A new immigration policy in United Kingdom (UK) prohibits foreign caregivers from filing for permanent residency status even after five years of continued work. To show their protest against this new policy, the Filipino community in UK requested a meeting with a number of British lawmakers. The meeting that was led by the Kanlungan Alliance of Filipino Organizations was held at the House of Commons at Westminster in London and lasted for three hours.

In the said meeting, the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) voiced out their concerns against the new policy of the UK Border Agency that would no longer renew visas for anyone who was not being paid the minimum hourly rate of 7.02 pounds or roughly Php486). The said amount is the rate set for senior care workers or caregivers.

The Kanlungan group said in a statement, “The UK will need skilled migrant care workers for the foreseeable future. Skilled migrant care workers are hardworking families. Settlement is one of the main reasons why they come to Britain. It’s unfair to change immigration rules for people already settled who’ve planned for their lives. Salary level should not determine who settles.”

The leaders of Kanlungan and members of other OFW groups such as Unison and the Migrant Rights Network also met with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration.

The new policy is deemed by OFWs as unfair and discriminatory because they have already given visas to other migrant workers with low salary rate but had worked legally in UK for five years.

The project staff of Kanlungan, Jamima Fagta said thru an email sent to Inquirer that two Pinoy caregivers working in London, Lourdes Dizon Somera and Gundelina Ramirez had a difficult time obtaining their Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) document. This document would give them permission to live in the UK after five years of work.

The caregivers mentioned relayed to the lawmakers how the new immigration policy negatively affected their families, their job and the community as a whole.

Somera went to UK five years ago to work and support her family and younger siblings in the Philippines. She said she was devastated when her application for ILR was rejected.

Somera also shared that as an orphan, she had come to love her work and her wards. She said, “It is a mixture of joy and hard work being a caregiver. I have personal empathy with them so it is fulfilling when I deliver the care. It is as if I am caring of my own parents.”

Somera and her two year old son who was born in London would need to leave UK if she will not be granted an ILR.

The Kanlungan project staff, Fagta said that the personal stories shared by the OFWs touched the audience.

She said, “The OFWs appealed to the MPs to hold a parliament debate on the matter. The response was positive but we need to work together to achieve this.”