Immigration Policy

[rubberduckofdeath]

.

[Grinch]

works for Oz.. why the hell not for us..

[Iansv]

sure should.... wish I had enough points for oz :(

[Viney]

Having seen both side of the UK's immigration, 1st off we need to get staff that actually give a sh*t about what they are doing. These people are affecting lives. Secondly the government actually need to stick to thier current policy. Thirdly we as a country need to take a step back and get off our high horses about it all. Ok, there are a lot of people that come into this contry just to sponge off the state. There are however also people that come he ligitimatly and get treated like sh*t.

No matter what policy they innitiate, its not going to work if the staff dont understand, and the governemnt dont enforce it. The UK is, sadly, seen as a soft touch to the rest of the world, and thats out problem. We spend too much time processing these people. In todays world where we have the world at our keyboard, the whole process takes whey to long, and should in reality take no more than 4 weeks.

Being to the home office on many occasions, its easy to see why it does take so long. Everything is paper based. Ferried between offices by courier, none of the offices are linked. It is a nightmare, and will not get better until the entire immigration depratments, and systems are overhauled.

[Cronos]

This is just one of these 'bogey men' topics that the political parties and willing media trot out periodically to frighten voters into voting for them and justify ill thought out schemes.

It appears the 'war on terror' and 'asylum seekers' are the in vogue whipping boys at the moment. :roll: 'Single mums' and 'benefit scroungers' being distinctly out of fashion, having enjoyed a good few years at the top of the charts in the 90s!

[Cloggsy]

Don't get me started on this :evil:

Abso-bloody-lutely!

[pegasus]

dangerous topic - whatever i say is gonna be wrong.

i do have my opinions, but, i really dont think shouting them is gonna make any difference whatsoever.


just 1 point though..if we instate a points system whats to stop other countries doing it to us.

[Spiderman]

As a foreigner who fled his country to come here i have to say yes.

i was only 6 at the time but if we had followed the example of those who treat this courty as a soft touch then my mum would now own a council flat (or 2) that she would have taken the right to buy for.... and sold and made a healthy profit on...all thanks to people who paid taxes here for years before we ever came here.

Thankfuly we dont come from that sort of background. Its more a case of stand on your own two feet and dont excpect anything you didnt work to achieve.

There are times i wish i had milked this counrty for all its worth.... the times i see how other have done just that and dont even work (legitemately) for a living.

I can understand how a "true brit" would be bloody annoyed about all the inconsistencies in the system that sees others above their own population. How that can be right i dont know, but that seems to be what this country believes is the right thing to do.

My 2p worth :)

[Jabba]

Interesting discussion about this on the radio this morning.

Seems that not many people realise that we "export" a fair few of our own and, more importantly, most of those we "import" come in from the EU and are here perfectly legally as economic migrants.

International law requires that we take our "fair share" of genuine assylum seekers (as opposed to economic migrants).

I suspect that the real issue is that we are bad at sorting out the economic migrants from the genuine assylum seekers.

However, the question is about whether or not we should have a points-based immigration system and it's therefore a question of economic migration only. So I vote "Yes" (despite this being contrary to EU law :wink: )

[keithd]

Having seen both side of the UK's immigration, 1st off we need to get staff that actually give a sh*t about what they are doing. These people are affecting lives. Secondly the government actually need to stick to thier current policy. Thirdly we as a country need to take a step back and get off our high horses about it all. Ok, there are a lot of people that come into this contry just to sponge off the state. There are however also people that come he ligitimatly and get treated like sh*t.

No matter what policy they innitiate, its not going to work if the staff dont understand, and the governemnt dont enforce it. The UK is, sadly, seen as a soft touch to the rest of the world, and thats out problem. We spend too much time processing these people. In todays world where we have the world at our keyboard, the whole process takes whey to long, and should in reality take no more than 4 weeks.

Being to the home office on many occasions, its easy to see why it does take so long. Everything is paper based. Ferried between offices by courier, none of the offices are linked. It is a nightmare, and will not get better until the entire immigration depratments, and systems are overhauled.

this hurts.

but i agree with Viney :shock: :shock: :shock:

going for a lie down now :wink:

[MavUK]

%$^$*%&*&%*&$

I totally agree with what someone else has said about needing to get the staff to care more before any iniciative can work...

Having *fun* with this at the moment. Some of you may remember that I have recently had to apply for a residency permit so I can buy a house in Holland (Brit living abroad). They said it was going to take 3 months.

I've just called immigration to get an update. They have the application, and have had it for over a month. No they haven't done anything. No they don't care that it's urgent for a change in the law. No they are not expecting to get it complete by March 31st, expect another 6 to 7 months of waiting. Yes they know they can't refuse the application, no that doesn't make it any faster than an application from someone who doesn't have a right to live here because they are EU. And no, please don't call again to check, just wait for us to contact you we will do nothing with your phone call.

*&(*&*(&*(&*&(*&(*@&(*&@

Not pleased...

Stu

[Ed]

Being to the home office on many occasions, its easy to see why it does take so long. Everything is paper based. Ferried between offices by courier, none of the offices are linked. It is a nightmare, and will not get better until the entire immigration depratments, and systems are overhauled.

