Migrant Voice Paper 2012

8/3/2019 Migrant Voice Paper 2012

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presenting alternative positions on migrationwww.migrantvoice.org

Issue 1, 2012

isi

Migrant Voice reporter

Aormer immigration ministeris leading a team that aims tocreate Britains frst museum omigration.

Britain has thousands o museums more than 100 in London alone but nomajor comprehensive museum devotedto all aspects o British migration, both

incoming and outgoing.Former Labour minister BarbaraRoche and her team believe it could

be as signifcant as the opening othe International Slavery Museum inLiverpool in 2007, which director DavidFleming described as the most impor-tant new British museum or 100 years:the transatlantic slave trade was thegreatest orced migration in history.

The US has Ellis Island, once thegateway or millions o immigrantsto the US, and Roche believes Britain

needs something similar: an institutionto celebrate the role o migration in thenational story.

The great thing about Britain is thatit has absorbed migrants or centuries,says Roche. I eel very proud to beBritish and this project is about realisingthat one o the best things about beingBritish is that we are made up o dier-ence.

A migration museum would also coverBritish emigration: 5.5 million Britishnationals are estimated to be living

abroad (roughly the same number as

WAnted: furfor UK ellis Islamigraio musum

4

13

14

18

34

Brits abroadThe other side ofthe immigrationdebate

Overseasstudents crisisJeopardisinga Britishsuccess story

Brums BaltibonanzaHP sauce, Typhoo,Cadburys nowanother landmark

Europes royalmigrantsFreshening upthe bloodline

Rugbysnon-racistrecord

Hitz kicks out theold rugby clichs

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are among the international celebr ities for whom London has been home. Their 10m house has also beenhome to Johnny Depp and to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Story: page 3 ph: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Maybe its because Im (almost) a Londoner

ud 2


2/35

Welcome to Migrant Voice

Concern as security companies

take over asylum housing

2 www.mgrntvoce.org

Welcome to the new issue o Migrant Voicenewspaper which celebrates the success andcontribution o migrants and their role in

infuencing lie and culture in the UK, and shaping itsuture.

It tells the stories o many migrants, including Britsliving abroad and o their hopes and aspirations.

Join us on a journey to the Balti Triangle in the heart othe nations curry capital, Birmingham; ollow the dreamso our Olympic hopeuls such as Mo Farah and TianyPorter in our sports pages; and nd out how the Olympicfame sparks romance between Europes royals andtheir uture migrant partners; discover the new ashion

talents in London and a strange but inspirational kinetictheatre in Glasgow.

Also in this issue we investigate policy areas that

impact on both migrants and the country, such as the capon students visas and the language tests ororeign spouses.

We want to hear your thoughts. I you wouldlike to make comments and suggestions, or i youwould like to get involved in our work, please [email protected]

Edtor-n-chef

Nze Rmdn

le on fcebooMigrant Voice

PiNaR aksu

Amultinational company that has won a contractor housing asylum-seekers in Scotland has beenchallenged to maintain standards.Serco has been urged to adopt the Scottish Standards

or Temporary Accommodation, which outline minimumhousing and service standards or people in temporaryhomeless accommodation.

The standards are promoted by the charity ShelterScotland and the Chartered Institute o Housing inScotland.

Michael Collins o the Glasgow City o Sanctuary group

commented: Glasgow can be proud o our history as acity o welcome or people seeking sanctuary. Asylumhousing provision, however, has been very hit-and-missand some o it, particularly in the private sector, has beendownright awul.

We arent asking or special treatment or peopleseeking sanctuary, just a housing service o the samestandard as that or other people who nd themselves

homeless.Collins, a ormer housing manager at the Scottish

Reugee Council, added, In Glasgow and across the UKthere have been examples o shockingly sub-standardhousing being used.

Provision o housing or asylum-seekers in Scotlandhas oten been controversial. For several years it wasprovided by Glasgow Council, and has since beenmanaged by the private Angel Group and the charity

Ypeople.But at the end o 2011 the UK Border Agency said

Serco would take over the job.Two other multinational security companies, Reliance

and G4S, have also won similar contracts elsewhere inUK. All are involved in the provision o immigrationdetention services in the UK. Serco runs the Yarls Wooddetention centre in Bedordshire.

Concern about putting responsibility or housing intothe hands o private corporations has been expressedacross the UK, particularly over the danger that standardso support are being being lowered.

Edtor-n-chef

Nazek Ramadan

Edtor

Daniel Nelson

Edtorl mnger

Anne Stoltenberg

Degner

Ching-Li Chew

Led photogrpher

Beth Crosland

With thanks to all the volunteerjournalists, photographers,

contributors and Migrant Voicenetwork members and trustees

who took part in the production ofthe paper

in prtclr thn to:

Nishit MorsawalaRuchita Daswani

Lilian PosadaMariko HayashiAmlie BelfortPilar Balet Robinson

Sara DavidsonKarina Cabrera

Thank you to the Barrow Cadbury

Trust and the Joseph RowntreeCharitable Trust for supporting thework of Migrant Voice.Thank you to the Open Society

Institute for supporting our work,and in particular for funding

towards the productionof the paper.

MV is a migrant-led organisationwith a vision of an equitable societywhere migrants are recognised

for their contr ibution, embracedas valuable members of our

community, and their voices equallyheard.

Printed at the Guardian Print Centre,

Rick Roberts Way, London E15 2GN

and The Guardian Pr int Centre,

Longbridge Road,

Manchester M17 1SL

Migrant Voice is the newspaper of the

registered Charity No 1142963 and

the not-for-prot company 7154151

Migrant Voice. Published by and

Migrant Voice 2012. Please seek

permission before reproducing any

of our articles or photographs.

