Travel documents for non-EU family members

This is another document that could be useful for those considering the European route to family unity (more on this : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/surinder%20singh ).


Original at http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/

Uploaded to http://www.scribd.com/doc/142652277/Travel-Documents-for-Non-Eu-Family-Members

In a nutshell :

'If you are an EU national but you have family members who are not, they can accompany or join you in another EU country.

'They must carry a valid passport at all times and, depending on the country they are from, may also have to show an entry visa at the border.

'Your non-EU spouse, (grand)parents or (grand)children do not need to get a visa from the country they are travelling to if:

'- the country they are travelling to belongs to the passport-free Schengen area (see list below) and they have a residence permit or visa from another country in that area, or

'- they are travelling with you or travelling to join you and have a residence card issued by any EU country (except the country you are a national of).

'The residence card should clearly state that the holder is a family member of an EU national.'

Sample story

Marriage certificate enough to get a visa

'Thomas is Irish and lives in Belarus with his wife Delia, a Belarusian national. When they wanted to visit 'Thomas's mother, now living in Spain, they applied for an entry visa for Delia.
'She included their marriage certificate in the application, but the Spanish authorities also asked for proof of hotel accommodation in Spain and sickness insurance before they would issue the visa.
'However, when Delia pointed out that no such additional documents were required under EU law, the Spanish authorities apologised for their mistake and immediately issued her entry visa.

God bless Europe.

Aisha

'My partner and I met in August 2005, in Birmingham.  We were in our early twenties - young love.

'He's Afghan, from Wardak. It's a dangerous area - the Taliban cause a lot of problems.

'We were never apart. He lived in Birmingham, I lived in Nottingham, but he would come here to visit and I would go there. He was an asylum seeker - he started to see people bing deported. He was afraid.

'He moved to Manchester to live with his cousin. But nothing was going to stop us from loving each other. He kept moving around, living with members of his extended family. He survived.

'I was working as a carer, full-time, living with my grandparents who brought me up as their own. I never knew my mother properly, but they looked after me.

'I became pregnant. Sadly I had a miscarriage. But I became pregnant again and we had a son.

'He said he wanted to look after me - I'm a man, and it should be that way. I'm an Afghan.

'His mother became really sick, in Afghanistan. She begged him to come home - she hadn't seen him since he left, and she'd cry, thinking that she would die, never having seen him.

'In 2010 he applied to go home to Afghanistan. I begged him not to do it, for our sake, but I knew how he felt about me not knowing my mum properly. So in 2011 I relented - I let him volunteer to go home.

'He left the UK the day after Eid, 2011.

'I went to Pakistan in January 2012, without our son. I saw my husband - he'd lost weight, and so so depressed. I was desperate to make an application for my husband and...

'SNAP! The rules changed, just like that! Right in front of us... and now I can't bring him home, because I don't meet the income requirements.

'Well, a lot has happened since then. The Taliban thought that he was working for the soldiers because they heard him talking to me on the phone in English. They shoot at him. He's scared of the special forces too - they have been kidnapping people his age, saying they are Taliban. He's caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea.

'He's got money on his head. He's not safe in Afghanistan. He hides from them in Kabul and in Pakistan too, but it's so hard there (he can't get a hotel room because he doesn't have a Pakistani id card). When I went to visit, the police robbed us as every checkpoint, because they thought I was rich because I came from England. It was horrible - so much hatred. We ended up staying in a filthy room with cockroaches and lizards.

'Our son came back to England with a rash all over, and blood spots. But he was so happy to be with his father!

'We've been together for 8 1/2 years, and we're still trying to stay together. The Foreign Office advice is that no British citizen should enter Afghanistan - it's too dangerous. But my husband is facing this, in his own country.

'He was a right to a family life here. But we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

'I'm so worried that he will be killed. I cry so much.

'What the government is doing is so wrong.

'From a desperate mother and a desperate wife.

Wayne and Daisy

Wayne tells his story :

'I met my the woman who is now my wife online in 2010. As soon as I saw her I knew she was my special person. I had to know everything about her.

'She was living and working in Denmark as an au pair. We soon became a couple.

'We put in for two visit visa. Disappointingly, this was turned down. She got a job in Norway - and I asked her to marry me. She said yes!

'She owns land in the Philippines, so we then decide to build a house there. She returned home for a six month while we sorted out the wedding paperwork (no mean feat!).

'We got married, and we lived together for the next six months, during which time she became pregnant. The baby is due the last week of September.

 Our wedding in Mindanao. Can you believe the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel here!

'I've now come home try to find work in Torbay - which is hard in the current economy. I don't think I will be able to meet the £18,600 income requirement, especially in the area where I live.

'But I own my own - four bedroomed - house outright. How many people can say that! I don't need a lot to live on - unlike someone with a huge rent. And I'm self employed. I contribute to the economy!

Tenerife.

'I am a handyman, window cleaner and builder. I work hard, and so does my wife.

'My wife is college graduate midwife. She finished top of her class. She was also a sergeant major in her local reservists when she was at school. That one made me giggle as she is so small bless. Do I not hear the UK needs midwives? Well at least she can train me how to deliver our baby if we had to somewhere in Europe!

First trip to the Philippines.

'I am thinking of taking up my European free movement rights as that would enable us to live together anywhere in Europe. We both have connections to Denmark, so could life there. But it's unfair to us to have to live away from home for so long, with so much disruption.

'I have a 13 year old daughter already, so it would mean being away from her for even longer. And the rest of my family. So unfair!

Daisy with Wayne's daughter.

'I forgot to say - I love my wife so much. She really is so perfect and well worth all the troubles and hassles life has to chuck at us.


'Fingers crossed for our European rights now!'

 

 Union Jack sunglasses.

Amsterdam. Enjoying free movement rights!

Update 20/May/2013 :

An update from Wayne :

'I forgot to say that my mum has been fighting cancer. She has had many ops.

'She is constantly in and out of hospital with complications and her wish is to be able to live long enough to be able to welcome Daisy and the baby into the family.

'Fingers crossed that she lives long enough. She has been in hospital last week with yet more blood clots, this time in her lungs.

'Daisy will be so pleased to see people trying to help and that there are so many others like us now.'

Update II 20/May 2013 :

Another update from Wayne :

'Might be little good news a very nice kind lady visiting my road here today has said I can go with daisy and live in her house in the French Countryside, so if this is true then be amazing to find a nice English lady with a home there willing to help us out.

