Are all of us foreigners just going to be told to pack up and leave if Reform win?

[Onegingerhead]

I might be totally unreasonable here (or not), but please hear me out.
(Bloody) foreigner here — I’ve lived in the UK since 2001. Built my whole life here: house, husband, DC, the lot. Worked the whole time in a field that requires the highest level of qualification.
I’m getting increasingly worried about the talk of Reform winning in 2029. Some even say it could be sooner if Labour are pushed into early elections. This week (as we all heard) our beloved Reform suggested rescinding ILR or even settled status from Europeans. God knows what else they’ll come up with, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they went after naturalised Brits next and started revoking citizenship, just to please the voters.
I know a lot of foreign-born women — some married to born-and-bred Brits, some to other Europeans (not always from the same country), some to men from overseas. All sorts of combinations.
So what do you think lies ahead for us? Will we be politely asked to leave, or will things just get so hostile that we’re pushed out anyway? And how likely is it that people who aren’t very white, or who have an accent, will face more discrimination in work?
I’m meeting my foreign friends tonight and we’ll be talking about it. For most of us, moving now would be incredibly difficult. We’re late 30s to early 50s, and starting over in a new country isn’t exactly easy. Some of us are married to men from different countries entirely, and we don’t even speak each other’s languages well enough to get proper jobs there.

AIBU and should think we will actually be allowed to stay?
AINBU sorry but you’d better start planning your move now

Yeah but Spain doesn’t. So if you’re Spanish, living here legally on a visa, you get ILR, you’d have to give up your Spanish citizenship in order to get a UK passport.

If Labour don’t get a grip on the mass uncontrolled immigration numbers then Reform will be in…according to polls they will be in government…it’s highly likely now Farage is on course to be PM.

750,000 net migration last year that is more people than most cities and not sustainable…so yep something has to give….i think it’s the Boris wave they are going after and illegals but who knows…they want to clear the decks.

Will this affect Irish citizens, will they be forced to leave too?

If you are a UK national wishing to become a Spanish citizen you will need to renounce your British citizenship.

But the UK allows for dual citizenship in Spain and Britain.

https://total.law/uk-to-es/citizenship/dual-citizenship-spain/#:~:text=It%20depends.,citizenship%20in%20Spain%20and%20Britain.

Net migration last year was more like 450k wasn't it? What's the source for your 750k?

Ireland is part of the EU so no. This proposal to allow people to be deported who don't have 5 year work visas is aimed at non EU citizens.

Dear God, "good immigrant"? I understand that your personal experience of how you have been treated, pre and post Brexit, by some people has been appalling, but now you seem to be claiming that all British people resent you - even when I've gone to great lengths to explain my viewpoint, which chimes with yours regarding my fears about the direction this country is moving in and what harm Farage is doing (and could do further). The 48% of us who voted for Remain evidently don't resent foreigners at all, yet you're determined to believe we do. Maybe you should examine your own xenophobia.

@AngelicKaty
I’ve read your whole post and just wanted to thank you in particular for your balanced views and polite discussion.
I’m grateful to everyone who’s commented, but I can’t realistically reply to each person — I don’t want to end up over-representing myself on the thread.
As for the next GE in 2029, I completely agree the Lib Dems need to be far more vocal now and given more airtime. They’re the only party with a real chance of drawing voters away from Reform.

@OnegingerheadIts fucking bonkers. Please don’t leave the rest of us with those loonies!

Oh dear God…. If you are a Spanish national, you have to give up your Spanish citizenship in order to become a UK citizen. So a Spanish national with ILR living in the UK will have to reapply every five years for ILR, and hope they don’t get refused. Or become a UK national, but given up the passport of their home country.

Would you want to do that?

So you personally consider it appropriate to single me out for allegedly offensive use of your (British) language against you (personally) which you (personally) misunderstood in circumstances where:

• my numerous posts on this thread which you either haven't read or ignored clearly show no offense was ever intended against you personally; and
• after I specifically explained this to you.

You think fit to give me a language lesson on my second language on a public forum after 20 years of me being here AND considering the above.

Clearly I'm not a good enough immigrant for you, shall I apologise for your misunderstanding and repeated unnecessary negative comments against me (personally) and then go pick strawberries for your elevensies? Will I then be pardoned?

Yes. But a Spanish person who gets citizenship in the UK CANNOT then retain their Spanish nationality. So for all the people saying “ just get citizenship”, they need to understand why this is a big deal. You give up your right to live, work, retire in Spain to stay in a country that is making more and more noise about not really wanting you.
Why would anyone put themselves in that position?

There would be a temporary carve out for EU citizens. Farage intends to renegotiate their position under the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. Nobody knows how long that might take or what it might consist of.

X post Titchy!
Maybe they have it now…?

Isn’t there a British/ Irish agreement, long pre dating go the EU? I always thought we could live in either country indefinitely?

Yes since the 1920s

Wow. I'm genuinely astonished that such an uplifting post by Partha Kar could be met with such vile responses. "Brown invader" FFS! I'm willing to bet that the knuckle-dragger who wrote that has never considered the impact Britain's invasion colonisation of India had on it and how it could have shaped their people's view of Britain as a second home. Literally, GENERATIONS of people from the Indian sub-continent have contributed to the wealth of the UK and yet still this repulsive racist abuse continues - now fully exposed because they've been emboldened by Farage et al. We can only hope this exposure back-fires on them because there's no uncertainty now - they're in full view.

Why wouldn't that person be able to apply and gain Spanish citizenship again if they wanted to move back to Spain permanently? Since they are Spanish it wouldn't be a problem apart from the cost

Just to say, although I'm sure someone else has already, Rupert Lowe hasn't been apart of Reform for quite some time. Nigel and Rupert are on bad terms, partially because Rupert doesn't think Nigel is radical enough with his views and his intended plans on immigration. Rupert has suggested reform tried to discredit him by saying he has dementia. So yeah, very different political opinions now.

Most reform supporters don't want hardworking, contributing well integrated people deported. Controlled immigration is the answer, it can't be too radical or too much of a soft approach. Reform has my vote currently

Then they shouldn't be Reform supporters since that is now their stated policy.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-uk-ilr-immigration-policy-nigel-farage-b2831087.html

I hear you too. But I think you are somewhat guilty of the broad-brush painting you complain about.

Some of the people voting for Farage et al are just plain xenophobic. But most are simply at the end of their tether with the two main political parties "unable" to address the immigration issues we all recognise.

Unable how? They have simply been unwilling. They remained complacent until support for Reform started to grow. And now they're asking us to believe that they're suddenly "able" to sort this out. It's too little, too late.

I figured someone might be along to make my point for me.

I didn't realise you anyone would achieve it quite so spectacularly.

Congratulations!

Thank you OP. I have genuinely tried. I share your fears about Farage and his ilk, but I have to believe we can defeat him and his self-serving aims. It's the only way I can operate - positivity and a determination that, together, we can beat him, preserve our democracy, and restore some respect and decency to our society.
Coincidentally, I live in a constituency that has only ever returned a Tory or LibDem MP and I voted for our current LibDem MP, Danny Chambers, in the last GE. Your thread has prompted me to email him to ask what the party's plans are to challenge the increasingly toxic Reform rhetoric, so thank you for that. 😊
Wishing you all the best for a peaceful and happy future - in the UK! 🙏

Farage can "intend" all he likes - Brussels has no intention of renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement with him.

Where does this figure in the Reform Manifesto?

Please note - "Reform UK head of policy, Zia Yusuf did not share how Reform would enforce the policy regarding people with existing ILR"