Frank Meislers Kindertransport memorial outside LiverpoolStreet station, London commemorates the rescue missionbefore the outbreak of the Second World War when Britaintook in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from NaziGermany and other European countries. Photo: StoneColdCrazy

MusuEM BiD, from pge 1

oreign nationals living here) and some 60 million peo-ple around the world claim British ancestry.

Roche emphasises the importance o making peoplerealise such a museum is or all o us, not just or oneparticular group or community, because as the writer,Robert Winder says, weve all come rom somewhereelse. The only thing that distinguishes us is how arback we go.

Suggestions or the location include East LondonsDocklands area, Birmingham, Cardi, Southamptonand Liverpool.

She says the main problem is nding a major donor maybe someone o migrant heritage who eels particu-larly patriotic because o all that he or she has managedto achieve in Britain.

We know this project is ready to fy and were justwaiting or the right person or people to have the cour-age and vision to fy with us, she says.

We wnt to now wht yo thn bot the pper,tell t [email protected]


3/35

Where the streets are

paved with celebsJoanna Cordero takes a tour of London, and nds shes among the stars

3www.migrantvoice.org

When it comes to star-spotting,I would rate London in thetop three with Los Angelesand New York, James Bon-

ney from a company that operates bus toursof celebrity homes, has said.

Most celebs who cross or considercrossing the pond from the US or elsewhere

seem to be doing so for professional reasonsor for love but inevitably they eventually fallfor the city itself, for its culture and diversity,said Bonney.

Madonna owns several properties acrossthe UK and lived in London with then-husband, Guy Ritchie, between 2000 and2008. Although unsure at rst, Madonnabecame enamoured with the city. She told theDaily Mail that: I just fell in love with it.

I am delighted to be here. I am notdelighted that people keep saying that Idont like being here. Why did I buy so manyhouses here if I didnt like it?

Pint-sized singer and actress, KylieMinogue, moved to London over 16 years

ago from Australia where she became famousfor her role in Neighbours and has sincemade a music career in which she has soldover 68 million records.

She reafrmed her love of Chelsea bybuying a property just moments away fromher old home. She is often seen out with herSpanish model boyfriend, Andres VelencosoSegura.

Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjrk moved tothe capital in 1992 to launch a solo career. In1994 she won Best International Female andBest International Newcomer at the BRITawards. For her, London was the best place togrow commercially.

She once commented, When I was ateenager in Iceland people would throw rocksand shout abuse at me because they thoughtI was weird. I never got that in London nomatter what I wore.

Atlanta-born former Destinys Child, KellyRowland, told the Daily Mirror that she lovedBritish culture singling out its humour,traditional Sunday brunches and sticky toffeepudding.

Like Bjrk, American actress GwynethPaltrow is also a fan of the capitals fashiondiversity.

In Chelsea, its very designer, and withinthat, youll have the more horsey, traditionalEnglish girl - that posh kind of dressing,

she said in an interview. In east Londonyou have the funkiest styles, where theyllbring back the 80s and stuff like that. Youll

London ismy home.I will neverrenounce

beingAmerican

but there isa part ofme that isBritish now

follow us @MigrantVoiceUK

see a forward kind of fashion there. Then, inNotting Hill, youll see Sienna Miller -style,sort of Bohemian chic [and], in north Londonits a mix of all of the above.

She moved to London to be with herrocker-husband, Chris Martin from Coldplay.The couple lives in a 33-room mansion inBelsize Park.

The globetrotting Jolie-Pitt brood alsocalled London home, setting up a base inRichmond-on-Thames, while Brad Pitt shotthe lm World War Z in Glasgow. Thecouple and their six children lived in a 10million home just around the corner fromOscar winner and fellow American, SandraBullock.

Their mansion has also been the residence

of other Hollywood A-listers includingJohnny Depp, Michael Douglas and wifeCatherine Zeta-Jones.

Self-confessed Anglophile, Kevin Spacey,made the move from New York to aKennington at in south London to takeover the artistic direction of the Old Vic.In an interview with the Mirror he said, London is my home. I will never renouncebeing American but there is a part of me thatis British now. I may go for dual citizenship -who knows, he added.

Another Anglophile, US lm director TimBurton fell in love with Londons cityscapeafter moving to a house in Belsize Park closeto his partner, British actress Helena BonhamCarter.

Londons streets and gothic architecturethat recalls vintage British horror lms areamong his inspirations.

Im much happier in [London] - I likethe weather, I like walking, I like being aforeigner. I felt like a foreigner growingup in LA so now I feel comfortable being aforeigner, he told Time Out magazine.

And maybe its because I watched toomany Hammer horror lms, but I feel likeIm living in one, which makes me veryhappy. I do like it when it rains. It depresses

a lot of people but I get quite excited when itrains. Maybe its because Im from southernCalifornia, he added.

Madonna: Several propertiesPhoto: Adam Sammler

Kylie Minogue: House in ChelseaPhoto: Paul Robinson


4/35

Brits abroad: the otherof the immigration debImmigrant, migrant, traveller, expatriate: Nsh Mstalks

to people from UK who seek fun and fortune overseas

4 .mn.

Sara DaviDSoN, 50itS a claSS iSSue.Hn d n m hn sx

ns nd n h nnnssh n s n h uK.

I spent six months in Iceland as

a student, and another year in Norway,where I also worked. Students are seen asmigrants, which is a shame as they are more

expatriates.

I worked 18 months in Australia, as an aidworker in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

I went to India, then to Australia, then to

Burma and Nepal.I tried to integrate. In Australia I shared a

house with Australians and other travellers.