'Now the question is how to go about getting all the paperwork in France now we have a Country that looks like it is going to happen, Well in the Countryside so maybe some farm work but the lady needs some building work so how would or could I work that into me working the min 5.5 hrs a week? so happy I gave the lady a bug hug and nearly cried when she said to me.

Justice for domestic workers

https://twitter.com/EiriOhtani tweets :
At Justice for Domestic Workers, family separation due to family migration rules is a huge issue. Required income level beyond reach of many
---

Via Transpondia ( https://www.facebook.com/Transpondia ) :

Earlier this year, they changed the visitor rules in a way that requires more from the sponsor.  The sponsor is the person in the UK who extends the invitation.  To comply with the new rules, the sponsor should make some explicit confirmations and back them up with supporting evidence if needs be.  These things would be [1] that the sponsor is able to provide accomodation and maintenance (and provide proof); and [2] that the sponsor INTENDS to provide accomodation and maintenance (and provide proof); and [3] that the sponsor is lawfully in the UK (and provide proof); and finally [4] that the sponsor will be in the UK at the time of the visit.

Some of these were implicit in the old rules, but now they are explicitly stated (in Paragraph 41 to be exact).   We have interpretted item [4] to mean for the entire duration of the visit, and we doubt if this is a criterion for which evidence can be provided in the first instance. 

There is not enough case law or guidance at this point to predict what will happen if a sponsor does not provide these things, but there is indeed sufficient evidence to show that the current regime at UKBA is one that celebrates refusals and tries to get as many as they can.  So pay attention to these requirements!  Correspondingly, if someone has invited you to the UK for a visit, make sure that they are aware of these changes in the rules.

---

There seems to be anecdotal evidence that visiting the UK is becoming harder for general visitors. More here :

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/britain-expat-forum-expats-living-uk/155300-visitor-visa-nightmare.html

http://gigigriffis.com/congratulations-british-customs-youve-obviously-just-caught-a-dangerous-criminal/

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-change-in-weather-via-contact-and.html
---

https://twitter.com/SueLukes tweets :
Time for more music from detention. Peace and happiness from yarlswood
http://www.musicindetention.org.uk/music/?location=bedford-yarls-wood-irc
---

I am an undocumented immigrant at Stanford University.

Without immigration reform I will be left jobless and exposed after I graduate. This isn't just a political issue to me.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/16/immigration-reform-real-lives-at-stake
---

https://twitter.com/nellieghusayni tweets :
Living in America is bad for your health. The Health Toll of Immigration http://nyti.ms/10aK6R7
---

https://twitter.com/MigrantVoiceUK tweets :
North Carolina needed 6,500 farm workers. Only 7 Americans stuck it out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/15/north-carolina-needed-6500-farm-workers-only-7-americans-stuck-it-out/

A young woman is seeking  asylum in Britain after she spurned the advances of the polyamorous King Mswati III of Swaziland and refused to join his harem of 13 wives.

Tintswalo Ngobeni, 22, fled to England from the southern African nation as a teenager after she caught the attention of the millionaire monarch, a notoriously oppressive ruler known for his lavish lifestyle.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2326680/King-Swaziland-wants-make-14th-virgin-bride--let-stay-UK-Womans-plea-asylum-fleeing-African-monarch.html

Facebook group :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/410660475699032/
---

Professor Robert Reich on the UK economy at the TUC next week.

http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/05/professor-robert-reich-on-the-uk-economy-at-the-tuc-next-week

Next Tuesday Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and former Secretary of Labour in the Clinton administration, will be speaking at the TUC, and holding an interview with Channel 4’s Economics Editor, Faisal Islam. In advance of his appearance Professor Reich has recorded us a short video clip setting out his views on the state of the UK economy.

Robert Reich :
https://www.facebook.com/RBReich?fref=ts

The parallels between what's happened in the US and the UK are significant, although austerity economics hasn't gone nearly as far in the US or done as much damage. But it has claimed jobs, wages, and growth in both the US and the UK -- and hurt the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, over the last three decades, the share of the total economy going to wages has continued to drop in both nations while the share going the profits has risen. The top 1 percent are riding high while everyone else has seen their real incomes decline. The answer in the UK -- as well as in the US -- is to reorganize the economy for everyone, rather than for a few at the top. I'll be speaking to the Trade Union Congress tomorrow to offer a plan for doing just this.
---

Michael Palin's hand of friendship gives asylum seekers a human face.

Former Python star has shown us the world beyond our shores but after forging a bond with a 26-year-old Somali refugee he hopes to open our eyes to problems much closer to home.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/22/michael-palin-asylum-seeker-crisis
---

Commander Chris Hadfield on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield

Chris Hadfield's photographs of Earth from space – in pictures.

During his five months in space onboard the International Space Station, Commander Chris Hadfield has gained more than 790,000 followers on Twitter thanks to his regular posts

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2013/may/13/chris-hadfield-space-in-pictures
---

Golden Dawn letter demands Muslims leave Greece.

http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2013/5/18/golden-dawn-letter-demands-muslims-leave-greece.html
---

https://twitter.com/susiesymes1 tweets :
Deportation of asylum seekers isn't the end of the story: in Afghanistan, it gets worse.
http://migration.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/05/08/migration.mns011.long
---

https://twitter.com/susiesymes1 tweets :
Bizarrely, not only Brits are bonkers about Eurovision, @Julaybib. Guardian says it's "emergent political paradigm"
http://m.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2013/may/17/eurovision-guide-for-americans
---

https://twitter.com/irnaqureshi tweets :
Remember East is East? When Mr Khan's family drove all the way to #Bradford to watch a Bollywood film? Here's why:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/may/17/bradford-city-of-bollywood-dreams

As Bradford's National Media Museum celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema, Irna Qureshi looks back at how immigrant mill and foundry workers from across the north used to come to the city to catch a Bollywood film on their day off.
---

https://twitter.com/susiesymes1 tweets :
Gillian Tett in FT Mag = sober warning on life w/o EU social protections
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3b5f5ae4-bdbb-11e2-890a-00144feab7de.html#axzz2TjM9SDkb
---

Farage attacked by Scottish Farage.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/farage-attacked-by-scottish-farage-2013051769143

NIGEL Farage stared through the looking glass yesterday as he was besieged in an Edinburgh pub by demented nationalists.

The UKIP leader had gone to Scotland to talk about why the country you come from is the most important thing about you, but was forced to flee by some furious Scottish people who believe exactly the same thing.

