The Government is ramping up their hostile environment policies once again. This time, they want to make it harder than ever for migrants and refugees to settle in the UK permanently. Email your MP now and call on them to speak up for migrants and refugees.
People who move to the UK to work, study or be with family have to apply for short-term visas from the Government. At the moment, most people can apply for permanent settlement after 5 years. But now, as part of a broader attack on migrants and refugees, the Government wants to increase the time it takes to get settled status from 5 to 10, 20 or even 30 years.
30 years is a lifetime. This will effectively create a permanent second-class population in our society - people who live, work, and raise families here, yet are never allowed to belong.
The Government is betraying millions of people, people already living and working here who uprooted their lives on the promise of certain rules. This is a retreat into a smaller, meaner UK - one where belonging is rationed, and diversity is punished.
Settlement is the backbone of belonging. It is the foundation of security and stability for migrants and refugees. We must defend it.
The Government wants to start making these changes in just a few months. Now is the time to speak up.