BritCits

Sunday afternoon

Australian star of BBC TV's George Gently is banned from living in the UK with her British rock singer husband because he is too poor.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2290949/Australian-star-BBC-TVs-George-Gently-banned-living-UK-British-rock-singer-husband-poor.html

An Australian actress has been refused permission to live in the UK with her British husband after immigration officials ruled that he was too poor to support her.

Ebony Buckle, who appeared in BBC1’s Inspector George Gently last year, says the enforced separation is taking a toll on her health.

Her visa was rejected because her rock singer spouse Nick Burns earned just £7,221 last year – well below the £18,600 threshold required by new immigration laws.

More like this :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/stories

... and more to come :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/introduction.html

Yes, the rules which divide families affect TV stars too. They affect people like me and you.
---

Well I'm sorry to have to say this but I for one am fed up about people's "concerns" on this particular political issue. Our elected politicians won't, or perhaps can't, say this but the fact is that the great British public doesn't have a clue about immigration. Why then should we base our immigration policies on public opinion, and people's "concerns", when those very same people are so woefully uninformed and ignorant about the true levels of immigration into the UK? The levels of benefits that migrants - especially asylum-seekers - receive? Their proficiency with the English language?

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/immigration-public-opinion-mehdi-hasan_b_2818180.html

Editor's note: Many, if not most, British people, right across the political spectrum, think that being married entitles the non-UK partner to live in the UK.

They're wrong, and such misconceptions are the source of the situation which allows migrant-bashing politicians to create such suffering :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/stories

---

https://twitter.com/britcits #Migrant of the day: German composer Handel moved to & lived in Mayfair for >30 years. 300+ years later, the world still listens to his work


Jung Chang, write of Wild Swans, living in UK since 1978, from China. We welcomed her and she contributed to society.

To which I'll add two more (for now) :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinran and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon , a Brit who migrated elsewhere - and had his own immigration problems, inspiring Neil Sedaka : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBy8t_O592k

I also nominate http://bristolgraffiti.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/migration-is-not-a-crime-is-not-a-banksy/ - he may be a fictional character, but there's a good reason to have BritCits mini-meetups in Paddington Station.
---

https://delicious.com/roxx79 - lovely collection of links to useful sites about EU internal migration, for those considering this path as a solution. Solutions-oriented.  By https://twitter.com/RozziP

Related posts : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/another-resource-for-those-considering.html , http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/europe ,
---

Harrods boss: Stop the 'political football' over visa issues.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/9919166/Harrods-boss-Stop-the-political-football-over-visa-issues.html

---

Talking of football... Show the Home Office the yellow card, for the mistreatment of international students :

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/get-involved/welfare-and-student-rights/give-the-home-office-the-yellow-card/

(and the RED card for the plight of divided families!)

---

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2013/03/09/mum-and-tyneside-born-children-set-to-be-deported-to-nigeria-72703-32954469/

“I am not OK, I am scared and I cannot sleep,” she said.

“I am nervous and I fear for my children. I do not know what is going to happen. I do not want them to go through what I did in life.

---

Using poetry to help female asylum seekers.

http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/features/jackie-kay-using-poetry-to-help-female-asylum-seekers-1-2828428

---

I think I am Scottish but others see me as a foreigner, two nurses reveal their stories.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/family-relationships/international-womens-day-1750606

via https://twitter.com/donflynnmrn
---
Hate crimes in Finland are shameful but reveal our meek response to intolerance.

http://www.migranttales.net/hate-crimes-in-finland-are-shameful-but-reveal-our-meek-and-shameful-response-to-intolerance/
---
'Shameful' failure to tackle slavery and human trafficking in the UK.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2013/mar/09/shameful-failure-slavery-trafficking-uk
---