Farage said: “It was like Being John Malkovich. I looked out and saw lots of angry, Scottish versions of my own face.

“Thankfully, it has taught me absolutely nothing.”

Bill McKay, a Scottish Farage, said: “I want to kill that posh English bastard and his message of hate.”
---

A short history of swivel-eyed loons.

http://virtualstoa.net/2013/05/18/a-short-history-of-swivel-eyed-loons/

How did the word “swivel-eyed” enter the British political lexicon, and when did we first get “swivel-eyed loons”? Here’s a preliminary report, armed with access to the Lexis database, and the help of some friends on the Twitter with very good memories.

As long ago as 1983, Michael Meacher was described in the unlamented Punch as a “swivel-eyed Leftie lunatic”, so the term has been in circulation for a while. In 1987, Seamus Milne, writing in tehgraun, wrote that it was common to portray Robespierre as “the swivel-eyed high priest of political violence”. And in 1991, in a couple of columns, Simon Hoggart used the term, on one occasion to pick out politicians who had a “swivel-eyed belief in privatisation”.

And it’s in the early 1990s that the word more or less attaches itself to a certain kind of Tory politician. In fact, we can be more specific: John Redwood is clearly the key figure here. When he was first appointed to the Cabinet in the May 1993 reshuffle, an unnamed and disgruntled Tory politician said, “we want fewer swivel-eyed ideologues not more” (interestingly, one of the stories in the press reporting this view carried Ruth Kelly’s by-line). And the term, having attached itself to Redwood, from there migrates to his key political allies–such as Tony Marlow and, especially, Teresa Gorman. Tim Collins–a hero of the Stoa in years gone by–described the Tories who backed Redwood’s campaign for the Party leadership in 1995, for example, as the “swivel-eyed barmy army, from ward eight at Broadmoor”.
---

Japan and Abenomics.

http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21578052-shinzo-abe-shaking-up-japans-economy-seems-different-man-one-whose-previous

Some amendments to the 1947 constitution, such as one acknowledging Japan’s clear right to a standing army, navy and air force, are now broadly popular. But it is becoming clear that Mr Abe and the traditionalists, pining for an imperial era from which most of the country has moved on, aim to go further than that. They want, among other things: the emperor to be restored as head of state; collective duties emphasised over individual rights; and veneration for the family unit. As a precursor to such changes, the LDP plans to make it easier to amend a constitution which so far has never been altered. The current process requires a two-thirds majority in each house, plus a national referendum.

At best, all this could prove a distraction at a time when some structural-reform initiatives already appear to be running into the sands. At worst, it could endanger all reform by eroding the government’s popularity, at the same time increasing tensions with Japan’s neighbours. Far from having banished the ghosts of his past, as some of his advisers claim, the prime minister is in danger of summoning them up again.
---

Two years on from Fukushima.

http://www.nippon.com/en/column/g00101/

Despite the reelection of politicians espousing views that seem to minimize Japanese responsibility for atrocities committed during the war, public opinion polls show that these views are not widely supported among the population at large. Similarly, a substantial majority of lower house members now favors revising the war-rejecting Article 9 of the Constitution—an idea to which the majority of the population remains adamantly opposed. This phenomenon, which can also be observed in other countries, is partly attributable to the nature of the election system. But first and foremost it is a manifestation of a general problem with so-called representative democracy in a society where a large part of the population abstains from voting. Combating the widespread disillusionment with the political parties (政党離れ, seitō-banare), a phenomenon that was particularly marked in the December 2012 elections, is surely one of the most urgent tasks in contemporary politics.
---

How a far-right paradise could look and feel - oppressive, limited, poor and grim.

Life in a neo-Nazi village: As far-Right crime rises in Germany, the Telegraph visits the small village of Jamel where most of the residents subscribe to neo-Nazi ideology.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/10049360/Life-in-a-neo-Nazi-village.html

Via https://www.facebook.com/ILoveImmigrants
---

Even MigrationWatch admit NHS would collapse without workers from abroad : http://www.migrationwatchuk.org.uk/briefingPaper/document/256 - via https://www.facebook.com/ILoveImmigrants
---

Guidance for insects : Brood 2030.

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21578055-how-america-will-look-cicadas-when-they-next-return-brood-2030

How America will look to the cicadas when they next return.

OVER the next few weeks billions of cicada grubs will awake from 17 years of subterranean slumber and emerge into the bright sunshine of America’s mid-Atlantic states. Their strange cycle has attracted the attention of journalists all over the country. The males will travel in vast swarms, create a tremendous racket in the hope of wooing a mate, make love frantically and then die, unlamented. The cicadas will do the same—the only difference being they will leave behind not unfinished novels but eggs that will hatch in another 17 years.

This year’s cicadas, while swirling above the trees, will peer down on an America that is both different from, and strangely similar to, the one their parents saw in 1996, when Brood II, as this bunch is known, last enjoyed a Rumspringa. That year saw Hillary Clinton testifying before a grand jury over Whitewater, a complicated property scandal which, together with the Hillarycare bungle, looked to have ended her political career before it ever really began. Meanwhile Democrat and Republican strategists were studying polls to work out who would get the blame for the government shutdown in progress, after Congress had failed to pass a budget. Beyond the beltway, people worried about the effect of violent rap music and even more violent video games on the nation’s delicate youth. The Supreme Court pondered a case involving gay rights...
---

'This nails nationalism the world over'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsPDT5qHtZ4

Via ASIRT - https://www.facebook.com/groups/59856051718/
---

https://twitter.com/OwenJones84 tweets :
Oh look. Racist UKIP councillors. Stunned I tell you, stunned http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ukip-councillors-racist-rants-more-1897414

Visitor visa nightmare.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/britain-expat-forum-expats-living-uk/155300-visitor-visa-nightmare.html

Have things got harder for visitors to the UK recently?

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-change-in-weather-via-contact-and.html

http://gigigriffis.com/congratulations-british-customs-youve-obviously-just-caught-a-dangerous-criminal/

---

Interesting thread on EEA visa and treaty rights.

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/britain-expat-forum-expats-living-uk/155312-eea-visa-treaty-rights.html

'As I have been living off savings and self-employed/freelance work, I will have some difficulty meeting the 18,600 income threshold requirement introduced for the marriage last year. I have thus decided to apply for an EEA1 and EEA2 with their less stressful requirements, but information on these visas is a bit more scant.

