Mayor of London calls on ministers to ditch the £65 ‘Settled Status’ fee
Mayor of London calls on ministers to ditch the £65 ‘Settled Status’ fee
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today called on ministers to waive the £65 ‘Settled Status’ fee that European citizens living in the UK must pay if they wish to remain here after Brexit.
He also accused the Government of ‘not learning the lessons’ of the Windrush Generation scandal and he accused the Government of ignoring the evidence and advice provided by himself and many of London’s leading business organisations, resulting in a proposed immigration policy which would severely damage the economy and public services.
Writing to the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, the Mayor of London said:
“I am disappointed that the Government’s Immigration White Paper did not address the concerns London businesses that I raised with you prior to its publication. The promised ‘new conversation on immigration’ is off to a poor start.
“Your proposal to restrict future immigration to skilled people earning salaries over £30,000 simply won’t allow London to continue to grow its economy and provide crucial public services.
“There are hundreds of thousands of young people who were born in the UK or (like the Windrush Generation) brought here as young children, who are prevented from participating in the economic, social and political life of the UK by the prohibitive cost of applying for leave to remain or citizenship.
“While the previous Home Secretary rightly waived fees for the Windrush Generation, the Government clearly has not learnt the wider lessons. There are many others still at risk from the same policies that led to the Windrush Generation experiencing discrimination, destitution, and deportation.
“The Home Office now faces the unprecedented task of registering 3.4 million EU citizens resident in the UK. Many people will find this process inaccessible and unaffordable. As a matter of fairness, the Government should waive the Settled Status fee for EU nationals and their families who were resident in the UK before the referendum took place.”
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The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today called on ministers to waive the £65 ‘Settled Status’ fee that European citizens living in the UK must pay if they wish to remain here after Brexit.
He also accused the Government of ‘not learning the lessons’ of the Windrush Generation scandal and he accused the Government of ignoring the evidence and advice provided by himself and many of London’s leading business organisations, resulting in a proposed immigration policy which would severely damage the economy and public services.
Writing to the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, the Mayor of London said:
“I am disappointed that the Government’s Immigration White Paper did not address the concerns London businesses that I raised with you prior to its publication. The promised ‘new conversation on immigration’ is off to a poor start.
“Your proposal to restrict future immigration to skilled people earning salaries over £30,000 simply won’t allow London to continue to grow its economy and provide crucial public services.
“There are hundreds of thousands of young people who were born in the UK or (like the Windrush Generation) brought here as young children, who are prevented from participating in the economic, social and political life of the UK by the prohibitive cost of applying for leave to remain or citizenship.
“While the previous Home Secretary rightly waived fees for the Windrush Generation, the Government clearly has not learnt the wider lessons. There are many others still at risk from the same policies that led to the Windrush Generation experiencing discrimination, destitution, and deportation.
“The Home Office now faces the unprecedented task of registering 3.4 million EU citizens resident in the UK. Many people will find this process inaccessible and unaffordable. As a matter of fairness, the Government should waive the Settled Status fee for EU nationals and their families who were resident in the UK before the referendum took place.”
#london #Brexit
more...