- Conference
- 2018 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 21 September 2017
- Decision
- Carried
Conference believes the current immigration process leads to unfavourable treatment of Black workers who do not have full legal rights to reside in the UK. They face a large number of issues including:
1) Application Fees : The basic ILR (Indefinite leave to remain in UK – permanent stay) fee of £1875 per applicant is definitely exorbitant and puts majority of Black workers t a disadvantage, as they are unable to afford this high cost plus additional quality legal representation. The premium ILR fee of £590 per applicant for a 2.5 hour response time is even more exorbitant.
2)Immigration Health Surcharge: The immigration health surcharge is tantamount to a double taxation on in-country ILR Applicants as such applicants already pay National Insurance. For instance a 30-month discretionary leave to remain attracts an additional surcharge fee of £500 per applicant, which translates to £2000 for a family of 4 persons, added to their application fees.
3)Application Process and Right of Appeal: The right to appeal has been virtually replaced by what is now Administrative Review by the Home Office that may not be necessarily followed by an appeal to a court, but by removal. This makes the Home Office both the “accuser” and “judge” in its own matter. Applicants could be denied the right to exercise Article 8 of the European Human rights Act with regard to their right to enjoy the benefit of extended family connections here in the United Kingdom. Applicants who have children born here or brought in and have stayed with the applicant for upward of 7 years may be deported along with the applicant, which may not necessarily be in the best interest of the children.
Conference condemns the Immigration Skills Surcharge which places a financial burden on employers seeking to recruit the best candidates regardless of nationality.
Conference call on the National Black Members’ Committee to:
a)Request Labour Link discusses with the Labour Party how to reform the immigration system when it gets elected into government.
b)Raise these issues with the UK Home Office.
c)Work with organisations, who have a record of best practice in supporting Black people on immigration issues.
d)Raise awareness in Black Action and encourage all members to raise this with their MPs.