'I know that we will have to prove we are in a relationship, apart from a marriage certificate and a couple of letters each addressed the same, what is necessary to prove this?

Posts on this subject (how to do it, links, people's experiences) here :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/surinder%20singh
---

Government calls for evidence on balance of competences between UK and EU on immigration, asylum and free movement.

As part of its wide ranging review of the 'balance of comptences' between the UK and the European Union, the Home Office has issued two calls for evidence around the themes of 'asylum and immigration' and 'free movement of persons'.

http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/news/2013/government-calls-evidence-balance-competences-between-uk-and-eu-immigration-asylum-and-fre
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Immigration as a game: 'Papers, Please' makes you the border guard.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/14/4329676/papers-please-a-game-about-an-immigration-inspector

'The only way to win is to not play the game'.
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Putting the UKBA on trial for the murder of Ugandan lesbian, Jackie Nanyonjo and for the torturous asylum process.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/UKBA-on-Trial-4-MURDER-of-Jackie-Nanyonjo-19-5-13.html?soid=1102126245189&aid=nxQkuLqZjpI

Via https://twitter.com/ASIRT1 , https://twitter.com/AntoniaB4
---

'Hundreds of people who were tortured before seeking asylum in the UK could seek compensation and release from immigration detention. '

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22574757

Detention of torture survivors ruled unlawful.

http://www.ein.org.uk/news/detention-torture-survivors-ruled-unlawful

http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/news/2013/detention-torture-survivors-ruled-unlawful
---

https://twitter.com/AJEnglish tweets :
A special series, #China Rising, gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow | http://aje.me/18QrqwG
---

On 17 May 2013 Australian blogger and self-styled ‘global nomad’ More Atlitude posted a lengthy and detailed post in response to “Australia’s decision yesterday to excise its mainland from the migration zone” this week. He argues that it

    essentially reinforces a horrible, horrible policy of enforced detention for legal (I stress, again and again and again, people, LEGAL, good grief do I need to paint it neon and string it with lights?) asylum-seekers.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/18/australia-excuses-itself-from-refugee-law/

How to fail at human rights: Australia excuses itself from refugee law.

http://morealtitude.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/how-to-fail-at-human-rights-australia-excuses-itself-from-refugee-law/
---

Pregnant woman and husband to be deported from Blackburn to separate countries.

http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/4521659.Pregnant_woman_and_husband_to_be_deported_from_Blackburn_to_separate_countries/

 A YOUNG married couple who are expecting their first child are set to be deported - to separate countries.

Childhood sweethearts Vladimer Shakhbazyan and Diana Nadryan fled to England when Russia and Georgia were in midst of a bloody war a year ago.

But their visas have expired and Vladimer is set to be returned to Georgia, with pregnant Diana facing deportation to Russia.
---
Interesting post on the so-called 'Lille loophole'.

http://www.jonworth.eu/the-lille-loophole-stop-london-checks-on-all-except-3-trains/

What is the Lille Loophole?
It is a means by which people without the correct identification papers necessary to enter the UK can do so thanks to a loophole in the Schengen rules, as applied at Gare du Midi in Brussels, and to the Eurostar rail service. News about the loophole here.

How does it work?
A passenger buys a ticket for the train between Bruxelles Midi and Lille Europe* (which is allowed) but instead of getting off in Lille, the passenger stays on the train and continues all the way to London St Pancras (not allowed). This is possible because both Belgium (Brussels) and France (Lille) are in Schengen, and hence passengers travelling between these two cities cannot be obliged to show a passport when boarding at Gare du Midi, Brussels, as the Schengen agreement has abolished border controls between the signatory countries. These Brussels-Lille passengers are allowed through a corridor that bypasses the UK Border Authority’s desks at Gare du Midi.

More :
http://www.jonworth.eu/tag/lille-loophole/

 ---

'The horrifying, little-known story of how hundreds of thousands of blacks worked in brutal bondage right up to the middle of the 20th century. '

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/souths-shocking-hidden-history-thousands-blacks-forced-slavery-until-ww2?paging=off

'It was a crime for for a black man to lack employment and a crime to change jobs without his previous employer's permission. It was a crime to sell the proceeds of his farm to anyone other than the man from whom he rented land. A crime for a black man to speak loudly in the company of a white woman, to walk beside a railroad line, to fail to yield a sidewalk to white people, to sit among whites on a train and, in practice, generally a crime for blacks to be accused of any crime by a white person.'

http://www.metafilter.com/128202/How-The-South-Kept-Slaves-Until-WWII
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https://twitter.com/Praxis_Projects :
Want to join us at New Voices 2013? More info here - 
https://www.facebook.com/events/364783566967421/

Friday links

https://twitter.com/emmabmoussa tweets :
Letter from mp today hubbies case last looked at march1st but can not give mp date of completion. Call bk in 3 months that would make it 9!

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/driss
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Happy Norwegian Constitution Day ( http://www.norway.org/ARCHIVE/culture/heritage/nationalday/ ). A party of Norwegians (men in suits with flag lapels, women in national dress) wandered past me on the way to the train station this evening.

 Norway confirms sense of calm and maturity in its handling of Anders Breivik case : http://www.alastaircampbell.org/blog/2012/04/16/norway-confirms-sense-of-calm-and-maturity-in-its-handling-of-anders-breivik-case/

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Church community: Learning how to access health care.

http://www.migrantvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=259

Very useful in the current climate - including useful for those British people whose family members or partners are about to join them in the UK.

Despite the right to basic primary care, however, the reality is that many migrants – including many of the St Barnabas congregation, have been unable to consult GPs because they were asked by the GPs office to present their valid passport or visa as a proof of identity. Some individuals did not have a passport, and some who were undocumented were afraid of being reported to UKBA if they showed their ID or address. ‘There is no law requiring you to present your passport or visa in order to register with a GP. If a GP or a staff of the practice contacts UKBA to discuss about your case without your consent, he or she is breaching medical data protection and patient confidentiality, and that’s illegal’, Ms. Qureshi told members of the church.

These tips might be helpful for many others in contacting their GP practices, so I am including them here:

Call your local GP practice before you actually go in, and ask if they are still accepting new patients (you can say that you are calling on behalf of someone) – this is important to do at first so that they cannot tell you that the list is closed after finding out you cannot provide the documentations they ask for.

Ask about documentations for registration and if they ask you for documents that you cannot provide, ask them why they need it and use your knowledge about the laws (e.g. you can explain that there is no law requiring individuals to show a valid passport or visa for registration).

