Westminster MPs continue to criticised current visa rules that put incomers from the EU ahead of Commonwealth citizens. A House of Commons debate centred around a report – backed by London’s number one comedian – he is also the mayor – Boris Johnson, which shows that thousands of Antipodeans (that’s Aussies and Kiwis) are forced to leave the UK or are prevented from entering because of current visa rules.
The London based Aussie rag TNT reports that some of the government’s MPs agreed that the country discriminated against Commonwealth citizens – “most notably Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians” – by not affording them ‘privileges’ that were automatically handed to European Union citizens by law. There was no mention made of South Africans or other commonwealth nations in southern Africa like Namibia, Botswana or even Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya in east Africa. It appears the Pommie MPs are only backing the islands they populated with their own criminals during the Empire’s colonial land grab period.
“Being a subject from one of Her Majesty’s realms or being from a Commonwealth nation should count for something when looking to visit, work, study or live in the United Kingdom,” said Romford MP Andrew Rosindell at the debate last month (Tuesday January 27, 2015). “At the moment it appears to count for little.”
Mr Rosindell said the UK had placed “most of our eggs in the EU basket”, and had lost out by shunning citizens from countries with traditional ties.
“Over the past 13 years immigration from Australia and New Zealand – two nations with which we have a shared history and culture like no other, except perhaps for Canada – has almost halved, whereas immigration from the EU continues to rise at a rapid pace,” he told the House of Commons.
The report, ‘How to Solve a Problem like a Visa’, was compiled by Tim Hewish, executive director of the think tank Commonwealth Exchange, and shows that Australian migration to Britain plunged from 40,000 in 1999 to 26,000 in 2011 because of visa restrictions.
There is little mention of South Africa. South African youngsters have even lost the right to apply for a two year working holiday visa – something Aussies, Kiwis and Canadians can still do.
Are we just getting a raw deal again? WHY IS NOBODY FIGHTING FOR SOUTH AFRICANS?
