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发表于 2-1-2009 06:41 PM
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无意中找到这篇文章...日期还是今天（2nd JAN 2009)的呢..
让我也happy不起来了...
顺便让即将要申请..或已经打算要申请Tier 1的大大们多一个参考，
看看这篇令人失望..且缺乏人情味的文章内容...
UK immigration: Global recession and renewal dilemma
By Olayiwola Ajileye
Published: Friday, 2 Jan 2009
Inview of the prevailing global economic recession where we arewitnessing unprecedented massive amount of job losses cutting acrossevery notable sector of the UK economy, there is a veritable need toreview the migration policy for the renewal of stay or extension ofvisa under the Highly Skilled Workers (point-based tier) category. UKand, indeed, the developed economy, have recorded both skilled,semi-skilled and unskilled massive job losses in the banking,engineering, retail, manufacturing, building and construction, media,health and allied health sectors. Majority of these job losses affectedlocal indigenous people with widespread consequences.
It isestimated that 2009 will record potentially another 600,000 job losses.According to the IMF’s most recent World Economic Outlook, published onOctober 8th, the world economy is “entering a major downturn” in theface of “the most dangerous shock” to rich-country financial marketssince the 1930s. The Fund expects global growth, measured on the basisof purchasing-power parity (PPP), to come down to three percent in2009, the slowest pace since 2002 and on the verge of what it considersto be a global recession.
Britain‘s economy shrank at thefastest rate since 1990 in the third quarter, largely because of sharpfalls in output from hotels, restaurants and the financial sector, aswell as manufacturers, including car makers. The UK‘s Gross DomesticProduct fell by 0.6 per cent in the July-September period, and not by0.5 percent as previously reported, the Office for National Statisticshad said. The annual growth rate of 0.3 per cent was the weakest since1992, it further said.
The situation is so severe across boardthat there has been calls for economic bail out and desperate economicstimulant measures. An evidence of that also is in the massivereduction of Bank of England base rate in rapid succession to itscurrent two per cent. According to The Economist magazine, “that is whythe world’s central banks have been administering emergency measures,including a round of coordinated interest-rate cuts on October 8th.With luck, they will prevent catastrophe. They are unlikely to avert aglobal recession. The British economy, which stalled in the secondquarter, is now unmistakably falling into recession. The IMF’sforecasts suggest that Britain will see the worst performance of anybig economy in the year to the fourth quarter of 2008.”
It isvery ironic that, in the same climate of persistent job losses andeconomic malaise, migrant holders of Tier 1 Highly Skilled Workers visalooking for extension of stay or renewal are required to show proof ofemployment with earnings of £35,000 per annum after two years ofarriving in the UK and maintenance fund of £800 bank balance monthly.When many jobs are not available to even local residents, it ispertinent to ask the question from the UK government whether, really,jobs that are capable of paying £35, 000 per annum are available to UKcitizens in the various sectors that the HSMP holders are supposed tocontest for jobs, let alone the same job being offered to them aftertwo years of living in the UK. If such jobs were available, theemployment law in the UK stipulates that UK jobs belong to Britishcitizens, meaning that it is almost impossible for anyone with atwo-year Tier 1 Highly skilled worker visa to even be considered for aninterview for such jobs, let alone securing employment. If such jobs oremployers are available and willing to pay that much in recent times,the UK government would not record a large increase in the number ofcitizens who have lost their employment and consequently signing up forwelfare support funds/benefits. Harshly, this is a kind of support thatis not available to any Tier 1 migrant.
Evidence has shown thatTier 1 migrant HSMP holders are severely suffering under this currentclimate of global recession, with additional pressure coming from theimmigration policy that binds their status in the UK. Many havestruggled endlessly without success to secure employment. Anecdotalreports have shown that many have not secured any gainful employmentand those who have been lucky to be in one form of employment oranother are not being paid anything near the required £35,000 that willmake them eligible under the current policy for visa extension. 
Thisis a worrying situation. Many migrants are under so much pressure, withconsequent psychological strain. The NHS is recording increasing numberof complaints bordering on anxiety, stress, depression, adjustmentdisorders, enduring personality changes as a result of low self esteem,loss of confidence in one’s competencies following persistentdisappointment from job applications. There are social sequelae tothese difficult situations. Increasingly, there are records ofrelationship strains as a result of sudden change in personal economiccircumstances and migration-induced poverty. Children of migrants underthis category are faced with persistent hunger, neglect, stress andpoor parental attention and input; emotional absence from parents whoare preoccupied with multiple concerns, namely, how to get a job thatwill pay them enough, how to feed the family, how to source for feesfor the extension and also how to manage to keep the requiredmaintenance fund of £800 in the account for the three months leading tothe extension; what would happen if the eligibility criteria is not metbefore the visa expires and if application fails, etc.
Themajority of the lucky few who have managed to secure any form ofemployment or another are in the earning category of £16,000-£22,999,which only attracts maximum of 15 points. One would then wonder whatthe percentage of these lucky few is in the entire population of theTier 1 HSM holders? Even with this level of earning, the likelihood ofsuccess at the time of renewal is very low, given what the eligibilitycriteria says. Hence, in a situation where 90-95 per cent of a group ofmigrants would not be qualified for an extension of stay under theHighly Skilled worker programme policy of the UK government, would itnot be right therefore to say that it is a failed policy and itrequires a wholistic and objective overhaul, particularly, given theprevailing global economic climate that has not discriminated betweenmigrants and indigenes?
Definitely, if highly skilled indigenesare losing jobs in their thousands across all the major sectors wherethe Tier 1 are supposed to be, what hope does any highly skilledcompetent migrant have? Employers are not recruiting new staff; rather,they are down-sizing rapidly to cut cost and maximise profit so as notto be taken into administration.
The UK government shouldrealistically review this renewal policy, particularly now that theeffect of recession is out there for all to see and it has not exemptedindigenes and migrant. Even the government had had to pro-actively bendover to salvage a number of its key sectors, and this has still notstemmed the pace of job losses and massive scale back of expenditureacross various sectors.
Renewal of the Tier 1 migrant visashould not be based on any unrealistic, discriminatory and arbitraryset of earning criteria or funds in an account. How many UK citizenswith well paid employment with family responsibilities and statutoryresponsibility can boast of £800 in their account at the end of themonth after paying all the bills? How many can confidently show anaccount balance without an overdraft facility with such amount? If itis not a possibility for citizens with jobs, why should the same beexpected of migrant workers, who really are not gainfully employed inthe UK economy after two years of sojourn here? Many of these peoplewill have to first and foremost pay heavily for re-training, studiesand period of voluntary work to be even eligible for any considerationof jobs. During that period, there is virtually no income for them;rather, they are paying out from the little maintenance money they havebrought into the country, they are investing, in real terms, onthemselves and their future in the UK, so that they can be competitivein the job market, since UK job experience is key to any successful jobapplication. This is an experience many of the Tier 1 don‘t even have,making the percentage of applications turned down to be alarminglyhigh. UK can take a cue from the USA and Australian immigration policywhere once you have a Green Card, you are not under any pressure toshow proof of earning as a prerequisite for continued stay in thecountry.
最后一段最赞！！（个人认为）
Dr. Ajileye, a mental health practitioner, wrote from Birmingham via drajileye@hotmail.com |
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