Refugees and people seeking asylum in the North East joined a protest at Parliament on Wednesday over Shabana Mahmood’s plans to extent the waiting time for permanent settled status
Myranda Flores, of Gateshead Refugee Voices, protesting at Westminster over changes to migration rules(Image: Asylum Matters. )
A refugee living in Gateshead has slammed “inhumane” changes proposed to the migration system. Myranda Flores was among a delegation of refugees and people seeking asylum who travelled from the North East for a mass protest outside Parliament this Wednesday, March 11, over the Government’s ‘earned settlement’ proposals.
Under the plans, announced by Shabana Mahmood last year, migrants who are in the UK legally could be forced to wait up to 20 years before they are granted permanent settlement. Generally, most people who have a work or family visa to live in the UK can currently apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after five years.
But that could change dramatically under the new measures, which will double the standard wait time to 10 years and require applicants to speak A-Level standard English. Labour’s Home Secretary said it was “not a right but a privilege” to stay in the UK for good and “must be earned” when she unveiled the reforms in November.
But Myranda, who has been in the UK for six years and does not have ILR, fears that the changes will do little to cut the number of migrants seeking refuge here and will instead have a severe negative impact on the mental health of many who have already suffered through major trauma in their home countries. The 27-year-old, who has struggled with depression and PTSD, fears her life with her British partner and friends could be in a state of uncertainty for years to come.
Myranda, coordinator of the Gateshead Refugee Voices project, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I am sure that the people trying to apply these measures want to be safe and just to be able to sit on the sofa with their family and drink a cup of tea. That is what I want to do too, but I cannot do that if I think I am going to be ripped away from my partner if things start to change.”
She added: “These measures are going to affect the mental health of the people already here. It will not stop the influx of migrants and people seeking asylum coming into the UK. When you are fleeing, you don’t have time to read what measures there are against migrants. You barely have time to grab a photo of your family or your clothes.”
Myranda, who is now studying for a degree in illustration at Newcastle College University Centre, said the Home Office’s proposals were “inhumane and unacceptable”. She has been backed by Jarrow and Gateshead East MP Kate Osborne, who she met at Westminster this week.
The Labour MP called her party’s plans “worrying” and said they “risk meaning that people who have fled to save their lives are semi-permanently in temporary status”. Ms Osbrone added: “This leaves people in a constant limbo, unable to lead secure stable lives, the prolonged insecurity leads to increased physical and mental health issues, extending further this insecurity adds to the cruelty of this system.
Refugees and asylum seekers protesting at Westminster over changes to migration rules(Image: Asylum Matters)
“We should recognise the huge contributions immigrants make to the country, to our NHS, care sector, and economy overall, but also just by bringing diversity and culture into our communities as our friends and neighbours. We need to ensure that when we are dealing with the frustrations of the unwieldy and failing immigration system that we currently have, we must do so without attacking the rights of asylum seekers who, let’s remember, are fleeing war-torn parts of the globe. We should not be making it harder for refugees, we need to work to find more safe and legal routes if we are to stop dangerous channel crossings.”
Under the earned settlement plans, applicants will have a reduced wait for ILR if they are higher earners. Those reliant on benefits for more than 12 months would not qualify for permanent settled status for 20 years. Further new rules announced this month will see asylum seekers’ cases reviewed every 30 months.
Announcing the proposed ILR changes last November, the Home Secretary said: “I love this country, which opened its arms to my parents, around 50 years ago. But I am concerned by the division I see now, fuelled by a pace and scale of change that is placing immense pressure on local communities.
“For those who believe that migration is part of modern Britain’s story, and should always continue to be, we must prove that it can still work. That those who come here contribute, play their part and enrich our national life.”