In Sydneys poorer areas I became friendswith immigrants and locals.

I was a migrant worker in Australia.

Essentially, an expatriate is a positive term,it means you have more responsibilities

and that somehow theres a chance youll

willingly go home.

Migrants have to take what they get,cant go back as easily. Migrant is now a

criminalised term it could mean expatriate,refugee, asylum-seeker.

In India, there is a great consciousness of

its colonial past and certain prejudices fromthe middle-class.

Its easy to forget quickly that we too used

to go abroad and we still applaud people forgoing abroad ... migrants, however, are treated

suspiciously. Its a class issue.

Sh nd h hsbnd nd fmh d n Bhn f ms

dd.We have been working

abroad for more than 10 years.

Unfortunately our holidays arespent at home in UK to make upfor working abroad. We would

love to travel with family but

never had the opportunity.I miss the greenery, discipline,

the variety of places to visit,

museums, theatres and ourhomes. We are part of the

local culture but we are always

foreigners and never actually partof it. Sadly with more time spent

abroad, you feel you dont belong

here or there . Thats the priceyou have to pay for a better living

and job satisfaction.

You contribute to the localculture but once your job is done

you

fear youare not

needed and

thus you are

not welcomed. You leave yourhome to provide your family

with a better future, nancialsecurity and job satisfaction. You

consider it home but deep inside

home is where your family is and

sometimes it gets lonely, althoughyou are surrounded by friends

and colleagues.

Your fr iends become yourfamily you can rely on when

needed. However, as Bahrain is

home to many expats, friendscome and go. Its ok when you

are young and busy building your

future, but then you look for

security, family and where yougrew up to think of home.

I

n Britain, controversy about immigra-tion has raged for years. But emigra-tion gets less attention.

Australia is the most popularcountry for Brits looking to live overseas,with 21 per cent in a Post Ofce surveymaking it their No.1 choice, followed by theUS, Canada and Spain.

The survey found that a quarter of people and a third of students have considereda move overseas, and that a better qualityof life was the main biggest incentive. Thenumber of people who left the UK in 2010was 124,000.

About two million Britons have left theUK since 1998, and around a million havereturned.

Around 60% of those leaving are of

working age, in the 25-to-44 age group whoare going for a job or are looking for one.Jessica Crowe has been living in Mexico

City for more than six months: Leaving yourcountry of birth gives you a better idea ofwhat you consider home to be.

I always wanted to see the world, says31-year-old Martin Barnett. I was still youngand single when I went to New Zealand for asnowboarding trip so I stayed

Barnett spent seven years abroad threeeach in New Zealand and Australia and onemore in Southeast Asia and he loved everybit of the migrant experience.

Of course there are problems, likemigrants have in every other country, hesays. My girlfriend is Japanese and oncea group of people passed racist remarks ather while we were walking down the street.Some Aussies would joke about how Britswere taking their jobs when I worked as

a bartender: it was all very light-heartedbut you never know what the underlyingsentiment is.

Dr liNa lewiS, 48i MiSS tHe greeNery

n kn h hnk b h pp, s [email protected]


5/35

sideate

Finch: Increase in Britons going to China.

5www.igaie.g

About 5.6 million Britons now liveabroad permanently, with another500,000 living abroad or part o the

year, according to the Foreign Ofce.The vast majority, are young working

people, in the 25-44 age group, says TimFinch, co-author o a recent report, GlobalBrit: Making the most o the British diaspora.

The next biggest group are in the 45-59age bracket.

Very ew are going out to do nothing,points out Finch, communications director at

the Institute or Public Policy Research, thethink-tank which published the report.

Do they integrate with the societies inwhich they fnd themselves?

Pensioners are the least-integratedmigrant community, he says.

In Anglophone countries, integration isvery good its hardly worth talking about.

Were bad at speaking other languages, weonly speak English ... it is easier to integratein English speaking countries.

The Global Brit study ound that emigrantsintegrated better in Bulgaria and the US thanin Spain and Dubai, while the result or Indiawas mixed. Why?

Bulgaria was a nascent community,cheap property, nice environment it wasadvertised as a nice home, Finch explains.I you cant aord France or Spain, then itmade sense. In Bulgaria you have to integrateas they dont speak English and you need tolearn a bit o Bulgarian.

There is now a big increase in Britons goingto China, where opportunities didnt exist10 years ago, a shit that Finch says mightincrease to economically developing countriessuch as India or Brazil.

A recent survey by currency dealerMoneycorp ound that nine out o tenBritish expats said that they would continueto live abroad, with a quarter o respondents

saying that they would rather move toanother country than consider moving backto the UK.

The Britishdiaspora

A aess w a e ie

f e ieiewlied i Ld, se ad

e ae ae ig

Ausalia i usui fa bee, less sessful

life.Ive travelled to China,

Thailand, India, Zimbabwe,

the US, Europe (France , Italy,

Greece, Turkey, Germanyand Austria) but never lived

abroad as such.

My partner and I aremoving to Melbourne. We

are sick and tired of the

expense of London living,cold winters, overcrowded

cities, the London riots...My

partner Joe is a chef and his

working day can be up to

18 hours. In Australia he can

work less hours with more

leisure time.We both love the sea,

swimming and surng wecan all do at the start or

the end of a working day in

Melbourne. We also bothwant an adventure together,

having both lived in London

for the last eight years.Although Ill miss

my friends and family

back home, its somethingI feel we both need to do.

I feel claustrophobic in the

city, hungry for a change.

But I will miss British pubs

and heritage, London ona crisp winter morning,

the patchwork of British

countryside.In Australia, I plan

on taking part in fringe

theatre in whatevercapacity. I can only see

the move as a positive.

