Immigrants but legal ones?

[Tiktakmam]

I’ve been living in the UK for 16 years, have two children, and work full-time. I consider myself integrated, living according to British values, and respecting this country. I look after myself and my home, and I try to contribute positively to the community.

Yet, many of us — especially from Eastern Europe — don’t feel entirely safe with the ongoing issues around illegal migrant boats. Even though we are legal residents, I’ve noticed growing dissatisfaction from some neighbours. When I mention that I’m from Eastern Europe, I often hear comments like, “Of course you are…” — basically implying I’m not British.

This makes me feel like I’ve somehow “brought these boats” here, as if I’m just another part of the immigrant problem. Seeing flags and attitudes that suggest “immigrants go home” is disheartening.

I also feel somewhat less confident around British people, especially in areas with mostly locals and fewer immigrants. For example, when I travel to campsites or smaller towns, I sometimes feel looked at as untrustworthy. Luckily, in London I feel much less like this.

Post-Brexit, it feels like the country has changed in ways that make life less secure, not just for immigrants but for everyone. It’s heartbreaking that all migrants, legal or not, are often dropped into one pot and judged as a single group.

I keep wondering — after so many years of people from other countries contributing to making the UK a brighter, more vibrant place, why does it feel like the country has been going downhill over time?

I feel so heartbroken, because I understand that the UK will never truly be my home, as I was not born here. Yet it hurts to realize that, with every passing year, it feels more and more like I will never be fully welcome.

Why has it gone so wrong on a broader scale? How can we have a healthier, safer society for everyone, while respecting the law and supporting integration?

I hope we can have a conversation about this that goes beyond fear and politics, and focuses on community, fairness, and safety for all residents.
Im just curious, in this era of migrant boats and heightened tension around immigration, how do you perceive or feel about other immigrants, even those who are legal residents? Does this climate affect the way you interact with them or how you feel about other immigrants, especially in less multicultural towns? What does your family of friends say?

I had patients tell me explicitly after the brexit votes “now we can kick out all of these n and p”. Meaning black British and British Asian people. It wasn’t “foreigners” it was “all non-white people”.

Edit: they used the racist slurs, not the letters “n” and “p”, but I’m not typing the full words out.

I understand. I am British with a British passport. However I am entitled to an EU passport through my grandparents. It's a massive ballache to get one for my children ( they could get dual citizenship) so I'm just saying don't get citizenship if it means giving up an EU passport because in the future it may come in handy if your kids want to study in Europe.

Yep, I had colleagues who were genuine astonished that their non-white colleagues weren’t going to be deported.

It's leading to situations like this

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15049341/Racist-couple-British-NHS-nurse-boat.html

Absolutely shocking.

The very first comment - "If you don't like dogs, don't come to the UK". Lol. The comment section there is something special.

The Mail has a nerve, given the part it plays in whipping up racism.

I still think they’re at it, just hiding behind this new veneer of faux-naïveté and reverse psychology. If you read the article closely, it’s littered with little bait points: the nurse’s parents not speaking English, her shoving the elderly Brit to the ground, her using (abusing, as she's the immigrant) the NHS herself after the accident. Same pattern as with that Bulgarian couple story.

The rise in xenophobia is sickening, OP. I feel like we are currently in 1930s Germany.

People are struggling with all sorts of important things - cost of living, childcare, rising crime and drug taking, finding a decent and affordable home etc etc and they want someone to blame. Those that should really get the blame are telling them to blame immigrants. It must be the oldest story in the book.

Xenophobia and racism exists in every country. I’ve experienced a lot of racism from people from different countries, but nothing compares to how the Nazis treated Jewish people. Maybe read some history books.

I agree.
There was snippets of racism throughout the article.
It was disgusting. Awful thick witch and her thicko husband.
The level of racism is off the scale. My face is sore from smiling and saying hello to non nationals trying to counteract the horror, reassure them that I'm safe.
Ffs.
It's getting dangerous calling out racism, it's also between different nationalities.
I had to interrupt an EE man for being abusive to the Indian girl working in the corner shop, he was drunk, scary, luckily it is a close community.

Yes, let's not compare it to 1930s Germany!
Xenophobia and knee jerk nationalism is indeed on the rise everywhere. It's always easy to blame others.

I hope she gets some justice as this shouldn't go unpunished. Those people are an absolute disgrace. The puke emoji was invented for them.

Honestly the only people I ever see moaning about how hated the English are, are the English themselves. People (including my own partner) are dead set on this idea that everyone hates them - hell, every year we all have to hear about the nonstop Eurovision pity party.

I don’t have the solution nor do I understand where this woe is me attitude came from, but the government should really put some focus on creating some sort of identity pride that doesn’t fall into racism and xenophobia.

I think you might be right. Sneaky fuckers.

Do you genuinely feel this matters?
Citizenship doesn't change the amount of tax someone pays

It shouldn't be about identity. It should be pride built on a hopeful message that we'll get real growth back and a sense of perspective. Right now, everything seems to be going to shit, especially public services, and for some people the only thing they feel they have left - and that no one could take from them- is their identity as (insert tribe). This will have tragic consequences, especially if we are stupid enough to bring to power a party that will compound the issues rather than address them.

So much to pick apart.

In my job I work with teenagers - immigrants and British.

In the vast majority of cases, immigrants work way harder than the 'British' teens. They are the ones requiring loads of support to prop their low ambition and work ethic.

Not all Brits, of course, but always Brits

This is all true, apart from in the UK. Points 2 and 3 were never adopted, mainly because we couldn't make them work without ID cards to assess who should no longer be here. So anyone could come over and stay over and they did and have. The British people have been let down by successive British governments of both blue and red variety who couldn't be arsed to put the necessary mechanisms in place to make sure that the rules on FOM could be followed. It was a free for all and it is what led to Brexit.

Stupidity. If it was true, they voted believing that the health service and other business would collapse by deporting vital foreign worker's.
A coworker ATT placed a €1000 bet on brexit. I thought he had lost his money. I couldn't believe the vote.
I miss a lot of the UK shops in Ireland, Newlook, argos, shoe zone.

That’s not the fault of the people who came here following those rules though.

No, it's not. But it explains Brexit. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Farage isn't a genius, it's just that he's surrounded by rank idiocy on either side of the political divide. We are going to get a reform government, just like we got brexit and all those morons will stand there the morning after, blinking into the sunlight, wondering how they didn't see it coming when it's been written in sky high letters for decades. The British people were never consulted about this level of immigration and they have been saying consistently since 2004 that they don't want it.

I agree that there is currently a lot of xenophobia in other countries too. I didn’t see the point in mentioning it because many PPs have already done so and anyway, the OP is about Britain.

Telling me to read history books sounds kind of aggressive and dismissive and is shutting down discussion. A more constructive and respectful comment would be “I don’t think the comparison works because ……”

There is nothing to pick apart. Those are the issues racists have with immigrants. It doesn't matter if they're allowed to be here or not. If someone is against immigration, it will be against all immigrants.