Explain why it is difficult for you to get the documents they request from you and focus more on the medical needs you have.

Acknowledge the difficulty the receptionist may be facing, and ask to speak to practice manager or the GP if the negotiation gets difficult.

It is always important to have the name of the person you are speaking.

“If you do not have any form of proof of identity and address such as a driving licence, utility bills and bank statements, Project London offers to provide a letter to confirm your identity and address, which should be treated as an official documentation”, Ms. Qureshi explained.

Even if a GP still refuses you for registration, they are legally obliged to provide emergency consultation and care for a maximum of 14 days free of charge. It is also important to know that the GP is obliged to provide reasons for refusal in writing. You should always ask for this in the case of refusal as it will be used when challenging unlawful refusals.

“Providing official confirmation of identity and address is something that we can do as church. For members who do not have fixed address, I will be very happy to let them use the vicarage as their corresponding address”, Fr. Saxby told to the attendees. “I want to bring what we learnt into action, share the  information and collect strength to work with others. We have gained great knowledge in order to carry on our ongoing work.”

A church member, who had previously been refused registry with a GP said “the training has given me more confidence to try again - I was rejected twice before. When they asked me for my passport or national insurance number, I could only give up and turn my back. Now I know my rights and that they don’t need those documents. I want to share this information with more friends who are in the same situation.” Another member said “the training was very informative, and I just feel like popping in one of the surgeries and try the strategies we learned today. It’s fulfilling to know that I have rights. We should organise workshop with other members to practice how to negotiate!”

 ---

https://twitter.com/migrants_rights tweets :
Residence test for legal aid would have huge impact on justice for migrants.Support the campaign opposing the changes http://www.savelegalaid.co.uk/takeaction
---

https://twitter.com/BritCits tweets :
Fair talk on #immigration from @UKHouseofLords Will @HouseofCommons pls follow? See Lord Roberts of Llandudno at 839
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2013-05-15a.403.6&s

Lords seem to spk so much sense, unlike many our elected MPs??! Lord Triesman and @EricAvebury amongst our faves
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2013-05-15a.403.6&s

---

https://twitter.com/MigrantVoiceUK tweets :
The government is building a network of spies to make immigrants' lives impossible
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/05/government-building-network-spies-make-immigrants-lives-impossible

In the last four years, I have applied for three different types of visas and changed flats four times in the UK. Neither are prospects I ever look forward to. The last time I was searching for a flat was just a few months ago. I saw a cosy flat in Wapping and, walking around the canal and the pretty cobbled streets, decided to put down the "offer money". The landlord refused the offer on the grounds that I was on a student visa (I wasn't – I was on a post-study work visa, but not many people know the difference). I knew at the time that my housing and visa woes were not over.

So when I found another flat that I liked, I explained to the agents that I only had three months left on my current visa but was soon going to apply for a work visa sponsored by my employer. Luckily, I have a permanent job with a well-known employer and the agents accepted my explanation as a convincing one. But it was only that – luck. The agents could have just as easily rejected my explanation.

Every time I have looked for a flat, I have dreaded this situation. I can’t help but think how easily it could get worse if the proposals to make private landlords responsible for checking their tenants’ immigration status are implemented. It is no secret that housing is tight in London and so landlords have a lot more power and decision-making authority than tenants do. It is not unimaginable that if a measure making landlords liable for their tenants’ migrant status is introduced, landlords (and agents) would prefer to not let their properties to migrants at all to avoid "hassle".


... as well as enabling...
---

Suspected identity thieves posing as UKBA officers chased from family home in Walthamstow.

http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/10425052.Suspected_identity_thieves_posing_as_UKBA_officers_chased_from_family_home/
---

Calls for evidence for balance of competences reviews.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2013/may/46-balance

The Government is carrying out a review of the balance of competences between the EU and the UK. This is an audit of what the EU does and how it affects the UK and will be carried out over four semesters between Autumn 2012 and Autumn 2014.

The Home Office is leading on two reports in the second semester, which runs from Spring 2013 to Winter 2013, in the following areas:

    Asylum and Immigration; and
    Free Movement of Persons

The Free Movement of Persons report is being jointly led with the Department for Work and Pensions.

Calls for Evidence for both reports were launched on 15 May 2013 giving both individuals and interested groups the opportunity to contribute their views. The closing date for evidence is midday on 5 August 2013. For more information, and to find out how to submit evidence, please go to Gov.uk.
---

Merger of Europe’s human rights and equality bodies is on the agenda: good news or bad for migrants’ rights?

http://compasoxfordblog.co.uk/2013/05/merger-of-europes-human-rights-and-equality-bodies-is-on-the-agenda-good-news-or-bad-for-migrants-rights/

https://www.facebook.com/migrantsrights?fref=ts says :
Human Rights activism is blossoming all over Europe it seems. How do we get this fact into the miserablist political debate currently underway in the UK?
---

NHS: Poles, paracetamol and the myth of health tourism.

Migrants' cost to the NHS is far smaller proportionally than Britons because they are younger, less likely to be ill or to have started a family. The service is also not quite as good as in Poland, apparently.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/17/nhs-myth-health-tourism-zoe-williams
---

Council wrongly classed asylum seeker children as adults.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/17/council-asylum-seeker-children-classed-adults

Via ASIRT ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/59856051718/ ) - 'One 15-year-old Nigerian girl was trafficked to the UK as a domestic slave aged five and escaped when she was 15. Her age was disbelieved and she was told she was 29, the age on her false travel document. She was placed in adult accommodation, sexually abused and became pregnant. A court later ruled that she was 15.'
---

Hope not Hate are organising meetings around the country.

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/nick

Local groups : http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/local-groups/
---

https://twitter.com/19pst tweets :
Beautiful article on memorialising huge tragedies of Holocaust via tiny pavement plaques:
http://moreintelligentlife.co.uk/content/places/andreas-kluth/stumbling-over-past?page=full
---

https://twitter.com/19pst tweets :
A Black Nurse, a German Soldier and an Unlikely WWII Romance.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/a-black-nurse-a-german-soldier-and-an-unlikely-wwii-romance/
---

Why was Nigel Farage so rattled on the radio?