I think the more customsyou can understand and by

osmosis inform and better

yourself as an individualthe better. I would perceive

myself to be a migrant, as I

intend to work in Oz and

integrate with society overthere.

He and his girlriend now are planning tomove to Japan.

People migrate or quality o lie reasons and thats air, he says.

Technically, the United NationsConvention on the Protection o the Rightso All Migrant Workers and Members oTheir Families defnes a migrant worker as aperson who is engaged or has been engagedin a remunerated activity in a State o whichhe or she is not a national.

A particularly sore point in the UKimmigration debate is language. A recentcourt ruling has upheld the UK immigrationrule that spouses must pass a basic Englishlanguage test i they are to indefnitely jointheir partners here. Supporters say the movewill improve social integration: critics say itmay obstruct a persons right to a amily lie.

What about Britons living abroad?Susan Woods worked or three years in

South Arica and seven in the US. Now sheowns a property in the Spanish town o

Alcossebre, where she spends a ew monthsevery year with her husband.One o the things I fnd most

extraordinary about the English in Spain ishow many o them havent made more than arudimentary attempt to learn Spanish. Mostseem to really just want to pretend theyrestill in England - but with better weather,she says.

And how easy is it to integrate in a cultureand society ar removed rom your own?

I dont have any particular plans regardingbecoming part o the local culture, saysDr Seth Lazar, who lives with his amilyin Australia ater living in Zimbabwe,Switzerland, the US and Israel. I intend tohold onto my accent at all costs, or example.

Lazar says hes been a traveller but now Isee mysel as an immigrant.

He doesnt think the idea o globalcitizenship makes much sense, exceptmetaphorically: Citizenship denotesmembership in a state, or at least a politicalcommunity, and in the absence o a globalstate, nation-states are all we have. Andtheres no doubt when moving to work in

another nation-state that you know youre animmigrant, and in that respect dierent romthe locals.

SomeAussieswould jokeabout howBrits weretaking their

jobs when Iworked as a

bartender

EmmA SyLvEStEr, 28:

I cAn onLy SEE thE movE AS A poSItIvE

Dr Seth Lazar,

with his wife, Lu

Barnham, andson Amos, at Rye

Beach, Melbourne:

Once a traveller,now an immigrant

like us faebkMigrant Voice


6/35

How migrants can help

strengthen Britainseconomic backbone

Migration cap may bebad for business

6 .migvoic.og

Freda OwOnsu

Heres how Ko and other migrants from allover the world can help strengthen Britainseconomic backbone one of the aims of Lord

Green, the Trade and Investment Minister.Green wants 100,000 small enterprises to start

exporting or spread sales to new markets. He admits thattackling the unknown in the overseas markets will oftenbe daunting, and calls on business advisors, accountants,

lawyers and other professionals to help.Thats where Ko comes in.Ko is a 29-year-old engineering graduate from

the University of Science and Technology in Ghana.He works in Britain as a part-qualied accountant fora manufacturing rm that sees opportunities in theGhanaian market.

With his technical knowledge, Ko can talk to potentialclients and government ofcials in Ghana. Through hisold school or alumni network, he will have contacts inGhana, some of whom may even be quite strategic for theBritish company.

Ko is looking for chances to visit his country of origin,or the chance to return either semi-permanently orpermanently. By drawing upon Kos contacts, knowledgeand aspirations, the British company could not only

hit the ground running in Ghana, but could also makesavings by hiring lawyers and other professionals onlywhen absolutely necessary.

Ko could also gather information from his contactsin Ghana, and brief company executives before any visits

they make to Ghana, including cultural dos and donts.People like Ko are a human resource in which Britain

is rich, because of its colonial history and subsequentdiversity but which competitor countries, such as China,generally lack. Why not use this resource to competitiveadvantage?Here are some suggestions:

1. Get to know your migrant workers (however humbletheir position in the company), by including themmore in the social life of your business. Find out, in a

non-threatening way, where they originate from, theirqualications, and what they know about local marketsthere - this could well give you some ideas about potentialproducts in new locations you may not know about.

2. If you nd that some of your migrant workersoriginate from the countries you wish to export to, tellthem, seek their help, and if appropriate, work with them

3. Find out what they know about doing businessin your sector, who they know, which language theyspeak youll almost certainly nd they speak several- and how best they may be able to assist your exportstrategy. Their input may be as simple as interpretingor translating material for you, but it could also provideyou with practical information, and more importantly,useful contacts that could enable you to leap-frog over thecompetition.

If you dont employ migrant workers from countriesin which you are aiming to do business, try migrantnetworks and associations, some of whom maintain tieswith their home countries and can help you with essentialpractical information and useful contacts.

foo @MigrantVoiceUK

JasOn Paul Grant

London is a global city, unique in its diversity,proud of its history and an economic driver forthe whole country.

People from around the globe ock to London toexperience the sights, learn the language, work, studyand play. In return, they bring skills, experience anddiversity. All of these benets could come to an end if thegovernments plans to cap migration are implemented.

The cap will limit the number of people coming to workhere, and is directed at people from outside the EuropeanUnion.

Recruitment of skilled workers from non- EUcountries is central to many businesses in the UK,and evidence indicates they contribute to Britains

wealth.Restricting skilled migrant workers brings signicantrisks for UK businesses. Many businesses consider such

migrants as critical to their future development and towider economic growth in the UK.

Thats why many have opposed the plans to curbimmigration. A spokesman for the employers bodystated that the cap places an immediate disadvantageon UK-based businesses as they seek to win internationalbusiness, and in doing so need to deploy internationallysought-after talent.

