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Shedding Some Light on Illegality

New project aims to grant legal status to 300 thousand illegal immigrants in the UK

The group Strangers into Citizens aims is to help regularize the legal status of immigrants who, despite living here unlawfully, work honestly, study, pay their bills and income tax, helping to enrich the economy as ordinary citizens. The project’s general coordinator, Austen Ivereigh, and the Latin American coordinator, Julie Camacho, talked to the JungleDrums.

How do you intend to implement legal status to illegal immigrants in the UK?

Julie: Our idea is that illegal immigrants who have lived in the UK for four years or more should be regularized by the government and given the legal right to work for a two year period. After that, they would have to present the authorities with proof that they’ve paid their taxes, have good job references and that their personal conduct has been exemplary. At the end of this, they would have the right to work, receive benefits and be recognized legally as citizens.


Will all illegal immigrants benefit from this regulation process?

Julie: The pre requisites are: they must have lived in the UK for four years or more, have a good level of English, pay taxes and not have a criminal record.
Ivereigh: This is a way of making sure that “unwanted” immigrants such as terrorists, other criminals don’t benefit from these measures.


The project implies a change in the law. Does the British government back you on this?

Ivereigh: The government’s approval is a delicate subject. As well as implying a change in the law, the government’s afraid that by giving the project the go-ahead, it will act as a form of “green light” for illegal immigration.


Would the UK suffer in some way from these measures?
Ivereigh: Contrary to what it might seem, this isn’t a project created with just immigrants in mind; it aims to benefit British society in general. The regularization process will bring many advantages, such as increased revenue of tax and greater socio-cultural diversity. Another benefit will be a more concentrated, selective deportation process. The government spends a lot of time and money deporting people like political refugees who aren’t criminals, people who work and have kids at school. The law exists, but it’s not being applied realistically.

For further information, go to: www.strangersintocitizens.org.uk

By Sabrina Duran