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/05/why-was-nigel-farage-so-rattled-on-the-radio/
---

https://twitter.com/trillingual tweets :
UKIP councillors refuse to back anti-racism statement because "it pushes forward the chance of multiculturalism"
http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/news/article/2720/ukip-members-of-lincolnshire-county-council-refuse-to-back-anti-racism-pledge
---

https://twitter.com/paulbelmontesli tweets :
No, @Nigel_Farage. We love having a large English population in Edinburgh, we also love our Polish community & can't wait for our Romanians

---

https://twitter.com/LaurieMGayle tweets :
Scotland will not prosecute people brought to UK against their will. Compassionate, victim-focused justice. Well done!!
---

Home Secretary strips two more people of British citizenship.

http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2013/05/16/home-secretary-strips-two-more-people-of-british-citizenship/

The Home Secretary has stripped at least two additional individuals of their British citizenship in recent months, the Bureau has learned.

In February, an investigation by the Bureau and published with the Independent revealed that Theresa May had signed deprivation of citizenship orders for 16 people between the 2010 election and November 2012, including five British-born individuals. That total has now risen to 18 cases. Under the Labour government, five people lost their UK nationality.
---

UK asylum process painful for lesbians fleeing death threats.

http://www.trust.org/item/20130516115734-fuqwb/?source=hptop

https://www.facebook.com/migrantsrights?fref=ts says :
Good account here of the problems that gay people needing asylum have to encounter when dealing with UK immigration authorities...
---

https://twitter.com/4refugeewomen tweets :
Meet the new London Refugee Women's Forum - they are amazing!
http://www.refugeewomen.co.uk/index.php/what-we-do/wast-self-help-group
---

UK's immigration policy seen as threat to Cambridge University's worldwide reputation.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge/UKs-xenophobic-reputation-is-threat-to-Cambridge-Universitys-worldwide-reputation-20130516164128.htm
---

https://twitter.com/LeeJasper tweets :
Want to oppose Government legislation on immigration? Join this radical campaign that hopes to support migrants... http://fb.me/1MciWYkWW

https://twitter.com/SlimCampaign
New campaign supporting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in South London. Oppose the scapegoating of migrants.
---

The fear that stalks asylum seekers from the Russian Federation.

http://www.irr.org.uk/news/the-fear-that-stalks-asylum-seekers-from-the-russian-federation/

EU countries are accused of leaving asylum seekers from the Russian Federation vulnerable to the repressive reach of the Russian state...
---

https://twitter.com/Rebecca_Omonira tweets :
"...UKBA breached the human rights of severely mentally ill individuals on 4 occasions" http://wp.me/pOILh-em 
---

The UK’s fastest growing tourist group endures the slowest visa process.

http://qz.com/85419/the-uks-fastest-growing-tourist-group-endures-the-slowest-visa-process/
---

The Principality of Sealand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

"E Mare Libertas"!

---

A prominent Chinese law professor recently revealed in his microblog on popular Twitter-like site Sina Weibo that the Chinese government has imposed a policy on university professors instructing them not to teach seven subjects, including freedom of the press, past mistakes of the communist party, and citizen rights.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/16/chinese-government-bans-seven-speak-not-school-subjects/

A few months late, but still appropriate : an awesome letter from Smita Bajaria, noted immigration lawyer

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/opinion/letters/demolition-welfare-state

'Mr Khan should also be aware that very large numbers of people will remain separated from their loved ones as a result of the recent changes to the rules on family migration. This will include many of those in his own constituency, who will tell him that their partners have been refused visas or leave to remain.

'I am now meeting and talking to the very people who will never be able to earn the sort of money which this government seems to think they can in order for them to be with their family members from abroad. It is heartbreaking to listen to the stories of people on low incomes and those with young children who cannot return to work. Again, from April 2013 there will be no legal aid for those who want to appeal any such refusals.

 
---

https://twitter.com/APPGMigration tweets :
Lord Roberts rips into the unfairness of the immigration rules
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2013-05-15a.403.6&s

Yes, we crack down on abuse, but we ensure that we meet—and I would like to see us surpass—our human rights obligations and commitments. I was delighted when the Minister for Justice, my colleague the noble Lord, Lord McNally, said that he had no plan whatever to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. We must not withdraw. One of the great sayings that I relish is that of Dr Martin Luther King: that we seek to build,

“a society that can live with its conscience”.

We seek to live in a society that is true to its conscience.
---

https://twitter.com/paulfreathy tweets :
I am one of those UK citizens trying to get a spousal visa for my wife of 10 years from SA, NOT easy!
---

“I am like a prisoner in this country”.

http://asirt.org.uk/wordpress/?p=174

At ASIRT’s weekly “drop-in” session today, we were disturbed to hear of the difficulties experienced by Adrienn and Dele, a married couple who came to see us in considerable distress. Adrienn is a Hungarian citizen, who has been living in the UK for the past 5 years, working for the majority of that time in accordance with her EU treaty rights. Dele, her husband, is Nigerian and, as a non-EU citizen, has a derivative right to reside in the UK as the partner of an EU citizen.

The team responsible for processing Adrienn’s Income Support claim are refusing to do so unless and until they have sight of not only her passport, but also Dele’s. Both passports have been in the possession of the UK Border Agency for two-and-a-half years, having been submitted by Dele along with an application for recognition of his right to reside. The couple approached their MP for help with this delay in March, to receive an response from the UKBA advising them that they could expect a decision “within 20 working days”. It’s now mid-May. They have still heard nothing.


Let's take note of one important point here - Adrienn is a Hungarian national with a non-EU partner. And she is having huge problems with living here because of the sheer bureaucracy of the system. People are like are people British citizens affected by the rules need to build solidarity with, for the benefit of all.

And let's dispel the myth, once and for all, that Europeans have it somehow easier in the UK. What will win this battle is solidarity and common cause amongst all the affected and oppressed groups.
---

Scotland's move to protect victims of modern slave trade is model for the world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/maria-grazia-giammarinaro/scotlands-move-to-protect_b_3284739.html

Scotland's move towards "non-punishment" of victims is a major milestone in the ongoing effort to combat human trafficking, a grave violation of human rights and a growing social injustice. It is a move that I applaud. As Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the world's largest regional security organisation, I see this as a model that needs to be widely followed.
---

Life after deportation.

http://www.lifeafterdeportation.com/dear-ukba/?utm_source=feedly

Letter from a young asylum seeker.

