The cost of immigration

Last Saturday I attended an Immigration Seminar in the Anglican Church of Birchfield, the border area between Aston and Perry Barr. The seminar was organised by the Jamaica Diaspora for the West Midlands and attracted an attendance of over a hundred people. It was not surprising, given the name of the organising group, that mostly people from Jamaican descent attended the seminar. What was amazing to me, however, was that the seminar ended by singing the national anthem of Jamaica!

I learned a lot during the seminar. The main speakers were from the UK Border Agency [UKBA] and a barrister from London and not to forget the voices from the audience who had their questions ready and made their comments. An MP was also present but after a short speech he disappeared prompting the reaction: why is it that politicians never stay around to answer questions? The reply was: it is one of those days with plenty of events to attend and, please, here is my phone number, don't hesitate to call me. In the meantime the politician had revealed that 60% of the people calling on him during surgeries bring up immigration issues and that their greatest grievance is the high fee for citizenship, over £800 for a single adult and over £500 for children under 18 years of age. These amounts are simply too much for a family with a number of children.

Two other main issues surfaced during the discussions: overstaying or becoming an illegal and problems in bringing in dependents from Jamaica. It turned out that the barrister and the representative of UKBA were not always on the same line. UKBA is an enforcement agency and implements government immigration policy. Within this framework it tries to be of service to people who have got into difficulties because they failed to extend their visa or did not renew their passports. It takes into account that lack of money may be the underlying reason for not applying again for these documents, but it cannot extend a leave to remain for reasons of poverty. It cannot do more than act humanely because of family circumstances, as the law allows, or provide assistance in case of voluntary return to the home country.

The barrister represents clients and fights for their interests by challenging the rules and regulations of the government in court. One weapon is article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is stronger than paragraph 395c of the Immigration Rules. Both consider the importance of family and private life, but the one in the context of human rights and the other in the context of humane treatment by the Border Agency, which is discretionary.

Money again emerged while talking about bringing in one's dependents from Jamaica. Two requirements make it difficult for poor people to be reunited with their families. They need to have a sufficient number of rooms in their house to accommodate children of different gender ten years and older who require separate rooms by law. And they need to have a weekly income high enough to maintain their dependents without recourse to public funds. To bring in a spouse would need an income of no less that £101 a week. The audience was told in no uncertain terms: get your mathematics right before you make an application.

The vicar of the church where the seminar was held had her own contribution to make. We have to listen to what people in the street have to say and: the church is meaningless without addressing the issues of the underclass.

Ton