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 usually avoid these threads.

But maybe I should speak up as I am a recent immigrant to the UK- arrived in 2020- and just got my ILR, as have my husband and son. I am part of the much reviled Boriswave.

I am brown with a heavy accent. So is my family. We are all highly educated. We pay 40% tax. My son went to private school. We use private healthcare and travel to our home country for healthcare too. We are not religious- yes agnostic brown people exist!- and do not wear modesty clothing. All these should work in our favour but may not.

Maybe I took the job from a British person as did my husband. The jobs were advertised and we were the best candidates, seeing as how we have years of international experience. I refuse to be apologetic or cringingly grateful. I deserve to be here and will apply for citizenship next year if I can.

No doubt there will be racists who think a scruffily dressed brown woman is a drain on the country. That's their problem. Not my job to convince them.

If you with white skin feel like that, imagine how Black and Brown people born and brought up in the UK and lived here for decades feel in the current climate?

You can never say never but the chances of this happening for real are so low you’re just trying to scare yourself

Is this your view or are you describing something from the point of view of a racist?
I am actually laughing at the idea that British men don't look down on women, or I would be, if it was not such a distressing viewpoint.

The idea that anyone would not want to a child to receive support in school because of "adverse experiences" is frankly chilling.

The British didn’t have any qualms about invading resource-rich Asian countries and
pillaging to within an inch of their lives in the name of colonialism. Funny that. Didn’t think twice before robbing the resources and sucking the countries dry, did they?

Most foreigners come here because of universal nature of the English language, again, thanks to colonisation. The British are reaping what they sowed. The chicken are finally coming home to roost.

I'm sure I don't know any I consider my friends or they wouldn't be my friends. My own daughter is mixed heritage I wouldn't countenance a racist in my social circle.

It really wasnt if you actually read the posts instead of getting ready to virtue signal your wokeness. Hate when people do that.

It makes no sense to believe that a racist cares about your nationality or legal status here. They are racist! Or xenophobic at least.

Ironic tho,how many cultures did british make go extinct- ask native australians,native americans etc

I think immigrants rarely integrate as well as they think. I live in a City with a large Polish community. I love the people I've met and worked with however the local area is now very over run with Polish shops, booze shops etc. Some only have Polish signage. This isn't integration. The people who have integrated successfully consciously stayed away from this group mentality and proactively merged into local life.

Don’t tar us all with your unpleasant brush and ridiculous sweeping generalisations. We are a much nicer country than many others where there is no democracy, political prisoners or dissenters are tortured and murdered, gay people are thrown off tall buildings, women are raped and then stoned to death and locked up in their house en masse.

This extreme ‘empathy’ that seems to turn into self flagellation for how ‘terrible’ we are is part of the problem.

We can’t be that bad if so many specifically want to come here rather than any if the other safe counties they’ve travelled through. But how can we expect incomers to respect us and our country if we don’t ourselves?

I'm sorry and ashamed of the Farage-fuelled hatred towards immigrants that is growing in this country

Remigration has wormed its way in to mainstream media and every day talk, to disregard it would be foolish

The Telegraph had an interview with Lowe today

Unfortunately as many have said not just British. I am just back from Japan for a holiday with my Japanese husband and was shocked by the racist rhetoric there, and the hatred shown by in-laws to Chinese recent immigrants. Similar rhetoric - they come here then immediately ditch jobs and are dependent on the state.

DH is on a business trip up north - rang me from the train yesterday to say he was worried that there might be racists there and would he be ok. That is the kind fear black and brown people feeling now. It's disgusting.

Those of us in mixed international marriages have to put up with racism and xenophobia in each other's countries. And charmingly a paramedic didn't recently believe my daughter was mine and kept shouting "what is your relationship, do you know this child" when I had to call an ambulance recently. Given I was holding her hand and she was calling me Mum, it was pretty obvious. I even had the doctor in the hospital ask if I was actually the Mum, despite us having the same surname. Ironically he was a brown chap....

@RedMaker
Why's that shocking? You can be an immigrant and still believe in a stringent and controlled immigration system, and in preserving the native people and culture. In fact, I'd say it's proof that they've integrated and are truly British and care for this country and its future.

Exactly.

Wow.

I get and agree that where there is an obvious difference, people are more likely to be singled out for discrimination and I an in now way minimising that but I see it going further. To me it seems like society itself is fragmenting and becoming more judgemental. If you are young, if you are old, single parent, and so on, there is someone to blame you for the country's troubles.

Immigration has been too high, over too short a period and people feel they have lost control over their borders. This is not just a British issue- it is true in every developed country.

Right wing politicians have whipped up anti-immigrant sentiment to win votes- Cameron with his 100k net migration limit, Johnson, Patel etc. posturing after Brexit (when immigration went up, not down); now we have Farage with the migrant hotels. But once in power nothing actually changes so people feel betrayed. It's like turning on a pressure cooker and never taking off the lid.

I still think the UK is more welcoming of immigrants than many countries, and I don't think most people have an issue with individuals who've come here wanting to make a good life for themselves, even if they are opposed to overall immigration levels. Racism is abhorrent and I hope that you know OP that the majority of British people don't think that way. I can understand why you would feel that way though.

It's how racist people feel. Obviously, cuts to funding doesnt help. If your child is already not receiving the support they should according to their EHCP, and their resources are effectively being shared with other children who need support but aren't officially allocated it, then this competition for resources will make you resentful towards who you perceive as the competition. In this case it will be immigrant children who haven't secured the right support yet or the support no longer exists and is carried out by services who are already struggling with their caseload.

So this real problem of underfunding and deprivation just further reinforces their irrational racists beliefs.

I don’t think so. It seems that British people are not allowed ro speak freely and are called a racist as soon as they mention issues that immigarion can bring.

Of course it's OK they are white and their lack of education doesn't matter then but I suppose considering racism your point makes sense, Who cares about contribution if they are white.

I might add that my employer has paid over £15000 in visa fees for my family and I over 5 years, and all 3 of us had to pass the Life in the UK test. Which my native British friends took for a laugh, and failed! I know just as much about the Bayeux tapestry as the average British person ( it's coming home).

Legal emigration to the UK as a skilled worker is by no means as easy as people think.

I completely agree with this.
Both my parents’ families were economic migrants to the UK about 100-120 years ago. I have a proper patchwork of heritages, but was born and raised in the UK by 2nd/3rd generationers. DDad in particular was passionate about embracing cultural diversity, multicultural society, the broader skills etc that immigration brought to the UK. In the 1980s I went to a big inner London school which boasted 46 mother tongues. We all grew up together in a supportive and appreciative environment. I hate the way the UK has gone in the last 10-15 years or so, and how social media has given a voice to hate. It’s getting increasingly hard to explain the news to my teenagers.

Well you havent been very welcoming have you? How dare they have a polish shop selling polish food how dare they

@Ihavetoask in answer to your question, I work in a highly skilled, highly technical international industry where senior people are highly mobile (flow goes both ways). We simply could not get all the skills and experience we need if we only recruited people from the UK.