---

Liverpool council deputy leader Paul Brant hails migration boom as positive news for city’s economic growth.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2013/05/16/liverpool-council-deputy-leader-paul-brant-hails-migration-boom-as-positive-news-for-city-s-economic-growth-99623-33336353/
---

ONS stats show half 7.5m 'foreign born' ppl in UK are British citizens.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/detailed-characteristics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/country-of-birth---rpt.html#tab-How-does-country-of-birth-compare-with-nationality-

Via https://twitter.com/MigrantVoiceUK

https://twitter.com/patelsmie tweets :
Go home? #Thisishome!
---

https://twitter.com/NUSISCampaign tweets :
A debate on international students has been secured in the house of commons on the 6th of June by @nadhimzahawi & @PaulBlomfieldMP.
---

https://twitter.com/jdportes tweets :
Well over 90% of pupils whose language at home isn't English speak English "well" or "very well".
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_310514.pdf - that's Britain's English-speaking yet multilingual, global future!
---

https://twitter.com/patelsmie tweets :
To be against globalisation is like spitting in the wind. Quote of Day: José Manuel Barroso, European Commission Head
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9da6bd26-bd6d-11e2-a735-00144feab7de,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F9da6bd26-bd6d-11e2-a735-00144feab7de.html&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F8Tu4BZBKXg#axzz2TSC9ei6T
---

https://twitter.com/patelsmie tweets :
Lestweforget: "Is it desirable in crowded country like UK to permit indiscriminate immigration?"
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-1809.1925.tb02037.x/pdf
*shudders* #eugenics
---

https://twitter.com/tinaleeinberlin tweets :
ERRC: Italy Violates Roma Rights with Overcrowded Camps, Segregated Education, and Marginalization
http://www.errc.org/article/italian-policies-are-violating-human-rights-of-roma/4140
---

https://twitter.com/ncadc tweets :
Terrible news from Australia - has removed itself from Refugee Convention for boat arrivals
https://www.facebook.com/Asylum.Seeker.Resource.Centre.ASRC/posts/548579568513527
---

'It all started with the British media igniting the debate with fabricated and hyperbolized immigration speculations. These were the sparkles which lit the fire. The mainstream parties joined in with their 'we hear people's concerns' line. These tactics created a prolific environment for extreme views to grow into mainstream. '

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/oana-romocea/immigration-the-game-changer-british-politics_b_3260594.html
---




Guerilla art project captures Japan's northeast in portraits.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/16/photos-guerrilla-art-project-captures-japans-northeast-in-portraits/

In November 2012, a truck departed from the northeast Japanese city of Kesennuma on a journey to Fukushima. Its sides were pasted over with pictures of a giant eye, and at the back of the truck was an opening like a mailbox slot. The truck was equipped with a camera to take people's photos and a large-format printer to print them out.

The truck was part of French artist JR‘s “Inside Out” project, an art concept based on public participation. The artist's project is centered on taking photos of people on the street in different parts of the world and then pasting their portraits on the sides of buildings. The project is a global platform for people to share their untold stories and transform messages of personal identity into works of public art.

Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Visa Decisions

Useful resource for those considering using their European rights in Ireland.

http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Weekly%20Visa%20Decisions%20Page

Via Facebook.

Check out this page and open the PDF file at the bottom. It is updated weekly and has details of visas granted/refused in Dublin and the reasons why. There have been non-EU spouses refused entry to to live with EEA spouse exercising treaty right but mostly for silly reasons like not providing marriage certificate etc...

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/surinder%20singh
---

https://twitter.com/MandaKasravi tweets :
Why has family immigration debate results been pushed to June? When I phoned in April I was told it would be mid may?

https://twitter.com/APPGMigration tweets :
drafting the report took some time given the large volume of people affected who submitted to the inquiry.

https://twitter.com/gerardhearne tweets :
Will anyone listen to our various tales of what is a #settlementvisanightmare ?

http://www.appgmigration.org.uk/family-inquiry
---

https://twitter.com/annbur1 tweets :
i am separated from my husband because of the new rules, so i am setting up business' in his country.
i have no choice, my kids and grandkids are here, but they support my reasons for leaving.
i am a care worker, and do not speak any other language, he is from gambia.
---

https://twitter.com/BBC_Hampshire tweets :
A baby who was refused vital NHS surgery on her arm because of her parents' immigration status has had the operation http://bbc.in/15MJHMO

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_Rules_of_Enjuin - 'You should rescue even such patients as you dislike or hate. You should do virtuous acts, but in such a way that they do not become known to people. To do good deeds secretly is a mark of virtue.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_Asaph - 'Do not keep [in your hearts] the vindictiveness of hatred with regard to a sick man'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_the_Hindu_physician - 'You shall assist Brahmins, venerable persons, poor people, women, ascetics, pious people seeking your assistance, widows and orphans and any one you meet on your errands, as if they were your own relatives. This will be right conduct.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Simiao - 'A Great Physician should not pay attention to status, wealth or age; neither should he question whether the particular person is attractive or unattractive, whether he is an enemy or friend, whether he is a Chinese or a foreigner, or finally, whether he is uneducated or educated. He should meet everyone on equal grounds. He should always act as if he were thinking of his close relatives.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Geneva / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physician%27s_Oath - 'I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_Maimonides - 'May I never see in the patient anything but a fellow creature in pain.' 
---

Britons obsess about immigration, Germans focus on education.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/15/britons-obsess-about-immigration-germans-education
---

https://twitter.com/BritCits immigrant of the day :
Martin Sorrell born to Russian-Romanian Jewish family,founded advertising monolith WPP Group.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Sorrell
---

https://twitter.com/IndyVoices tweets :
"The Conservative Party is eating itself alive": Matthew Norman writes on the EU debacle
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/this-latest-eu-tory-party-squabble-has-sent-david-cameron-into-a-tailspin-and-he-cant-stop-spinning-8615810.html
---

https://twitter.com/FullFact tweets :
Our factsheet on the EU & public attitudes to EU membership http://bit.ly/181aDFJ
---

https://twitter.com/BritCits tweets :
Rich migrants welcome say govt yet breaking up Brit families.Spare thought for '000s of domestic staff rich bring in
http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/13/noise-immigration-drowning-out-real-problems
---

Housing clampdown could drive migrants into poor quality accommodation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/housing-network/2013/may/15/housing-clampdown-migrants-poor-accommodation
---

Some of the hate-filled reaction to the appointment of the first black woman in an Italian government highlights the need for public figures adopt a zero tolerance approach to comments likely to incite violence and racism, says NGO network.

http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/3469/worrying-reaction-as-italy-appoints-first-black-minister
---

