Recent news - August 2022
Immigration raid carried out at Plymouth Restaurant
On Friday 5 August, Lost in Rio was raided by the Home Office.
A Brazilian man was found illegally working in the restaurant. Consequently, he was detained under the Immigration Act 1971 and later arrested.
A civil notice was also given to the restaurant meaning that a fine of up to £20,00 could be issued if sufficient evidence was not provided to show that the correct ‘right to work’ checks had been done.
Immigration on the rise following Brexit
Despite the Brexit campaign propagating the message that Brexit would mean “taking back control” of asylum seekers and immigrants, there is an evident increase in immigration.
Over 20,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year. The proportion of UK residents born overseas has increased by 7% since 2000. In 2021 there were roughly 6 million people with non-British nationality residing in the UK and 9.6m people who were born abroad, according to Government data. Some 573,000 people migrated into the UK in the year ending June 2021, in comparison to 334,000 people who emigrated from it.
A new report revealed a shortage of workers across the UK has been made worse by Brexit. Data reveals that just 43,000 EU citizens received visas for work, study, family or other purposes last year, in comparison to the up to 430,000 Europeans who came to the UK annually in the six years to March 2020. The British hospitality and support services have been hit and labour shortages mean some employers are being forced to increase wages to attract staff, which is further forcing up prices as inflation soars. Subsequently, a Tory MP admits that Immigration has increased since Brexit.
Afghan refugees are urged to find accommodation on Rightmove after fleeing from the Taliban a year ago
A multitude of Afghan refugees fled to the UK and have since been living in UK hotels. Recently, the Home Office has urged them to seek new accommodation on Rightmove or Zoopla. Out of 9,500 Afghans, 7,000 have been rehoused. Afghan families with children may face the struggle of finding accommodation large enough to accommodate their family with the housing benefit they receive. Furthermore, the language barrier makes it hard for them to negotiate their own rental agreements.
Charities have raised concern that many will struggle to find fitting accommodation and there is a risk that they may end up homeless.
To help the Afghan people in England you can donate to charities that support them such as British Red Cross, Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA).
Woman who came to the UK as a baby 45 years ago is struggling to receive the right to work
A Spanish woman who came to England as an 11-month-old baby was fired from her job in the care industry after living in England for 45 years because she failed to prove that she had a valid immigration status. The woman has never left the UK and has attempted to secure EU settled status since she was dismissed by her employers last June as they enforced post-Brexit right-to-work regulations.
Due to this, she is now in crippling debt and she is unable to claim unemployment benefits. Her family is now struggling as she was the primary breadwinner. She is now reliant on her mother-in-law’s pension. She says, “It has been very stressful indeed,”, and “I’m not sleeping well because I worry about money. There’s a gas bill this week for £160. There isn’t always enough food for everyone.” She also believes that she shouldn’t, “be having to go through all of this. I went to school here, I’ve been working in this country since I was 18, there are 27 years of tax payments they could check.”
Her predicament isn’t uncommon among people of the Windrush generation. They have struggled to persuade the Home Office that they are legal in the UK ignoring the fact that they have resided here for 40- 50 years.
For advice for anyone in a similar situation, please feel free to contact Tulia for a legal consultation.
