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| Features | |
| Sunday, 07 November 2010 | |
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Just before the general election this year we asked members of the British Chinese community which policy determines who they vote for. Most answered immigration. From the arrival of the first group of Chinese seamen in the port areas of London and Liverpool until today when thousands of Chinese international students arrive to study in Britain each year, immigration policies have always played a crucial role in determining whether Chinese are welcomed in a country away from their homes.
Bobby Chan came to Britain as a student in the 70s, at which time migrants were still a minority and were treated with more discrimination. Wanting to help Chinese immigrants obtain a peaceful and stable life in Britain, he became a solicitor and an active campaigner for minority rights. London Chinatown has over the years become his home, where he greets familiar faces everyday and gives advices to all.
“Chinese clients come to me not because they cannot speak English, but because my background allows them to trust me and speak more freely,” he said. The London Law Centre is now the only publicly funded practice that provides Cantonese and Mandarin services in London, and the only place that many in financial difficulties can turn to.
Chan explained that the centre is making a loss on every case it works on, because there is a cap on the number of hours it is allowed to charge clients for each case, far below what is needed to deal with cases thoroughly. The centre currently faces a deficit of approximately £15,000 for the financial year.
“But now is not the time to reduce funding,” said Chan. Several recent policies have significantly increased the number of people needing the centre’s help. One policy that particularly upsets Chan is the new regulation to charge an extra £1,000 for appeal cases. He said that it is common for appeals to alter the outcomes of unfavourable cases, but this extra £1,000 will become a burden for many of his clients.
2009 too has been a year of many legislative changes that worried Chan, with the biggest being the introduction of the Points Based System for a number of categories of overseas citizens including students. Students are now required to show a certain level of finance for a set period prior to making their application for extension to leave to remain in the UK. A number of students have been refused leave because their savings have dropped by even a few pounds below the require amount.
Chan said: “Realistically you cannot expect students to keep an eye on their bank accounts at all times. International students come to Britain because they want an opportunity to study, but sophisticated administrative works could make them choose to go to other countries instead.”
Another change is the regulation of workers from non-European Economic Areas. Employers of such workers now need to be registered with and monitored by the UK Border Agency. Many employers, particularly of small family businesses, do not have the administrative resources or language skills to deal with the new scheme, consequently reducing the employability of many migrant workers.
Chan said that one problem many Chinese restaurant owners encounter is the difficulty of recognising which types of leaves allow prospective employees to work in the UK because there are many different ones. “For example holders of rights of remain is even better than indefinite leave to remain because there is no restriction on how long one may stay outside a country before returning. But this technical terminology means nothing to employers who just want to make sure they don’t accidentally employ the wrong people.”
Illegal immigration has reduced in recent years, but has not stopped. “People in China think of Britain as a better world, and will not believe us if we tell them that it is not.” The sad reality of illegal immigrants was exposed when the bodies of 58 people were found in the back of a lorry at the port of Dover in 2000. Four years later 18 cockle pickers died after becoming trapped by rising tides in Lancashire's Morecambe Bay.
Illegal immigration continues to be condemned today as unethical, so how would Chan morally justify helping illegal immigrants who broke Britain’s law in the first place?
He answered that it is not just pity for the vulnerable that enabled him to fight alongside them for a better life, but a belief that British Chinese from the former colony Hong Kong have a right to remain in this country. “We live in a globalised world and migrants come here for historical reasons. The colonisation process has increased poverty in certain countries, including Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, therefore Britain has a responsibility to give migrants from these countries jobs. Furthermore, by giving migrants legal status, you are allowing them to pay tax and contribute to society. Most migrants who come are in their 20s to 40s, unlikely to be claiming benefits or excessively using health services.”
Chan’s 27 years of work at the London Law Centre has made a crucial contribution to establishing a stable Chinese community in the UK. Now he is asking for help and support from the community.
Cecily Liu
The London Law Centre is fundraising through a Gala Dinner on November 11, 2010. More information can be found at http://www.dimsum.co.uk/features/support-the-central-london-law-centre.html. |
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