100 witnesses to be called for inquest into death of Jimmy Mubenga, who struggled with guards as he was being deported.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/100-witnesses-to-be-called-for-inquest-into-death-of-jimmy-mubenga-who-struggled-with-guards-as-he-was-being-deported-8616259.html
---

Hackney: 100 images of migration - 'we want your photographs and objects'.

http://www.hackney.gov.uk/migration.htm
---

UKBA campaign: 'UK Border Agency told me to apply for wrong visa costing £991'.

http://www.tntmagazine.com/ukba/ukba-campaign-uk-border-agency-told-me-to-apply-for-wrong-visa-costing-991
---

https://twitter.com/mrjamesmack tweets :
The positive case for immigration in Scotland and independence, as made by @cllrchasbooth @humzayousaf on #newsnicht
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01skbz9/Newsnight_Scotland_13_05_2013/
---

What if it was you? My friendship with a Somali refugee.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/karen-campbell/somali-refugees_b_3252623.html
---

https://twitter.com/NelsonMandela tweets :
"I have never welcomed the weakening of family ties by politics or pressure"
---

https://twitter.com/one_by_two tweets :
By paying Rs.50000 xtra you can get UK Visa on the same day.If you pay Rs.10000 further, the Queen will come to your house to deliver it.
---

https://twitter.com/FareedZakaria tweets :
By 2014, remittances from migrants will pass half a trillion dollars, four times official development aid: World Bank http://bit.ly/YB0qgz
---

https://twitter.com/eurocrat tweets :
My favourite eurosceptic line: "I love Europe, but not fellow Europeans who want to work and pay taxes here" #immigrants
---

In commemoration of Nakba Day, Visualizing Palestine's latest infographic.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/15/in-commemoration-of-nakba-day-visualizing-palestines-latest-infographic/
---

Six Twitter users have been sentenced to a year in prison each by a Bahrain court today for allegedly insulting King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on the micro-blogging site.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/15/bahrain-jails-six-twitter-users-for-insulting-king/

A change in the weather?

Via a contact, and purely anecdotal at the moment, but an interesting observation :

''I am seeing an awful lot of people from the USA, Canada, and Australia, (on the boards) who have come to visit someone they are romantically involved with, being turned away at the UK border.

'Those are countries that do not require 'Visitor Visas.'

'Other than being 'romantically involved' with a UK citizen, they are exactly like any other tourist. They have jobs, homes, return tickets.

'People are even being turned away when they present their return tickets.

'They are not 'coming into the UK too often' or even attempting to stay the full 6 months permitted.

'This is not normal. It was not like this in the past.'

It also occurs to me that https://twitter.com/tntmagazine may be interested in tracking this. It would be good to get actual numbers on what is going on.
---

Following a suggestion, I sent a thankyou note to the Archbishop of Westminster in response to his intervention on the unjust treatment of migrant partners as noted here :
http://www.thetablet.co.uk/latest-news/5280

I got the following, very nice response :

 'Dear Steve,

Archbishop Vincent thanks you very much for your email and attachment. He is glad that you found his homily helpful. He will continue to pray for a just treatment of migrants.

He sends you his greetings, as do I,'
---

Francisca ( http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/barry-francisca-and-millie-francisca.html ) posts :

3 weeks until our Tribunal date. If you haven't yet signed please do so and encourage anyone else to support us please so we can reach 1000 signatures:) Once we have them, we can print them and present them to the judge as part of our evidentary bundle. Also, I want to invite anyone who is interested in our case to assist the tribunal hearing on June 3rd at 10.15 am at Tier1 tribunals, Glasgow. Thank you guys:) xx

Save Millie and her mum from deportation :
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-millie-and-her-mum-from-deportation.html
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Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto: Sex slaves in World War Two were necessary to 'maintain discipline' for Japanese military.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/osaka-mayor-toru-hashimoto-sex-slaves-in-world-war-two-were-necessary-to-maintain-discipline-for-japanese-military-8614959.html

Mr Hashimoto is co-head of the newly formed Japan Restoration Party with former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who is a strident nationalist.

He's also the Nigel Farage of Japanese politics - populist and dangerous :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dru_Hashimoto
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Britain gets serious in addressing the very lucrative business of human trafficking.

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/europe/tackling-modern-day-slavery

You could see that from the place where we found the victims of the traffickers. A house converted into flats on a main thoroughfare, right opposite Earls Court exhibition centre in fashionable west London.

While waiting for the police to bring the women out we did some more maths. Seven women in five flats. Each flat would be rented by the traffickers for about 2500 dollars a month.

That means the traffickers must make $140,000 before they turn a profit on one property alone, and still it is incredibly lucrative.

The police said that Earls Court was full of similar places, so even if you accept they recognise the scale of this even they'd agree that they're far from on top of it. It's slavery, right under the noses of people driving to work and getting on the underground.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/sex-slave-ring-in-luxury-flats-is-smashed-by-police-in-dawn-raids-8615416.html
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Home secretary Theresa May warned on shortage of fruit pickers.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a3b708c-bc8d-11e2-b344-00144feab7de.html#axzz2TIg6Wonr

Theresa May has been warned that Britain’s £3bn horticulture industry will be at risk unless she moves to fill a predicted labour shortage by allowing Ukrainians, Russians and Moldovans to pick fruit and vegetables on UK farms.

Independent advisers told the Home Secretary that supermarkets may eventually be forced to abandon home-grown produce such as strawberries, asparagus and daffodils if labour shortages force up wage costs.

The advice presents a conundrum for Ms May who must weigh pressure from farmers to allow more low-cost workers in against her drive to cut immigration.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/britain-urged-to-allow-more-noneu-foreign-fruit-pickers-8616324.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/14/agricultural-workers-ukraine-future-may
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https://twitter.com/BritCits immigrant of the day :
Austrian-born Hermann Hauser founded JV with Apple=>ARM Holdings,making most phones CPU.#jobs:2,000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hauser
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'It's absurd to suggest that Britain can be open for business and closed to immigration.'

http://notthetreasuryview.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-impacts-of-immigration-my-summary.html
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Desperate to sound tough, politicians are in fact making it harder to improve the plight of domestic slaves in Britain.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/13/noise-immigration-drowning-out-real-problems
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Getting to know multicultural London.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/postcard/article3757989.ece
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https://twitter.com/emilyfchurchill tweets :
Check out our first single - for every migrant in London and beyond! http://to.ly/lkob