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I wrote about this when it first came out with some back of the envelope calculations and a reflection on how I probably wouldn’t be here if this were the pathway when I first came here. This is much better written. The whole policy is just unnecessarily horrible. #ukpol #immigration https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/02/british-citizenship-five-year-labour-immigration
I cannot explain just how awful it is to have the shadow of the Home Office looming over you. The fear that you might lose your job in a HE sector that is increasingly unstable. I can’t see any other than the most desperate of immigrant academics coming to work here now #ukpol #immigration
@CatherineFlick Is there a single country in the world that doesn't have unnecessarily harsh and discriminatory policies against migrants?
@exception maybe? Not sure it's my job to go looking, but I sure as hell can reflect on my current country's policies. Let me know what you find out!
@CatherineFlick yep, even before the extension to 10 years I noped out of the UK after 2 years as the writing was on the wall. It's not a place where anyone with alternative choices would like to move.
@CatherineFlick @NotTheLBCGuy The government changed the settlement rules for ILR from 4 years to 5 back in 2006ish, and I was affected.
A judicial review found it unlawful to apply the changes retroactively, yet because it took more than a year, and everyone affected had ILR by that point, we got zero compensation.
I see this government has learned nothing from the past. It’ll be found unlawful again, but at the expense of untold misery for current immigrants.
@fehrtrade @NotTheLBCGuy ugh! When I went through the process it was already 5 years. But I came in before the NHS surcharges, they gradually phased them (for a while Australians were exempt because of reciprocal health arrangements or something), and the prices just keeps going up and up and up. Very glad I didn't have to pay the full brunt of them, the visa fees alone were close to 10% of my salary as an early career academic!
@CatherineFlick Yeah thankfully I got my passport before the surcharges were introduced.
It’s absolutely wild to be that my first work permit in 2002 was FREE. Zero fees, even for the application.
Everything they charge now is purely profit-making.
@fehrtrade FREE! gosh. yeah, I came over in 2010, finally got citizenship last year (though I sat on ILR for a bit longer than I needed to, I was a bit worried what might happen in the election and all the BRP fuckups so I converted it). pretty sure most of that money goes to Sopra Steria though, nice little kickback for someone in there I'm sure
Immigration policy for academics has always left me with the impression that the government doesn’t really want innovation. I’m particularly fond of the special exemption for postdocs from the salary requirements for skilled immigrants. You must earn a certain threshold to work here! Unless you’re someone with unique world-leading skills coming to our universities, then you can be paid just as badly as the natives, except the short-term contracts can lead to deportation for you if they aren’t renewed.
@david_chisnall you still pay full fees and surcharges though! And no recourse to public funds so full childcare etc etc