Some years ago I used to have to go to Lunar House in Croydon to get work permits renewed, visas extended etc for clients. It was hell on earth. Mobs and mobs of people, overheated, bored and demotivated staff who couldn't cope with the workload, paper everywhere, files so often lost, it was chaotic. And when they closed, they kicked you out - so you'd have to go back the next day, it was awful. Viney has a good point.

[Spiderman]

Some years ago I used to have to go to Lunar House in Croydon to get work permits renewed, visas extended etc for clients. It was hell on earth. Mobs and mobs of people, overheated, bored and demotivated staff who couldn't cope with the workload, paper everywhere, files so often lost, it was chaotic. And when they closed, they kicked you out - so you'd have to go back the next day, it was awful.

I think Lunar House is the govts way of saying "if you wanna stay here bad enough prove it by putting up with this hell hole!. I also had to go their a few times a couple of years ago to discover why they couldnt get a translator to translate the document they had for 3 months (t was only Spanish to english and 4 lines long....even a bad GCSE student could have got it right ffs!)

the woman i had an appointment with couldnt be found in the building they told me.... i went ot the call box on the wall and called her number (on the letter she sent to confirm apt) and she answered it!!!!. I could see the woman thru the glass partition talking to me, telling me she could not see me now as i had left the building and she was with someone else now. She wasnt. When i left her talking to the fone and walked over and tapped on the glass she almost jumped out her skin.
But she still said "i cant see you toady" and just walked off round the corner.

What a way to treat people eh?

And dont forget this is most "foreigners" first hand dealing with "bristish people" so what kind of imperssion do they get about this country just from that place alone?? Sad really.

[Jabba]

But she still said "i cant see you toady"....................

:shock: No need to call you names :shock:

Only joking - sounds like a nightmare. Wouldn't want to work there either.

[Spiderman]

But she still said "i cant see you toady"....................

:shock: No need to call you names :shock:

Only joking - sounds like a nightmare. Wouldn't want to work there either.

:lol: :lol: The g/f even writes Toady in cards for crimbo or whatever for me cos i do that one so often.
Doh #-o

[Moo]

A definate yes the uk is only a small island surely only so many can get on it.

[timwilky]

Yes we should have a points based immigration service.

I personally have seen 2 couples employed by an unscrupulous git, who thought because he was dealing with ignorant foreigners he could rip them off.

One couple, South African. She worked as a restaurant manager and her boy friend a chef. He paid them both below the national minimum wage and then docked them each £75 per week for their board/lodgings

Second couple Slovakian, did the same. In both cases my daughter who part timed at this hotel advised them of their rights and assisted them in finding employment with honest people who paid going rates with live in facilities of £25.

So yes for points based if it stops people coming here in ignorance of their rights just to be ripped off. If it were not for immigration our NHS would be on its knees. Although it could also be argued that if we had to make the jobs attractive to the W.A.S.P sector then the NHS would have to pay the salaries that these people deserve.

Immigration is good for the UK. I have worked with some damm clever guys who are first/second generation immigrants. By having a published system it would enable the differentiation between the economic migrant and true asylum seeker. My view, if you are prepared to work and there is work available to you. You are most welcome. If you are in true fear of persecution and the UK is the first safe haven, you are most welcome. If however you wish to sponge off the state, pimp, deal drugs, and extort from your legitimate countrymen trying to make an honest living. Good riddance

A couple of years ago I was in Dubai and witnessed the illegals being deported. From the look of these guys, as the limped through the airport in chains they had all been given a severe reminder that they were not welcome in Dubai. Glad I was there legitamately

[splke]

Bloody too right :evil:

I will stop @ that My views maybe a little too RW for some :?

[KrZ]

My 2p worth.. I think the point system may NOT be the solution....
I think for a society to function properly, all areas of functions needs to be covered... ranging from high tech jobs to jobs that most people don't want to know... the fact that the welfare system in this country is far too good, which promotes job selection and some unattractive jobs can't find people to uptake the position. i feel it is only right to have more work force from abroad to fill these unattractive job roles. UK has enough high tech people and by using the point system, only well educated work force are will be allowed into this country... and the consequence of this would be more unemployment in the future and thus putting more burden on the rest of the tax payers to support the country. This proposal comes at the wrong time when many high tech positions in this country are being outsourced to other countries, I believe it will be a huge mistake to follow oz’s point model for this country because the circumstances are different here.

[pgc50]

As an export myself (miss Belfast, don't miss London), a lot has to do with what you can afford.

Every country is bad. Bureaucratic red tape and rules and regulations that don't make sense are in every country.

There are three main levels.

Level 1
If you can afford an immagration laywer (or can bung an MP ...... :*) ) the system goes very smoothly. They are professionals that know the system. They know what to say, what not to say and when to say it.

Level 2
You find a third party agency that will do the paperwork for no or minimal cost. Agencys like the CAB or Again they are professionals, but usally overworked and overloaded.

Level 3
You do the paperwork and process yourself. You go round in circles trying to find the right forms and try to submit the best you can. You make mistakes that either send you to the start of the process or get you kicked out of the country.

[Nutkins]

Everyone is welcome to come and stay here ..... providing they can work and paying taxes etc. and not just 'walk in' and sponge of the system, which they have made no contribution to.

We have enought lazy b@st@rd natives who all ready do that. :evil: