|
STRANGERS INTO CITIZENS
|
|
THOUSANDS of individuals and community and religious groups on May 7, 2007 went on a walk in central London.
The scene was colourful with a carnival atmosphere, despite the obligatory Bank Holiday Monday rain.
Groups ranged from the All African Womens Group, Justice For Cleaners, No Borders and musical support from Rhythms of Resistance, among others campaigned for the regularisation of the status of over 500,000 illegal immigrants living in the UK.
Naturalisation programmes have been carried out by a number of European countries. Since 1981 there have been more than 20 "regularisations" in France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain. The largest and most recent was Spain's in 2005, which regularised 700,000.
The Home Office estimates there are around 500,000 "illegal immigrants", a combination of visa overstayers and refused asylum seekers, and admits it does not have the resources to deport them (current deportations run at 25,000 a year).
Strangers into Citizens has been highlighting the plight of what it calls the "shadow people", who are condemned - often for years - to a limbo of fear and furtiveness. Most long-term overstayers work and pay taxes, using false IDs.
Refused asylum seekers - many of whom are unwilling or unable to return often face destitution because they are unable to work.
The Strangers Into Citizens campaign, proposes that migrants who have been in Britain for more than four years should be given a two year work permit without access to benefits.
Then, at the end of the two years, they would be given indefinite leave to remain, subject to criteria such as an English test, criminal checks and employer references.
To add your voice to this campaign kindly visit:
www.strangersintocitizens.org.uk
Two out of three (66%) British people believe undocumented migrants who have been in the UK for more than four years and who work and pay taxes should be allowed to stay and not be called illegal. Two-thirds (67%) also believe asylum seekers should be allowed to work.
|
