Unhappy Valentine's Day

Via Immigration Insight :

http://immigrationinsight.co.uk/2014/02/13/unhappy-valentines-day/

'Many people will be celebrating with their loved one this Valentine’s Day, but thousands of couples are being forced to spend the holiday in separate countries due to harsh family migration legislation.

'Thousands of couples have been hit by an £18,600 salary requirement for sponsoring the visa of a non-EU spouse in the UK. The unjustly high earnings threshold – which approximately 47% of the UK population cannot afford – means couples have been torn apart and will be forced to spend this special day alone.

'We asked you to email us your stories to us and have chosen two couples separated from their partners to feature in this post...'

 Bang and David

Dee and David

Migrant's Rights Network and On Road Media host divided families event, this Valentine's Day

Have you signed up for our St Valentine’s family migration campaign meeting yet?

On Friday 14 February, St Valentine’s Day, we’re holding a campaign meeting on the £18,600 income requirement. This will be a vital opportunity for families affected by the new rules to meet each other, talk to journalists, and take the campaign to the next stages. Don’t miss it!

When: Friday 14 February 2014, 1pm - 5.30pm (short demo from 11.30am)

Where: St Bride Foundation, 14 Bride Lane, London EC4Y 8EQ (map)

Speakers include:

• Baroness Sally Hamwee (Lib Dem spokesperson on Home Affairs)
• Simon Israel (Channel 4 Home Affairs Correspondent)
• Tim Barnden (Wesley Gryk solicitors LLP)

How to register:
If you wish to join us on the 14th February you need to fill out our short online event registration form.

P.S. We’d love to welcome families from across the UK at the meeting. A limited number of travel bursaries are available for those coming further afield so please send an email to j.brulc@migrantsrights.org.uk to apply for one.

Also -
Dress up in wedding dresses as a group :
http://www.meetup.com/BritCits/events/144752702/

Happy Valentine's Day...

Thanks to David.

Valentine's Day part ii

One of the BritCits designed this for Christmas and the New Year, but the thought works for Valentine's Day too.

Ganbatte, my friends.

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

Skype Daddy : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKrCUaKB4KM

http://www.britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/stories

http://familyimmigrationalliance.wordpress.com/

http://www.jcwi.org.uk/policy/united-love-divided-theresa-may

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/introduction.html || http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/opposing-rules-introduction-to-what-new.html

Valentine's Day

https://twitter.com/nandosigona tweets :
Happy #valentinesday by the #UKHomeOffice - blog post http://wp.me/pd8ov-fh  #UKimmigration #shammarriages

To ‘celebrate’ Valentine’s Day the UK Home Office is publishing on Twitter/Flickr a stream of photos and videos of sham brides and grooms arrested in UKBA operations. Repeating a ‘name & shame’ communication strategy used already to mark the arrest of a number of visa overstayers last summer (see my comment on the Mayapple Operation), the Home Office offers yet another proof of its ‘zero tolerance’ approach to unlawful immigration – no matter that it is its own continuous moving of the goalposts that is making many migrants unlawfully resident. Personally, I find this use of social media rather sickening, especially because it completely omits to acknowledge the pains the Home Office is inflicting on thousands of couples and families torn apart by immigration rules, pains that can hardly justify the discovery of a handful of ‘genuine’ sham marriages (you can read my comment on the family rules here)...
http://nandosigona.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/uk-immigration-policy-we-need-to-talk-about-citizens-and-citizenship/


https://twitter.com/migrants_rights tweets :
On Valentine's day, full of admiration for couples persevering in the face of being separated by family migration rules https://twitter.com/The_FIA https://twitter.com/BritCits
https://twitter.com/ukhomeoffice We are speechless. Shameful.


https://twitter.com/juanenlaciudad tweets :
https://twitter.com/ukhomeoffice also smug about genuine couples you're keeping apart with family migration rules? #happyvalentinesday http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk


https://twitter.com/freemvntblog tweets :
https://twitter.com/ukhomeoffice appear to be bunch of sickos: “Do you take this woman to be your sham bride? http://flic.kr/p/8MVijo  #happyvalentinesday”

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https://twitter.com/ncadc tweets :
For Valentines Day we've got a love story for you- a wonderful story of love that's survived against the odds ... http://ncadc.org.uk/campaigns/fozianawaz/

UKBA attempting to deport Fozia&Nawaz to Pakistan,where they're at risk of honour killing http://ncadc.org.uk/campaigns/fozianawaz/





Sign the petition! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/anti-deportation/

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In the Evening Standard today, interesting piece about 'Britain losing 100,000 visitors due to visa delays' and Cameron's visit to India to promote business. Cognitive dissonance, simply astonishing, again. http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/introduction.html http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/asif-i-hope-one-day-i-can-be-with-woman.html

https://twitter.com/timesofindia is the world's number one English language paper - worth knowing.
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https://twitter.com/MigRightsScot tweets :
Great 1st Oral Evidence Session of https://twitter.com/APPGMigration nquiry into #familyimmigrationrules on Mon. Hear how it went:
http://www.appgmigration.org.uk/meetings/family-migration-inquiry-oral-evidence-session

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Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist wants to have a thoughtful immigration conversation.

http://www.causes.com/actions/1691880-lets-change-the-conversation-on-immigration

My name in Jose Antonio Vargas. In the summer of 2011, following the failure of Congress to pass the DREAM Act, I decided to "come out" to the world as an undocumented immigrant in hopes that it would inspire the country to reconsider how immigrants are perceived and discussed. At first I revealed my status to three close friends -- Jehmu Greene, Alicia Menendez, and Jake Brewer -- and decided to create Define American.

Following that, I decided to share my story with the country. I published an essay in  the New York Times detailing my life as an undocumented immigrant. In telling a very personal and specific story -- my journey of being sent from the Philippines to America in search of a better life, graduating from public schools and landing jobs at news organizations such as The Washington Post and The Huffington Post -- I aimed to illuminate a greater universal truth about our broken immigration system...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html?_r=0

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Potted Polish.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/feb/13/learn-to-speak-basic-polish-north
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https://twitter.com/alexmassie tweets :
Cameron: Gosh, why on earth have foreign students got the idea they're not welcome in Britain? http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/alex-massie/2013/02/david-camerons-immigration-reverse-ferret/

Here's a clue, geniuses : http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/introduction.html

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https://twitter.com/KuyaSeanX tweets :
Funny how there is a massive delay in a response from #UKBA in this FOI request? Guessing the answer is No!
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/settlement_visa_requirement_of_1#incoming-353065

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https://twitter.com/Laurafromlondon tweets :
This must be spread far and wide, like butter: best London events listing ever.  http://migrantvoice.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=309%3Alondon-events&catid=29%3Amigration-events

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https://twitter.com/JustAmira tweets from Bahrain - recommend following her.

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Japan is on the up!

http://www.tofugu.com/2013/02/07/japan-on-the-rise-again/

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Gorgeous photo of eruption in Indonesia.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80422

Via http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/

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