BritCits

A good day.

A very busy day for us today, with a number of our supporters making media appearances. It is very encouraging to see this story finally gaining traction.

The story of the ongoing tragedy of divided families, coupled with the farce of kafkaesque governmental bureaucracy, will not go away.

We will do our best to summarise, along with the usual links :-

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John Vine's report on marriage visa backlog.

http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/decisions-in-marriage-applications-are-reasonable-but-chief-inspector-raises-concerns-about-backlogs-and-a-lack-of-consideration-of-the-best-interests-of-children/

'However, once again I was concerned to find backlogs within the Agency. These consisted of 14,000 requests from applicants to re-consider decisions to refuse them further leave to remain, and a further 2,100 cases where people were awaiting an initial decision on their application for further leave to remain. Some dated back nearly a decade. This is completely unacceptable and I expect the Agency to deal with both types of case as a matter of urgency.
 
'Immigration decisions can have a significant impact on children. My inspection could find no evidence in the files that specific consideration was given to the best interests of children in 59 of the 60 cases where children were involved. In addition, I found that caseworkers in the UK routinely considered Human Rights, but this rarely happened when the application was made overseas.'

More - http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/23/inspector-uk-border-agency-backlog

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UKBA backlog: Couple's story.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21178405

'A report has revealed a significant backlog in the UK Border agency's dealing with marriage and civil partnership immigration applications.

'The findings from the Chief Inspector for Borders and Immigration revealed 14,000 requests from applicants to re-consider decisions and 2,100 cases where people were awaiting an initial decision, some of them dating back a decade.

'Gerard Hearne, from Rotherham, explained that he has been waiting for a visa for his Thai wife for nearly ten months. '

This story concerns http://www.britcits.com supporter Gerard Hearne, his wife, and the hoops they have had to jump through. (I may be over-using the word 'kafkaesque' somewhat, but it seems strangely appropriate).

Listen to Gerard on the BBC Today Programme, starting at 02:10:00 :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01q02mm/Today_24_01_2013/

Gerard on Twitter : https://twitter.com/gphearne

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Inspector uncovers huge UKBA immigrant backlog.

http://www.channel4.com/news/inspector-uncovers-huge-ukba-immigrant-backlog

Another BritCits supporter Andy (who we have mentioned before - http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/andy ) and his situation, on Channel 4 news.

Skype Mummy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhHpaq4KBxY

Andy on Twitter : https://twitter.com/andyrussellshao
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UKBA: Your stories.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2013/jan/24/uk-border-agency-your-stories

'Guardian readers share their stories and experiences of dealing with the UK Border Agency in seeking permission to stay in Britain for themselves or their partners '

Everyone gets to have their say!
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Very good coverage of the UKBA backlog also on the BBC Asian Network : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pt525

'Immigration inspectors uncover thousands of cases yet to be dealt with by the UK Border Agency, plus the ancient Kathak dance form inspiring a new generation of British Asians.'
 
Via https://twitter.com/jcwinews

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https://twitter.com/Channel4News tweets -
Immigration has yr passport but wont process it; retrieve it & go to the back of the queue - Kafka? no, Britain today: http://bit.ly/W1U0Gc

https://twitter.com/ZrileB tweets -
#bbcr4 John Humphrys cried 'you could not make it up' 'these are peoples lives we are talking about, #UKBAshambles http://bbc.in/SGiFzi

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Expat or immigrant? A personal reflection.

http://thebookisonthetable.me/2012/12/20/expat-or-immigrant/
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UKBA refuse to remove overstayers.

http://www.freemovement.org.uk/2013/01/24/ukba-refuse-to-remove-overstayers/

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Refugee children and family unity.

http://jcwi.org.uk/blog/2013/01/23/refugee-children-and-family-unity

'Regular readers of this blog won’t need to have been blessed with the sharpest observational skills to notice our passion for family unity. Our key campaign is centred on cross-border couples who are partly rooted in the UK. JCWI views immigration policy and law from a human rights based starting point, and the right to family life is enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights and, of course, The European Convention on Human Rights.'

From our good friends at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.
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Virtual solidarity with Ivo Kuka.

http://ncadc.org.uk/campaigns/ivo/

'... 'Let down by the fast-track detention system and his previous solicitors, Ivo has now been given the chance to appeal his asylum refusal, having already been threatened with removal. You can attend a virtual vigil on the day of his appeal (Monday 28 January) to show solidarity with Ivo in his fight for justice. '

Via https://twitter.com/ncadc

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Migrant Chinese workers dance Gangnam style over unpaid wages.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/23/chinese-workers-gangnam-style-protest
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In pictures: Vienna Votivkirche asylum-seeker protest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21179674
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