This is the worst of all times to constrain businessin its ability to access the skilled global talent it needs tosupport this growth.

Similarly, Matt Cavanagh, associate director of theIPPR think-tank, was looking ahead when he said,Ministers need to start thinking about how to harnessimmigration to promote growth.

But if businesses think restrictions on immigration

are harmful to themselves and the economy, they needto make that case clearly and with evidence - not just togovernment but to the public.

Brighter Futures member: promoting excellence.Phoo: Trupti Patel

alex suttOn

Members of the Brighter Futuresyouth group are looking for thesocial worker who best supports

young refugees and asylum-seekers.And when they nd him or her, that

person will be given The Brighter FuturesAward.

Some young people we know have beensaved by individuals good practise, whilesome have been victims of bad practice, saysthe group.

A good social worker or key worker canmake all the difference between a youngperson feeling safe, listened to and optimisticabout the future or feeling isolated,threatened and stuck. Members of our groupknow that a good social worker or key workerthat goes the extra mile can open the door totheir future.

They say they want to promote excellenceas we only ever hear about negative practice:we want to inspire people to improve andlearn from inspirational role models.

You can nominate online or downloadthe nomination pack from www.brighterfutureslondon.co.uk, Tell your

local authority or anyone you think mightbe interested. Deadline for nominations isFebruary 24.

Nominate a

social worker


7/35

Secrets of successAnne Mullee gets tips for the top from a trio of migrants who have become leaders in their eld


What is success? While moneytops many peoples list, forothers its just a part of thestory, or doesnt feature at

all. For these three migrants, the key to theirachievements has been creativity, a love offood and the chance to help others.

Camila Batmanghelidgjh

Born in Teheran to an Iranian father andBelgian mother, British Business Woman ofthe Year Camila Batmanghelidjh was sent toboarding school in Britain at the age of 11.

Her wealthy family were supporters of

the Shah and suffered in the wake of the1979 revolution, when her mother vanished,her father was imprisoned and her sistercommitted suicide.

Though severely dyslexic, Batmanghelidjhgained an honours degree in drama fromthe University of Warwick, then trained as apsychotherapist, when she began to witnessthe damaging effects of child poverty anddecided to do something to help. The result isher charity, Kids Company, founded in 1996,which offers a range of services includingdrop-in centres and therapy for childrenliving in poverty in London.

Though feted for her charity work,Batmanghelidjh is far from complacent, and

is an avid lobbyist for increased funding forsocial services relating to children.

Following last years riots she commentedon the effects of poverty and how theauthorities are failing such children: Under-resourced social work departments are

making unethical choices all the time, leavingchildren hungry, neglected or sleeping on theoor. A house littered with dog and humanfaeces is now not classied as child abuse,nor do social services take responsibility fora 13-year-old boy being run by drug dealersand witnessing the torture of other youngpeople: thats classed as a police matter.

On her own success, she believes thatpart of it is down to creating a peaceful, andattractive, environment, an approach evidentfrom her colourful personal style.

Find a place, then make it beautiful, andyou colour a childs life, she suggests.

Anjali Pathak and the Pathak familyRegularly touted as Britains new favouritedish, curry today is as ubiquitous as shand chips. But that wasnt the case whenLaxmishanker and Shanta Pathak migratedto the UK from Kenya in 1956.

Originally from the Gujarat region of India,the couple found themselves in the northLondon area of Kentish Town with just 5 toget them started, and no familiar Indian foodto be found.

With entrepreneurial zeal, they began totrack down spice suppliers and to make andsell their own recipes through their shop,with Shanta devising pickles and relishes in

her own kitchen.The business grew, dropped the h to

become Pataks, and its products can now befound in every supermarket in the land.

Laxmishanker and Shantas son Kirit(currently appearing in Pataks TV adverts)

and granddaughter Anjali are now thecompanys brand ambassadors, with Anjali

spreading curry lore through cookerydemonstrations on You Tube.

She is proud of her familys successand passionate about Indian food. Beingentrepreneurial is in my blood, I approachlife with strong ambition and the drive to besuccessful, she told Indiatimes.

As a second-generation migrant she ispositive about the opportunities her countrycan offer, but also believes that heritage canplay an important part in nding success.

The UK recognises talent and does notdiscriminate: this has given young Indianentrepreneurs a platform to show innovationand skills. But my Gujarati heritage is alsovery important to me. It is where a lot of my

family traditions derive from.When I joined the business I wanted to

show the trendier, healthier side of Indiancuisine. There are so many aspects to shareand I believe the world is on the brink of theIndian food revolution.

Hussein Chalayan

British Designer of the Year for twoconsecutive years, Chalayan moved to theUK from Nicosia in Turkish Cyprus in 1978,when he was eight.

Renowned for his avant garde approachto fashion, his debut collection featured silkdresses that had been buried to allow themto decompose. He went on to make clothesfrom paper and wood and other unexpectedmaterials.

Today, however, he is better known fordressing Lady Gaga and as creative directorfor sportswear label Puma.

A champion of collaboration and tryingeverything and anything, Chalayan believesthat you dont have to have your own labelto succeed, you could have a part in aninteresting group.

With a keen interest in all forms of artand design, he has represented Turkey atthe Venice Biennale and worked with crystalspecialists Swarovski to make glow-in-the-dark LED dresses.

His advice for success? You have to exposeyourself to other worlds to keep your mindmore active.

