” “"Courses in citizenship"

“Secure Borders, Safe Haven”: that’s the title of the British government’s new proposed legislation on immigration which will be voted on in Parliament by the end of this year. The Home Minister has decided to organize “courses in citizenship” and lessons in the English language for foreigners who have lived in the UK for years and wish to obtain British citizenship. A State ceremony. For the first time naturalization will become a State ceremony, during which the immigrant, after having demonstrated that he/she has a good knowledge of the English language, will be asked to pledge fidelity to the Crown and to the values of this country. The government wants to ensure that those who arrive in the UK from Africa and Asia, and were born into a different culture, become properly integrated into the British way of life. On the other hand, the provision extends the scheme used for “holiday workers”, thanks to which unmarried Australians and New-Zealanders aged between 17 and 27 can remain in the UK for up to two years. The provision will be extended to other inhabitants of Commonwealth and Eastern European countries. The possibilities for seasonal workers in the agricultural sector will also be increased; they will be able to remain in the UK for up to six months so long as they bring no children with them. But it will be more difficult to obtain political asylum and to attempt to enter the UK by marriage to a British citizen of either sex. The new draft legislation presented by Home Minister David Blunkett in fact prescribes stiffer penalties for illegal immigrants and for employees in the hotel, building and agricultural sectors who decide to employ them. In 2000, some 18,000 entrance permits were granted to wives coming from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, more than double the number in 1996: too high a number according to the government. Lack of support for asylum seekers. Too early to comment on a bill that has still to be given the go-ahead by Parliament. That is the reaction of the Jesuit Rescue Service, the centre run by the Jesuits in London to help political refugees and immigrants. “Many of the government’s new proposals – declared the Rev. Tom Blutler, bishop of Southwark and president of the Commission for social responsibility of the Church of England – seem to give with one hand only to take away with the other”. “We are worried – he added – by the lack of real support for those seeking political asylum. The new plans for the use of reception centres must permit asylum seekers to have their applications satisfied in a just, courteous and rapid way. They must guarantee immediate treatment for those who have suffered traumas and at the same time give them the chance to adjust to their new country”. In a press release, the Church of England emphasizes that it is globalization that causes people to move from one country to the next, and to tackle this problem it is essential that the UK collaborates with other international organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations. The reception of immigrants – says the communiqué – is an inevitable reality and it serves no purpose to stiffen the penalties for those who seek to enter the country in an illegal way. A question of life or death. The commission for social problems of the Anglican Church has also expressed perplexities, judging the new legislative system unjust in many of its aspects, especially in the lack of medical and psychiatric assistance offered to immigrants who try to escape from violence and persecution. The Anglican Church also expresses concern about the huge number of immigrants being held in prison while their applications are being processed, in violation of the international laws on the matter. Also very critical on the White Paper on asylum, immigration and citizenship is the Refugee Council, the most important lay organ that campaigns for the protection of the rights of immigrants. “Taking the wrong decision – said Nick Hardwick, director general of the Refugee Council – can become a matter of life or death for someone trying to escape from persecution”.