Monday, July 16, 2007

Surprise Smiles on the Face of Illegal Immigrants in the UK

Surprise Smiles on the Face of Illegal Immigrants in the UK

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As Amnesty gains ground in a New Twist

By Editor Alhagie Mbye, London Bureau Chief

Frustrated and worried illegal immigrants in the United Kingdom including thousands of Africans who have been anticipating and hoping for the government to regularize their status could be in high spirits. Earlier, they had received news of uncertainty regarding the issue but are now smiling in a surprise new twist over their situation as such amnesty gains ground.
An extraordinary campaign for an amnesty for 500,000 illegal immigrants to be allowed to work in Britain has ‘won support’ from an influential think-tank with close ties to the UK government.
The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), which is influential with new Labour has reportedly urged the Home Secretary to make some radical steps and allow illegal immigrants to have their status regularize. However it requires only those already working illegally over the years to pay taxes that would eventually bring in up to £1bn in extra tax revenue. Respectable broadsheets such as the Independent Newspaper based in London are running the amnesty story.
The campaign that has been going on for so long had won support in the Labour deputy leadership campaign such as Harriet Harman, now also leader of the Commons and Chairman of the Labour Party.
A recent TUC report entitled The Economics of Migration says without workers from abroad many sectors in the economy would find it hard to operate or may even collapse. However observers who disagree with the Union insisted that people should respect the immigration law or else there is no other option but to leave the country.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said 'Migrants workers are making a substantial contribution to Britain's economy, and some sectors would collapse if they were removed overnight. They have not caused mass unemployment or held wages down as some would have us believe'.
Since then, anti-immigration groups and other commentators have rubbish such claims and contested that people living in the country must do so legally or be shown the exit door. Such critics maintained that people must live in the country legally or simply leave.
Some influential people had also supported the petition for amnesty such as John Crudass, MP. He said that case work show that those 'without legal status in the UK are most exploited and often the most abused by employers, landlords and criminal gangs, yet they contribute to the economy's income through their taxes' and therefore need help.
According to the Home Office, asylum applications have continued to fall dramatically. Figures show that 5,680 asylum applications were lodged in the first quarter of 2007, representing a ten per cent fall in applications compared to financial year 2006/7 and the previous financial year, giving the lowest yearly intake since 1993. Thanks to the immigration regulations.
The top applicants were Afghan (755), Iranian (600) and Chinese (480) nationals. Including dependants, 3,370 failed asylum seekers were removed between January and March 2007 because most of them exhausted their appeals. Due to EU law, such removal also show a fall of six per cent because following the expansion of the EU, nationals of a number of countries can now live and work in the UK. However, the average monthly rate of asylum removals, 1,045 in Quarter 2 2004, remains 63 per cent higher than Quarter 2 in 1997 (640). It has been reported that marriages in the UK have also declined drastically.
The Home Office have always stressed that the government is very committed to providing a safe haven to those fleeing persecution and helping refugees to integrate fully and contribute to the society. So far there is evidence that such assistance is taking place as thousands of refugees are benefiting from such important government schemes across the country. Refugees and other groups have praise the government for such assistant.
Meanwhile, lone parents are to be targeted as part of a radical overhaul of the welfare system aimed at getting 2.3 million people to take jobs and move off benefits.
Already a Green Paper delivered to the Cabinet last week by Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Work and Pension, will lay the groundwork and foundation for the execution of David Freud’s report. It recommended that lone parents should be required to seek work if their youngest child is 12years or over. This will help many of them to get back to work.
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