remainers, do you have any concerns with immigration? genuine question

[Grassgreendashhabi]

I was wondering without labelling or being accused of xenophobic etc. If remainers have issues with the uncontrollable immigration.

I am a leaver but disgusted by the acts of some people with their hatred views,

Do you see immigration as 100% ok or do you think that there is an issue for reform to our immigration.

I'm asking a genuine question, not looking for statistics etc just your personal views

My family are mostly remain but do think that immigration needs more control,

I'm a Remainer and absolutely not a hater: if you come here to study or work, or for sanctuary, you're welcome to be here for as long as you want, including forever if you wish.

I do think there should be a 5 year block on access to non-emergency NHS care, social housing, or any form of benefit except child benefit and free school meals unless the person/family can prove refugee status. The welfare state is exceptionally generous in this country and we all know more than a few people take advantage of it, for example by accepting cash in hand for manual labour in order to continue their eligibility for benefits, or accepting JSA whilst not making any real effort to find work. We have enough home-grown piss-takers, and can't afford to import more.

We need a minimum standard of English literacy, to be achieved within 5 years of arrival. You cannot be part of an integrated and diverse community if you can only converse with people who share your origins.

We also need some sort of compulsory "Living in the UK" course which emphasises the tolerance of difference. We're perfectly happy for immigrants to wear a hijab or a turban or a kipa, but in return we expect the same tolerance for someone else's right to be gay or wear hotpants or marry someone of a different ethnic origin without criticism and marginalisation from you or your religious representatives.

Have namechanged as this is identifiable. Grassgreen, my Dad was taken to A&E yesterday. It was touch and go for a while - he's still very ill but things are looking brighter. His A&E doctor was Iranian. His A&E consultant was Spanish. His ward doctor is Indian. It is not just a meme, it is very, very real. The NHS is propped up by 'immigrants', whether they be cleaners, ward orderlies, nurses, porters or top flight surgeons.

Mango, I guess the solution to that issue is paying people a proper wage for agricultural work, but it will mean food prices going up, possibly hurting the people who are complaining about the situation as it is now.

There was a thread yesterday questioning why there are so many eastern Europeans employed picking fruit etc. and numerous reasons were put forward, including the one that they are prepared to do hard physical work for minimum wage, which a lot of locals are not. There appear to be 2 solutions - either eastern European fruit pickers have special dispensation following Brexit to stop our crops rotting in the fields, or local unemployed have their benefits removed if they do not frony up for work in the fields (which Farage would probably endorse.)

I am 100% ok with EU immigration.

I voted Remain.

I have some concerns over immigration, yes.

In an ideal world, people should be able to live and work where they want to, so I would support freedom of movement. However, in times of economic recession, this is not an ideal world.

As PP have said, I believe that we have an obligation to take in refugees and asylum seekers.

I do think that there is an issue with migrants who come to Britain without wishing to work and contribute to our society - but I also feel a lot of what is flagged up in the media is both extremeist and biased and it is very difficult to know how many people actively come to Britain because we "hand out benefits to anyone". There is a good deal of scaremongering going on. Equally we are certainly not the only country who is struggling with this issue.

But overall, I strongly believe that anyone who wants to contribute to society in the country they want to move to should be welcomed.

Well said w8woman

Of course there is not enough investment

But you simply can't plan when you have no idea of numbers and numbers have constantly been underestimated

So though I think immigration is good for the country I think it needs to be controlled

So whilst immigration is of net benefit to the country it adversely affects the individual communities directly

Absolutely agree - and I think successive Governments downplaying - or even refusing to acknowledge the affects on individual communites - has fuelled this anti immigration policy.

Re higher taxes to pay for additional services and infrastructure - I can imagine that there will be many people who don't particularly want to see their income reduced to pay for something that they believe is adversely affecting their community.

Creme - your picture is showing doctors and nurses. Are you saying that all immigrants are doctors and nurses? No it's a picture trailing Facebook

Not sure I can be bothered as you are clearly rather dim. Where do I say that all immigrants are doctors and nurses?? We cannot fully staff our hospitals as it is, even with our major NHS Trusts already going out to the EU, the Philippines and elsewhere to actively recruit.

Do you think those highly trained people will want to come to live and work here now? The industry press this week has been full of the need for urgent action to try to avoid an exodus of doctors, nurses and all those other health professionals on whom we rely. The impact on the NHS is yet another unintended consequence of the act of blatant stupidity that all those Leave voters have perpetrated.

has fuelled this anti immigration feeling

Not sure I can be bothered as you are clearly rather dim

Very rude and unnecessary. Not the way to make your point.

i am a remain voter and very much in favour of immigration. I think its great that we attract people who want to work and to contribute to our society. I thank them for their hard work and appreciate the skills that they bring.

all academic research indicates that migration as a whole is net positive.

austerity policies are the reason are public services are creaking not "immigrants".

