Theresa May’s 5 November announcement of proposed reforms of the settlement rules envisages a system of temporary, rightless and dispensable ‘guest-workers’, with only the highest earners deemed deserving of permanent stay. The Home Secretary said that it is currently ‘too easy’ to move from temporary residence to permanent settlement. ‘If people enter this country saying
Theme: Violence and harassment
Both class and race
We reproduce a contribution to the debate, about Prospect’s ‘End of multiculturalism’ feature, organised by Soundings a new initiative on the Muslim Council of Britain’s website. The basic points Munira Mirza (and co) make, parroting much of what was said by Prospect editor David Goodhart six years ago, are that racism is no longer the
New stringent English language requirements
New immigration rules imposing more stringent conditions on the entry of spouses and partners of British citizens are causing alarm to migrants and human rights groups. The amendments, which are to come into force on 29 November, require visa applicants seeking to join British or settled husbands, wives or civil partners in the UK to
Germany has failed multiculturalism not vice versa
Angela Merkel tells a CDU conference that multiculturalism in Germany has ‘utterly failed’, yet Germany has not even tried it. Germany has until recently not extended citizenship rights to its many Turkish residents, or even to the descendants of the Gastarbeiter who were born on its soil, unlike the UK which gave citizenship automatically to
Accelerated removals
Research from the Institute of Race Relations, including a review of 38 asylum- and immigration-related deaths in Europe over 18 months, shows the human cost of EU moves to slash budgets for refugee integration and accelerate the pace of removals – thereby undermining international conventions. In its report, Accelerated removals: a study of the human
Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia – new enemies, old patterns
Two German scholar activists argue why it is important for German anti-racists to examine contemporary Islamophobia as well as anti-Semitism. Across Europe activists and certain academics are struggling to get across an understanding in their governments and their countries at large that anti-Muslim racism/Islamophobia is now one of the most pernicious forms of contemporary racism
Home Office hits international students – again
New rules, to make it harder for international students to come and study in the UK, will become law unless Parliament intervenes. On 22 July, the Home Office published rule changes which make life more difficult for international students. One of the changes says that from now on, graduates from UK universities who wish to
Not integration but civil rights
The Institute of Race Relations publishes the alternative European integration report. What do minority organisations, refugees and migrants in Europe think about the debate on integration? Is it a debate that stigmatises and humiliates ethnic minorities, or one where institutionalised racism is adequately addressed? Over the last year, the IRR’s European Race Audit has been
End of Prevent?
The government’s controversial preventing violent extremism programme is apparently to be dismantled. According to a report in the Guardian on 14 July, the Home Office, in addition to carrying out a review of anti-terror powers relating to control orders, stop and search, surveillance and detention powers, is about to dismantle its Prevent Programme. This £60
Duplicity behind immigration cap
Electoral politics, rather than economic necessity, are behind the cap on non-EU economic immigration. On 19 July, an ‘interim cap’ is to be imposed on non-EU economic migration to the UK, pending more permanent measures which will be introduced in March 2011. The cap will affect those seeking entry for work under the points-based system.