Genuine asylum yes. Immigration only under strict conditions (Immigration and asylum)

Member Name: Mick-Gray

Product:	Immigration and asylum
Date:	10/10/06 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: SEE OPPINION

Disadvantages: SEE OPINION

Immigration and Asylum are or should be two totally unrelated subjects,

Asylum: This country has a long and proud tradition of giving asylum or sanctuary to people who are persecuted or in fear of their lives from oppressive regimes and long may this policy continue. It is inconceivable to us that to speak out against a government policy or to support opposition to the government could lead to imprisonment, torture or death for you, your family and friends. These regimes must be opposed and until they are changed refugees from them accepted here and asylum given.

Having said this I feel that too many people are taking advantage of this policy and are claiming asylum when in fact they are only economic migrants.

You can see this in France and Spain and the other European countries whereby people who have already reached a safe haven from their country of origin do not claim asylum in that country but carry on and try to make it into Britain where they then either disappear or if caught then claim asylum. Many of them have destroyed or got rid of any documentation showing their nationality to make it harder for their deceptive claim to be rejected. This is because they either perceive or have been told by others that life in Britain is good and the benefit system is better than the other safe countries that they have already passed through.

The convention on asylum states that persons fleeing from persecution should declare themselves and make their claim for asylum in the first safe state that they reach. Should they wish to go elsewhere their claim can then be assessed and agreed or disagreed at that stage.

Passing through several safe countries where they could have claimed asylum or losing or destroying documents really only proves that their goal is economic not safety.

Immigration: Legal immigration is necessary up to a point to fill vacancies in the job market and to provide a workforce for an expanding economy but all too often we find people coming here not being able to find work and then claiming benefits from the taxes paid by the indiginous population. These people then cause backlogs in housing the NHS and are a direct cost to the taxpayer.

I have two very good friends who many years ago decided to emigrate to Canada where they perceived that the standard of living and the job opportunities were better than they were here. Before they were allowed to go they had to prove that they had a job to go to. That job had to have been advertised in Canada for a period of time and no suitable Canadian applicants for it before it was offered to an immigrant. This seems to me a perfectly fair system which if adopted here would quash most of the criticism that immigrants receive.

Whilst i understand completely why a person would want to emigrate to provide a better life for themselves and their families I cannot accept that all and sundry should be allowed in to share in the benefits achieved by the people of this country after generations of struggle and hardship. If they can genuinely contribute and offer a benefit to this country then by all means they should be allowed to come but only on a strict quota system after satisfying the above criteria.

Illegal Immigration: This is only stating the obvious it is illegal. any illegal immigrant when found should be immediately repatriated without appeal. If they had a genuine asylum claim they could have claimed it immediately on arrival. To arrive here illegally and disappear into the population without claiming asylum only proves that that they are not genuine asylum seekers and are only here to take advantage of our living standards. Being illegal then leaves them open to exploitation by criminals, drug dealers and pimps which either leads them into a life of crime or exploitation having to work for peanuts without the protection of the normal agencies or laws of this country. This also allows greedy employers to take advantage of the situation by paying low wages and undercutting the regular workforce. This then makes it hard for legal workers to find jobs at a fair wage.

Criminals: Potential immigrants with a criminal record should never be allowed here in the first place and if after coming they commit a criminal offence should be repatriated immediately after finishing their sentence. We have enough problems coping with our own criminals and do not need to swell the ranks with criminals from other countries.

Mick-Gray

Summary: This is a small country we cannot expand the population indefinatly