I think it's a bit ironic that people are counting "tolerance" etc as traditional British values. Britain in many places is far from tolerant or compassionate, and an awful lot of people have some arrogant idea of a golden age in the past when Britain was best. There is a lot of delusion going on about what Britain was like, how the rest of the world sees it, and what people are wanting to claim as 'traditional British values now'.

I think there are lot of myths around how easy it is to get benefits and how generous there are, and around how many immigrants - including Brits - go to other countries and claim benefits there.

People just don't want to have to pay the taxes that are needed for decent infrastructure, and are always looking for someone else to blame.

I understand that we may not be able to reduce EU immigration by leaving the EU, which is one of the reasons I voted remain.
However I disagree that the lack of infrastructure, housing, health care schools etc is to do with the government and not immigration. We have a booming economy ( or had) yet we are running on a defecit, always spending more than we get.
Despite all these immigrants working hard, it appears we cannot fund the infrastructure for them.

Remainers who don't see any problem with uncontrolled immigration,

This is the problem - the goady, victim blaming language that right wingers have got hold of. uncontrolled strikes fear into people, wether people are popping out new workers or they coming here services need to increase in line with tax receipts - *its that simple

what do you think about massive numbers of people who DO see it as a problem, who basically made the leave vote happen

Labour and Tories made no effort to put hands up to under investing in services, neither of them want to talk about it so the only voice they here is the extreme right wing pouring honey in their ears.

Creme - not sure that is necessary .

I was pointing out your picture was of 6 doctors and to quote you This photo tells you why immigration is a good thing. The NHS is screwed without it!

So immigration is a good thing

But there needs to be controlled immigration. See this is 100% what I think

You see I find it interesting that in the area where I live there are very very low levels of immigrants. Yet as an area it is vociferous in its anti immigration stance. People are not doing this because they have an experience of immigrants taking their jobs etc etc, they are looking for a scapegoat.

We cannot fund the infrastructure, because people don't want to pay the taxes for it! They want someone else to blame. Government isn't going to make cuts that are needed and instead are going to cut the services that end up hurting the people. We need a government that re-evaluates priorities (unlikely) and we need to pay more taxes (unlikely), because neither of those things help them get elected. We can't/don't/won't fund the infrastructure at the moment regardless of who is using it!!

I agree crochet that we don't want to fund it. The problem is, the people who could probably afford to pay more taxes ( the remain) are less affected by lack of infrastructure but at the same time don't want to pay more taxes. The status quo as it was, was rather peachy for them.

Agreed crotchet - especially in light of when people who talk about us going EEA routes they have very high tax,

I think the problem now is that the subject is so loaded that any questioning about immigration or support for controls over immigration people are shouted down as racist

I know many people who live in nice areas of London earn very good salaries who think free movement is a marvellous thing, improves our culture and they just love the diversity living in a city like London brings. While I agree with that London is separated by wealth and the country even more so and so are jobs. Immigration is not impacting the middle class in the same way it is many working class areas, they are not in competition job wise and their children are often in different catchment areas

I hate to see white working class demonised as they have been recently because they have largely taken the brunt of cuts and it's their communities that have taken the impact of immigration which at times just hasn't benefitted the community as a whole

I don't have an issue with immigration but do have a problem with free movement.
It takes long term planning to ensure there are enough homes, health services, schools etc.
How can this be done if we have no idea of the numbers of people who'll be coming?

How can this be done if we have no idea of the numbers of people who'll be coming?

We should though - we can see tax and NI changes aren't the local chambers of commerce / councils supposed to have some idea on this also?

but enthusiasm its the cuts that are the problem not the immigration.

blaming immigrants for conversative austerity policies is completely non-sensical. they are easy scapegoats.

in voting for UKIP and to leave the EU, it will get worse not better. that is the ridiculous irony of all this. christ the things I would do for an actual opposition to the tories.

Er, yeah, I'd be happy to pay higher taxes to fund a better resourced society overall.

I don't think I'm alone either.

But to address a point about skilled migration and choosing the people the UK 'needs' - I think you'll find in coming years that fewer of us skilled, monied, higher tax rate paying migrant types will be coming here. I feel pretty bloody unwanted right now, despite having worked and contributed to this country for years, and am already making plans to move on.