Migration Pulse

February 2, 2012,
With the planned independence referendum in Scotland now a political football between First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister Cameron, there has been surprisingly little discussion of the implications for immigration policy.

January 30, 2012,
This is first in the series of two blogs that discusses the issue of a ‘skill divide’ in the immigration policy, directed to address a ‘skill gap’ in the labour market. It highlights contradictions in such a policy orientation and the consequences when it comes to the case of Overseas Domestic Workers, who are currently awaiting a decision from the government on the terms of their entry, stay and rights in the UK.

January 30, 2012,
Confidence in the asylum system remains very low, and the Coalition has some way to go if it is to honour its commitments on creating a system sensitive to the needs of women and girls.
January 27, 2012,
While the government considers the Migration Advisory Committee’s proposals to review the minimum income threshold, less attention has been drawn to the non-economic dimensions of family immigration. Such proposals open up a deeply worrying prospect not only for immigrants, but for British citizens too. The blogsite Family Immigration Alliance hopes to alter this discourse with a human side.

January 17, 2012,
There’s no shortage of elected politicians in South Yorkshire who have declared their support for asylum and migrant rights. Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield MP, Nick Clegg, is the most prominent. What opportunities has this opened up for asylum and migrants’ rights campaigners in the region?
January 17, 2012,
In the first of a two part post, Chris explores his personal experience as a sponsor attempting to bring his wife into the UK. The decisive role of sponsors in debate on immigration is often missing and has been the inspiration behind the launch of a new online platform, the Family Immigration Alliance, to highlight and share the experiences of sponsors.
January 12, 2012,
It seems that the latest move by the UK Government to extend labour market restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians (also known as A2 nationals) until the end of 2013 is based more on an ideological argument than proper understanding of how the internal EU labour market works.

January 5, 2012,
Film-maker Meghan Horvath writes about the uncertainties of her visa situation offering an excellent insight into how the UK points based system affects young artists trying to move and settle in the UK...

December 19, 2011,
Reflections from the Migrants' Rights Scotland team on International Migrants’ Day celebrations - what are our visions and hopes for the future?

December 16, 2011,
My mother immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in 1972 when she was 24 years old. Her story reflects an archetype of “the migrant woman,” trespassing oceans to join her partner abroad.
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