Being entre-preneurial isin my blood,

I approachlife withstrong ambi-tion and thedrive to besuccessful

Anjali Pathak: On the brink o f a food revolution

Hussein Chalayan dresses,Design Museum, London

Photo: Kaupelei

CamilaBatmanghelidjh:

Avid lobbyistPhoto:

Garry Knight

we want to know what you think about the paper, tell us [email protected]


8/35

The homelandlesslimbo between twoVictr Fraga, who has made a home in Britain but fondly remembers his

original homeland, talks to two exiles who are not so for tunate

8 www.migratvice.rg

When I think of my homeland,Brazil - an ocean and a hemi-sphere away from my chosenhome in London I experi-

ence a gentle sense of longing. I remembermy family, my schoolfriends, my childhoodplaces, my favourite TV shows, the vibrantcolours, tastes and smells. I can almost sensethe beach and the joys of carnival right infront of me.

Brazil is now the country of the future.The unrelenting prophecy that the sleepinggiant is going to wake up is now becomingreality. The economy is booming, poverty andsocial inequalities are diminishing. Virtuallyall indicators are positive.

Unfortunately, not all immigrants havethe same privilege. Most did not opt to leavetheir homeland like me and instead werebrutally forced out by a series of unfortunate,often catastrophic, circumstances. Theirfeelings towards their homeland are inviolent conict with mine.

Jean Baptiste and Fred (not their realnames) are both from the DemocraticRepublic of Congo, a country devastated by

decades of civil war, with little prospect forimprovement. A bloody past and gloomyfuture.

Jean Baptiste is 40, from the eastern townof Bukavo, near the Rwanda border. His voiceis placid, his manners kind and agreeable.He was a headmaster and a preacher beforeeeing to Britain because of his vocalopposition to the President, Joseph Kabila.He had been arrested ve times without acharge and feared for his life.

His memories are ridden with blood andfear. He has no-one left at home to visit;he has no desire to return to his childhoodplace and does not see even a faint hope ofimprovement.

Jean Baptiste has been ghting for yearsfor the right to bring in his wife and threechildren, but the Home Ofce has told himthat to do so he needs to earn a minimumof 2,300 a month. This is so absurd that itwould have been more honest for the HomeOfce to have simply said no. As we went topress, however, we learned that he has nallybeen allowed to be reunited with his family.

Freds story is similar, involving politicalopposition in Congo, arrest, and escape withthe help of a black market agency, leavingwife and kids behind.

Fred, however, is not concerned aboutfamily rights. Instead, he wants to start anew family in the UK. This is not because

His wifeand kidsare dead,murdered

by pro-governmentforces, likemost of hisfriends andrelatives

Don FlynnDirector of the Migrants Rights Network

Politicians like to emphasise the impor-tance of family life, but their actionsdont always live up to their words.

Measures under consideration by thegovernment, for example, threaten the familylives of many immigrant communities.

One area of concern is the newrequirement that people abroad wishing to

join their families here must speak at leastbasic conversational English.

The Border Agency admits that testingproduces discrimination on grounds of raceor nationality but says this is justied by thebenets of better integration and economicwell-being. But the evidence is that suchtesting is unnecessary. In the days when

language testing was given not before entryto UK but after two years residence, it wasfound that less than 1% of applicants failed.

That is a good indication that theopportunity to live here is the best guaranteethat migrants will learn to speak English.

Now the government intends to insist thatthose seeking to bring in a family memberhave a higher level of earnings perhaps20,000 for a couple with no children. Ifthat gure is agreed, the governmentsmain migration policy advisors estimatethat around half of all family reunicationapplications will fail on grounds of lowearnings.

This high refusal rate will impact most

on migrants from Bangladesh, India andPakistan. Sponsors living and working outsideLondon and the south-east will also be hithard, as well as those in low-paid jobs such asnursing, teaching and residential care.

The governments reasoning for makingit harder for dependents to join families inBritain is that only relatively well-off peoplecan take on the task of integration intomainstream society. Yet compared to otherEuropean countries, the absence of suchobstacles to a secure status based on positiverights to family life has produced moreintegration.

The imposition of the barriers beingconsidered by the government will increasethe chances that relatively poor immigrantcommunities will be permanently locked outof the advantages of a family life. The resultcould be a rise in the poverty of some groupsbecause immigration rules force them to takeon the extra expense of maintaining twohouseholds, one in the UK and another fordependents in the place of origin.

Migrant parents work hard to ensurethat their children have a better life thanthey do. If family life is denied, the riseof communities from poverty to relativeprosperity will also cease.

Such progress has been the real drivetowards integration. If the governments

plans are carried out, we might have to wavegoodbye to all hopes for integration based onprogress towards equality and social justice.

Integrationunder threat

Exile: Hands on or hand out?Pht: Natalie Bennett

ike us facebkMigrant Voice


9/35

nworlds

Read more of Victor Fragaswriting on his blog:g.bg.m

9.mg.g

Fred is heartless. His wife and kids are dead,murdered by pro-government forces, likemost of his friends and relatives.

Talking to Jean Baptiste and Fredmakes me feel like a champagne immigrantwho decided to move to a richer and morepromising nation on a caprice.

My life in here has enabled me to learn alot and appreciate my Brazilian and Spanishheritage. I have helped publicise Brazilianculture in the UK and I like to think that Imake a contribution to Londons diversecultural landscape.

But whats the point in discussing yourfavourite British dish or artist when yourpriority is simply staying alive? Unlike me,Jean Baptiste and Fred did not choose to livein the UK out of admiration for the vibrantcultural scene. They came here because itoffered a chance for survival.

I have three passports: Brazilian, Spanishand British. Jean Baptiste and Fred possessno passport. They have a Home Ofce traveldocument, which grants extremely limitedmobility.

My parents and sisters dont need a visa tovisit me. I speak to my cousins on Facebook.When I have kids, I have no doubt that theywill be able to travel the world.

