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?

When you're from a different country, you'll always be a foreigner to natives. Who cares. This has always been true and you're just realising it because you're the foreigner now. Speaking as someone who has been a foreigner in a foreign country for many years, and has had many foreign relatives, it's just real life.

What am I and other immigrants on this thread meant to be convincing people of?

I'm so sorry you experienced this. I'm ashamed of a lot of people in this country at the moment and how racism has been normalised since 2016. To me, the UK should be an open, safe, welcoming and tolerant society.

Why is it that Aussies and Kiwis never seem to be treated this way?

Interestingly, around 84% of people on UC are British and Irish and the UK currently has a negative birth rate. Anyone wonder how the population will financially sustain itself once it hasmade the country unpleasant to migrants. Personally as a high tax Payer I would rather my tax money goes to an asylum seeker fleeing a horrible situation. Than someone who just won't work. Immigrants are not a homogenous group they include doctors and other professionals. The British economy needs them and being xenophobic is not doing anyone any favours. Also refugees are not illegal, immigrants until their asylum claims gave been processed

There is a lady on my Facebook who I need to unfollow because she keeps posting so many things about stopping the boats, closing our borders etc etc. anyone who tries to comment anything different gets told to open their eyes and that she’s entitled to her opinion. The interesting thing is that she is an immigrant herself from Eastern Europe yet is demanding we close our borders and hang our union jacks high.

Gosh, you really hate us don’t you? Such glee.

I think the english test should absolute be harder if I am honest. Lituk was such a headache with half the info being justplain useless 😂
It makes me so integrated knowing who designed x building and what time do pubs open😂

I’m British born and I really feel I speak for the majority here. You are welcome here. Our health service is predominantly run by immigrants, the man who delivered my child was Nigerian. 95% of the staff in care homes taking care of our elderly are immigrants. I mean, our country is built on immigration!

We do need to sort the boat situation out, it’s true. I agree with the urgency but I don’t agree with anything else. The hijacking of our flag, being used by the facists to divide is disgraceful.

They won’t win!

Treated what way?

I can only conclude that you have mixed me up with someone else as I have said quite clearly that I am a recent immigrant uninterested in convincing people of anything.

Unfortunately the UK is fast becoming the US Trump of Europe. The amount of xenophobia, racism and prejudices is seriously becoming a problem in your society probably because there's always been an underlaying "British exceptionalism" that was always a problem.

I'm not British, don't live in Britain and I wouldn't move there if you pay me money. As another poster mentioned, the amount of ignorance about legal migrants is staggering. The majority of those migrants were recipients of taxpayers money in their home country thru primary education, university scholarships, trade education, primary health (vaccinations etc), and moved to the UK getting jobs from the moment they arrived and paying taxes in a win/win to society. It's always been the fundamental reason why countries (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany etc) with most migrant input were always the wealthiest, while countries exporting their professional or trade work force were the poorest.

In a bigger context, not focussed on the UK, racism and xenophobia are part of most societies. We generally don't like foreigners and feel more comfortable with our own people, specially if they look and sound like us. It's what's driven the human race from the Neanderthals until today. The problem we're all facing now is that we're living in a time of serious changes, exacerbated by a shift in world economics moving from West to East because of dwindling global resources, population and climate change. The billionaires (the ones in control thru multinationals) want to keep making billions and their influence in societies thru fear and division will tighten - ff we fight between ourselves at the bottom of the ladder, we won't create unrest demanding fair wealth distribution.

I wish I could give you a ray of hope, but things are going to get much worse in the next few years.

And yet the UK needs more young people as the birthrate is so low.

My grandmother was an immigrant from Eastern Europe in 1908 with her parents and siblings.

So you're saying that:

• You're not grateful for coming to the UK. But presumably you're benefitting from something your own country wouldn't or couldn't provide, or else why do you need to come to seek to live with and around us?

• Regardless of the desires of the British people, you will impose yourself on them whether they like it or not and seek to use the legal system to remain indefinitely. And that's their problem.

And you're wondering why there's hostility?

Your comment neatly summarises whu there's hostility. We need to switch to the UAE's model in which citizenship is a privilege given at our discretion, but never a right or something that someone becomes "entitled" to claim.

What would you consider to be an acceptable reason for OP to come to the UK? Are you saying that if she isnt a doctor, she shouldn't have come? I lived and worked in Italy for a few years. I didn't have a particular skill that Italy needed that Italians couldn't provide.

My great great grandparents came to the UK in the 1880s fleeing the pogroms in Eastern Europe. They probably didn't have specific skills that this country needed but they were fleeing persecution.

The discourse around immigration is so toxic now that people like the OP feel unwelcome here after 16 years and people like you are demanding that she justifies her presence here in the UK.

I don’t have answers really. All I see is that there was this narrative that the UK was somehow different or less racist than other countries.

I don’t think that is true, btw. It is often that you do not hear it directly. What did change over my lifetime is that people were less open about it. There laws and rules which meant you couldn’t be overtly racist at work and crimes could be racially motivated.

Rupert Lowe in a way has done us a favour because of his explicit view on remigration. That is an old BNP view of repatriation now. I grew up with that. But he is not pretending. I believe he represents quite a lot of people in the UK.

All the stuff about asylum seekers will be extended and discussed to other groups who aren’t White British in due course and in various places online it is already. The point is that for people like Lowe, contribution, assimilation etc, these are not things he thinks should even happen.

So are you saying that’s ok now?

That we should be wiped out as a people because a few of our ancestors did bad things?

When I was in Asia I DID feel grateful actually. I had a lot of amazing work and life experiences there and always considered it a privilege not a right

Breathtaking ignorance of UC claimants. Here you go.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-12-june-2025/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-12-june-2025

An interesting study from Bradshaw and and McDermott at Cornell: "No evidence ageing or declining populations compromise socio-economic performance of countries" just refuted this. After all, Japan seems to be doing fine. The sky hasn't fallen in.

An interesting study from Bradshaw and and McDermott at Cornell: "No evidence ageing or declining populations compromise socio-economic performance of countries" just refuted this. After all, Japan seems to be doing fine. The sky hasn't fallen in.

I just want to say that i am sorry that you are experiencing this and that i value your contribution and that of the many immigrants i know.

I quote:
IceLollyMolly · Today 10:34
Honestly all us legal tax paying immigrants- especially those not white- need to stop trying to convince xenophobes, especially those on this thread. They won't be convinced. I do not care what they say.

I came here because I have worked around the world in a skilled profession and like diverse environments. I also love London and all it offers by way of museums, parks, and the West End.
You are welcome to be hostile to me and get me out legally. Knock yourself out. If you have a problem with legal tax paying immigrants, that's a "you problem' .

Yeah read the remigration rhetoric. Then read the Nuremberg laws.