my masters and I rely on people who studied it further. If I am horribly wrong, I apologise. I think her description just caught my imagination - and she did have examples to back it up, though I can't cite them - that much immigration was really quite like ours now.

Someone said about low earners working abroad, how can you do that surely you would have to earn a fair bit to travel abroad and most countries won't let you in unless you have a particular skill they want.

You mean like the UK?

Revenge No we let Anyone in remember?

Well that's true. I certainly never had o prove:
Age
Qualifications
Previous income
Savings
That I'd had that level of savings for six months
Fluency in English

When I rucked up.

Or, heaven forfend, pass a ridiculous test.

I'm an immigrant. English is my native tongue. I speak one other language fluently and two others fairly. I have a phd and a postdoc. I have worked here for 10 years now. Paid enough taxes although as previous posters have said, my home gov and family paid for my education back 'home'.

I had two kids on the nhs but have been paying taxes for 10 years. The
British husband claims child benefit for our British children (same right he would have if he married a British woman).

Yes and I'm the main breadwinner of our lovely family as he was made redundant a few years back and because our family had my immigrant money, he was able to start his own practice. Otherwise he'd be stacking shelves on minimum wage (oh wait a minute - maybe he'd have to fight an immigrant for it - or heck maybe I should be the one stacking shelves) trying to feed our family.

I hate it everytime I travel back into this country. The interrogation and the lack of welcome one gets is enough to reconsider living here. Fair enough you question someone first time here or someone who's not a permanent resident. But for those of us who are permanent residents, why not just put us in the same row as the British/EU? There's no need to fill in the damn form. As if if I were really
to disappear into the deepest sewers in England the UKBA would be able
To locate me based on my address I scribbled on the form? How many illegals have they misplaced?

They should just let the legit ones through; we've been supposedly checked by our employers, other UKBA/home office people who approved our application....just let us get on with things. Spend your time collecting the white cards of students and other visitors!! That might give us a better idea of immigration numbers and be clearer about what those numbers actually reflect.

I am a liberal and like to think that I understand the benefits that immigration can bring and has brought to our country. That being said, I am disappointed in the decisions that have been made with regards to free labour movement as I don't believe it is entirely in the best interests of the UK.

takeaway, just an aside, but if you have indefinite leave to remain, you can go through the uk/eu channel. DH always did, and it was never questioned. Doesn't make them any friendlier, but it can at least speed things up!

Jinsei - thanks yes I go that way when I'm with the family as apparently I'm not allowed it if I'm travelling by myself for work purposes. Ironic given that my indefinite leave up remain was granted based on my work.

YANBU, people are far too unfriendly, in my view they should do away with passports, visa etc. and let us all share our world together. We're all equal folks!

My husband is an immigrant from a non-Anglo background (although it would not be technically correct to say from a non English speaking country as it is a former colony). He has never received a welfare payment. He has two advanced degrees which he obtained here. For at least the past six years he has been paying the top tax rate here. He personally made more than $5 million for his Australian company last year at a time when it was losing heavily in other areas. He does a job I wouldn't have a hope of doing (I wish I had half the education he has - we were fairly poor) and his English is much better than many native speakers.

The same discussions are of course going on here albeit I am quite shocked by those Home Office mobile billboards. I suspect it has more to do with the feeling (and correct knowledge) that the upper classes abandoned the lower ones and the mass immigration of skilled workers was the final nail in the coffin for that classes support of that elite in times of war, having children etc.

It's very sad but YABU to be surprised about it.

Some of the opinions and comments on this thread are appalling.

Keep them coming though, it just makes it so much easier to know who to avoid on future threads. Saves me a lot of time and effort.

Immigration is a huge issue. Our country is on its knees financially with social services/nhs/housing all at breaking point. There is no racial motivation here but just that there are only so many resources and an increasing number of people reliant on them.