Family of nationsRules and regulations make it increasingly hard for migrant workers and

refugees and sometimes British citizens to bring in spouses and otherfamily members. Could you live without your family? Should family life be

a basic human right? If you had to move abroad for a long time would you

expect the right to bring your family with you? We asked a random group

of passers-by.

Justine, 22, student

As I am studying abroad,I dont see my family veryoften but I am alwayshappy to see them and asI know I will go back homesomeday, I dont reallymind. But it would havebeen very different if I hada husband and kids since Icant imagine myself livingwithout a family later.Living with ones familyshould obviously be a

right, especially when oneneeds to move to anothercountry.

MohaMed, 72,retired council

eMployee

I have been living on myown for over 40 years, butmy sister and her daughterlive nearby. But I thinkof course it should be theright for people to live withtheir families. If I had myown family and had to goabroad, I couldnt leavethem behind. I would wantto take them with me.

KatJa, 30, officeworKer

The most important familyto me is my partner and Icouldnt live without him.But if I think about mymom, Im actually living inanother country already,so yes, I can live withouther. I guess because thathas been my own choice,to leave.

Youre very alonewithout your closest ones,

although I think they canbe both your family byblood and dear friends.

alMa, 25,

custoMer service

representative

I have lived far away frommy immediate family fora long time but that is justa matter of choice in mycase and, I suppose, partof the process of growingup. However, I am happilymarried and could notimagine living far awayfrom my partner ever. Wehad to spend time apartbecause of visa regulationsand I do not wish thatsituation upon anyone.

carMen, 42,

uneMployed, two

children

I cant imagine livingwithout my family. I amSpanish, and in Spainfamily is very important.Of course it should be ahuman right to be withyour family. I came fromSpain and I could neverleave my children, so Itook them with me. Itmight be possible to liveaway from family, but itwould be really hard.

ali, 27, shopKeeper

I never lived without myfamily and I cant imaginewhat life without familyis like. I see some peoplewho have no family andits like being in prison forthem. Especially for oldpeople, its really sad whenthey have no one to lookafter them and they diealone. I have looked aftermy family all my life andI expect my family to dothe same when Im old,so it is a human right tobe with family. If I had to

go abroad I would like totake my family with me,although its up to them.

Mary, 25, MuseuM

intern

I couldnt live without afamily anywhere in theworld because its veryimportant for me to bewith the people I love. Ithink everyone shouldhave the right to live withthe one he or she loves.

liz, 72, retired nurse,seven children

I cant imagine myselfliving without my family.Especially when you areolder, you want to bearound your family. Thatswhy I moved to Londonfrom Wales, just be toclose to my children andgrandchildren. I do believethe right to family life isa basic human right. If Ihad to go abroad for a long

time, I would like to be ableto take my family with me,although its up to them.

Victor Fraga: Asense of longing

@MigrantVoiceUK


10/35

Every picture

10 www.mgrntvc.rg

The Talking Pictures Project,run by Migrant Voice, was anopportunity for migrants toshare their experiences throughimages and words. Participantscame from Canada, Chile,Colombia, Eritrea, Georgia,Iran, Italy, Honduras, Lebanon,

Palestine, Spain, Sudan and theUK, and have long and variedhistories of migration to theUK and abroad. Their photos

tell stories of decisions madebefore departure, during

the journey and after arrival,of expectations and of theunexpected, and how people -whatever their pasts focus on

the future and build homes ina new country. DVDs from theproject can be seen at

www.mgrntvc.rg. The

project was funded by The BigLottery Fund.

MohaMed | It reminds me of working on buildings andenjoying the sunshine in my home town.

N. R. | Obscure new world: When

you leave, you leave a city and a placewith its troubles. You are well aware

of what you are leaving behind, but

you know very little of where you areleaving for. You have a blurry picture

of a distant, mysterious place; images

of tall, grey, empty buildings, with life,colour and people to be discovered

once you are there. Migration opened

my horizon to the world and made mea more tolerant, open-minded person.

Although it took away my sense of

belonging to a place, it turned me intoa citizen of the world; a migrant.

Sheida FiRooziWhen I was a child, war started

between Iran and Iraq. My home city

was bombarded by the enemy. My

family had to leave and go to anothercity. So I emigrated twice: once when

I was a child, then, when I was older, I

came to London.My life changed when I came to

London. I experienced different

cultures, arts, people, nature. Herethere are green roads, blue skies. It is

full of colour.

w wnt t knw wt yu tnk but t ppr, tll us [email protected]


11/35

tells a story

11.gc.g

Claudia Santoro| A rich societylike a diamond has different sides; different

tastes, and different colours. The differences

that compose that society are its own

strengths, to generate new ideas, newrelations, and new solutions.

louiSe Sweet | Arrival confusion

Claudia PonCe

GimPel | There are

places in the newcountry that for some

reason make you feel

comfortable. Theseplaces in time become

your own places and

make you feel you arenot a foreigner in yournew home.

david

lortkiPanidze| The

situation then in my homecountry was very difcult:

civil war and political

changes. It was a period

where we had to thinkabout whether we would

have to leave our countriesand stay somewhere

temporarily. But I never

imagined that it would befor such a long time.

eliSa iob | Once you have migrated, everything looks different!

marjorie baCa oliva|We have many dreams ... Oneof them was the chance to succeed, to progress and nd new

doors open for our future.

marwa baSha | I amfrom the biggest African

country. But over the years

because of too muchconict it became too

small for me to live there.

