How the UK immigration system hurts people: November 2021

This month’s recap features deaths from Channel crossings and planning to deprive Brits of citizenship without notification.

About my monthly recaps

I’m spending 2021 doing a monthly running challenge to fundraise for the Join Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI).

Read my blog post about why I’m fundraising for JCWI

Donate to my JustGiving page

As part of the fundraiser, I will be writing a monthly blog post on:

• how the monthly running challenge went (on my running blog)
• what happened in the world of UK immigration and asylum in the past month (here on Medium)

Past recaps

• January 2021
• February 2021
• March 2021
• April 2021
• May 2021
• June 2021
• July 2021
• August 2021
• September 2021
• October 2021

Now let’s get to November 2021.

Jailing an ambulance driver for being undocumented

Ambulance driver worked and lived illegally in York

Deporting someone who has been in the UK since he was 3 months old

Campaigners rally against upcoming Jamaica deportation flight

Not allowing asylum seekers to work

Cross-party MPs say asylum seekers should be given right to work after six months

Not letting NHS doctors’ elderly dependants live in the UK

'I quit my job as a senior NHS doctor after my mother was forced to leave the country'

Depriving Brits of citizenship without telling them

Government to deprive Brits of their citizenship without telling them - Free Movement

New bill quietly gives powers to remove British citizenship without notice

Not having any biometric appointments available in Scotland for a month

This means that visa applicants either have to travel very far to give fingerprints and get a picture taken, or they will have to wait even longer to get in the queue for a their application to be decided on.

This is a process that you used to be able to do for free at your local post office.

Creating the conditions causing migrants to die crossing the Channel…

Migrant attempting to reach the UK feared dead in Channel crossing

…again…

Third migrant dies in Channel within a week

…and again…

Migrant tragedy is biggest loss of life in Channel

…or risk dying

1,000 people risk death to reach UK in new Channel crossings record

Not compensating a Windrush victim who can now not pay for his son’s funeral

Deporting non-criminals to Jamaica

Home Office to deport non-criminals to Jamaica for first time since Windrush scandal

Contributing to the death of an asylum seeker

Immigration officers contributed to death of asylum seeker, inquest finds

Refusing to release the results of the public consultation on the Nationality and Borders Bill

UK stop-and-search data 'withheld to hide rise in discrimination'

Destroying protections for modern slavery victims through new immigration bill

Top police warn Patel's immigration bill will make life easier for people traffickers

Denying an HIV patient life-saving treatment while in detention

Home Office faces legal action over HIV patient being denied treatment in detention

Attempting to deport someone with dangerously high blood pressure at risk of dying during the flight

Most detainees taken off deportation flight list to Jamaica after activists block road

Creating additional barriers to stateless children obtaining British citizenship

Priti Patel's immigration bill could fail stateless children, MPs warn

Still not reopening the Afghan Resettlement Scheme 3 months after being announced

Going ahead with a deportation flight with 4 people on it after dozens removed by legal challenges

Jamaica charter flight leaves UK with four people on board after dozens taken off

Not giving EU citizens physical proof of status leading to people being denied boarding on flights back to the UK

Keeping family members apart by delaying issuing visas

Vulnerable people still split from relatives in UK weeks after Home Office promise

Telling EU citizens with settled status they have pre-settled status after they upload new identity documents

Creating an HGV driver visa scheme so awful only 9 people applied for it

Only Nine Applications for UK Fuel Tanker HGV Scheme - Byline Times

Giving immigration enforcement power to decide on human trafficking cases

New Home Office policy risks 'driving trafficking victims underground', experts warn

Making undocumented migrants avoid getting the vaccine because they fear deportation

Migrants refusing vaccines for fear of being deported, charity warns

Potentially damaging the mental health of Border Force officers who might hurt people if ‘pushback’ plans go ahead

Union considers legal action over Channel refugee 'pushbacks'

Preventing Windrush victims from applying to the compensation scheme because they distrust the Home Office

Fix failing Windrush compensation scheme by taking it off Home Office, experts say - The Big Issue

Trying to deport a 75-year-old woman who has lived in the UK since 1968

Barring asylum seekers from work

Wasted talent: skilled asylum seekers seek the right to work

Trying to fly migrants to Albania for off-shore processing

Migrants to be held in Albania

Detaining a trafficking victim for 269 days

Placing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in hotels

Greens challenge Home Office after acquisition of second Hove hotel for child refugees - Brighton &…

Refusing to release study of why refugees come to the UK

Home Office 'covering up' its own study of why refugees come to the UK

Costing taxpayers £4.4 million in admin costs for incorrectly refusing asylum applications

Incorrect asylum refusals cost taxpayers £4.3m a year in admin costs alone

Keeping someone in detention who has bought his own plane ticket home because deporting him on a charter flight instead will count towards removal statistics

Opening up a visa scheme for prize-winning scientists and receiving no applications

UK visa scheme for prize-winning scientists receives no applications

Treating asylum seekers with performative cruelty

'Performative cruelty': UK treatment of refugees worst ever, says charity

Shutting young migrants out from getting student loans through harsh Student Finance England treatment

Students who have lived in UK since childhood denied loans - report

Not yet developing Home Office staff training that was promised following the Windrush scandal

Denying EU citizens British citizenship if they didn’t have Comprehensive Sickness Insurance

This one simple amendment could end the CSI anomaly in British citizenship - Free Movement

Creating problems in the asylum system through chronic delays, a culture of disbelief, and more

Nine problems with the asylum system that Priti Patel can't blame on anyone else - Free Movement

Compensating just 5% of Windrush victims in 4 years

Windrush: Home Office has compensated just 5% of victims in four years

Ignoring warnings that policies would increase Channel crossings

Government 'recklessly ignored' years of warnings over Channel boat crossings

Ignoring migrants’ calls for help in the Channel

Exclusive: Migrant survivor says British coastguard ignored call for help

Angry? Disgusted? Ashamed? Then donate

If you are in any way appalled at what you just read happens in a single month in the world of UK immigration, please consider donating to my fundraiser for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.

They’re doing the important work to both help those affected by the system, and help end the abuses of the system.

Donate to my JustGiving page