Commonwealth international locations could have hoped that the British authorities’s promise to give attention to the remainder of the world after leaving the European Union would make it simpler for members of the 54-member group to stay and work within the UK. But that hasn’t occurred.
A Bloomberg News evaluation of UK Home Office visa purposes between 2017 and 2022 (excluding 2020, the pandemic yr) discovered that refusal charges for examine, work and household or dependent-related purposes from Commonwealth international locations exceeded these of countries outdoors the group.
When it comes to work visas particularly, lower than 6% of purposes from China, Mexico, Russia or Saudi Arabia have been rejected throughout that interval, in contrast to greater than 10% for some African Commonwealth members together with Cameroon, Uganda and Tanzania.
What’s extra, the evaluation additionally discovered giant disparities in refusal charges amongst Commonwealth international locations themselves, with essentially the most restrictive charges regularly occurring in Africa.
In Kenya, for instance, the rejection charge for work visas was 8%, or almost 4 instances greater than in Australia or Canada, the place fewer than 2% have been turned down. Citizens of the latter two nations are free to go to the UK for journeys lasting so long as six months, whereas these from Kenya want to apply for visas to step foot within the UK for any period of time.
For Commonwealth international locations the place UK visas are required for journey, visa purposes for work, examine and dependent members of the family are additionally rejected at greater charges. In Cameroon, a Commonwealth member since 1960, the rejection charge for examine visas was 27.2%, or roughly 50 instances greater than rejection charges in Malaysia or Singapore, the place about 0.5% of examine visas are turned down.
The demise of Queen Elizabeth II, underneath whose reign the previous colonies the British Empire developed into the self governing nations of the Commonwealth, has prompted dose of soul looking out. Many members at the moment are asking what functions the group serves.
A particular visa program might assist handle that, in accordance to David Lawrence, a analysis fellow at Chatham House, a London-based worldwide affairs coverage institute.
“Migration is one area where the UK could spearhead something that offers tangible benefits. It would be interesting to see a Commonwealth visa, perhaps something that makes it easier for individuals to visit, study, and work in the UK,” Lawrence stated. “This would help plug some of the labor shortages and reduce the chance of countries wanting to leave the Commonwealth.”
The disparities in acceptance charges could stem from numerous causes in accordance to immigration specialists. One of them might be that international locations with which the UK has visa-free agreements additionally have a tendency to be “closer” companions, in accordance to Lawrence.
But on the coronary heart of it, there’s a mismatch of expectations. Free motion throughout the EU was extremely unpopular within the UK and was a significant factor within the vote to go away the bloc. The concern of immigration is once more coming to the political fore this yr, largely due to the variety of asylum seekers making an attempt to cross the Channel in small boats from France within the absence of formally accredited routes to attain Britain.
Net migration to the UK hit a document excessive of half 1,000,000 folks within the yr to 2022, the Office for National Statistics stated on Thursday, in what the group referred to as a “unique” 12-month interval.
Having a particular visa for expert Commonwealth residents shouldn’t be an issue as long as the British folks imagine it is justified, stated Heather Rolfe, an immigration integration specialist at British Future, a London-based immigration non-profit.
“If you’ve got skills that the UK needs, it wouldn’t really matter what country you come from,” Rolfe argued. “The question would be why the preference for Commonwealth countries. However, employers might consider it as a good idea especially if it benefits them financially by way of lower visa costs.”
© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.