Thats why I had to leave.Wish we all could live

in peace and make the

country a better placefor all. But after I left the

peace became impossible

and resulted in dividing thecountry.

s fcMigrant Voice


12/35

Britains ghost people

Nick Cleggtold theLondonAssemblythat the BOCsituationwas simplyunfair, and

the immigra-tion system

inconsist-ent, bureau-craticallyincompetentand adminis-trativelychaotic

Poet Rupert Brooke wrote thattheres some corner o a oreignfeld hat is orever England. Butnot i you are a British Overseas

citizen a category which does not have anautomatic right to live in the UK.

BOC passports look like a British passport.You have to look careully at the small printto see that it is an invitation to limbo.

In withdrawing rom its imperialpossessions, Britain was conronted witha problem. Many o the new countriesdid not want to grant citizenship to otherraces who had settled there under Britishcontrol. To avoid statelessness, Britain letmany keep their Empire or Citizen o the

UK and Colonies (CUKC) passports or onegeneration. In the cases o Malaysia, Britainallowed colonial residents to keep CUKCpassports as insurance against the new stateailing.

But having made this gesture, Britaingutted it o meaning.

Its hard to believe now, but beore 1962,residents o Malacca in Malaysia could, i theywanted, get up one morning and relocate toMayair. In that year, immigration controlwas introduced.

Britain subsequently enacted a successiono laws making it progressively harder orCUKCs to come here. By 1968 anyone whocould not demonstrate a close connectionto Britain that is, a white skin wasstopped. A voucher scheme was establishedor CUKCs with nowhere to go.

Malaysian BOCs started arriving here innumbers ater the 1997 Asian fnancial crisis.

A series o discriminatory laws in Malaysiaater 1971 made it tougher or non-Malays toattend university and get jobs. Chinese andIndians whose amilies had lived there morethan 200 years were told they were guestsand must accept second class status.

Many Malaysian BOCs who arrived inthe UK applied or BOC passports, thinkingthey were the same as British passports. TheHome Ofce decided they had automatically

lost Malaysian nationality by getting a BOCpassport - as Malaysia does not accept dualnationals - and made many BOCs British

citizens. But they could not deport those they

rejected.A migration route opened up. Britain then

changed the law so BOCs could not becomeBritish, but the BOCs kept coming. Havingclosed the citizenship route, the Home Ofce

just gave most o them discretionary leaveinstead. (Discretionary leave is granted bythe government outside the immigrationrules in exceptional circumstances).

Ater a Malaysian court case in which aBOC regained his Malaysian passport, theUK authorities were unsure whether a BOCpassport holder automatically lost Malaysiannationality. As BOCs piled up, the HomeOfce drated a limbo policy that consignedthe BOCs to oblivion, but hiding it so they

would not know their ate.In a test-case in 2009 the Immigration

Tribunal said that BOCs, who had by now lostMalaysian passports, were still Malaysian andshould return there.

A political campaign started; manydeportations were stopped.

Beore the 2010 election, Liberal Democratleader Nick Clegg told the London Assemblythat the BOC situation was simply unair,and the immigration system inconsistent,bureaucratically incompetent and

administratively chaotic. He has avoided

meeting any BOC ever since, lest he be askedto make good on his word.

Conservative Party Immigration MinisterDamian Green told a BOC that i he couldprove he was not Malaysian and had triedto return, his case would be reconsidered.The BOC did so, going to the Malaysia HighCommission to try to retrieve his passportand presenting proo o his inability to do soto the Home Ofce, which simply rejectedhim or unrelated reasons.

As 2011 drew to a close, a comical arceensued. The Home Ofce tried, or thesecond time, to deport a BOC to Malaysia,accompanied by escorts, at a cost o tenso thousands o pounds. All were promptly

returned to Heathrow on the next ight.Malaysia had always been clear that

someone who handed back their passportcould not live there. Unlucky BOCs bullied bythe UK authorities into so-called voluntaryreturn became Flying Dutchmen, going inand out o Malaysia continually to renew visitvisas.

Six Oranges is a lm-making

unit which has made a lm

about British Overseas

Citizens or BOCs, who have

become ensnared in the

immigration system. The unit

explains the plight of BOCs

from Malaysia ahead of the

release of the lm, The

Queens Chinese.

12 www.migrantvoice.org

More information on The QueensChineseat sixoranges.net

Hendy is originally from Malaysia.After arriving in Britain he appliedfor a British Overseas Passport.

He was told that this wouldpermit him to live in the UK. But

the passport, which looks almostidentical to a normal British

passport, gives Hendy no rights at

all to live or work in the UK. Heis an accountant but has to workillegally in a restaurant to makeends meet. He lives in a small

at with eight other workers. Hehas never seen his baby girl. He

communicates with his family inMalaysia via Facebook. As he hadto renounce Malaysian citizenship,he is unable to go back. His life issuspended.Photo:

Shaur Rahman, director ofThe Queens Chinese

follow us @MigrantVoiceUK


13/35

Success story at risk

As part o the governmentseorts to curb migration toBritain, about 230,000 ewer

overseas student visas will beissued over the next fve years.

The rules have been changed to cut outbogus students, to make English-languagerequirements tougher, and to make it harderor students to bring in dependants, workpart-time or stay on to work ater completingtheir studies.

Any restriction on student visas is a badthing as we support an open exchange ostudents across the world, says ChristopherNicholas o the University and CollegeUnion, an organisation or students and stain higher education. Eectively, the UKsuniversities will be closed or business.

Students rom outside the EuropeanUnion already ace stringent regulations toget a visa, including a 255 ee and showingthat they have over 7,000 in their bankaccounts. Tightening the rules will inevitablydeter some rom applying at all.

Theres a lot at stake.One estimate is that the overseas students

economy contributes 12.5bn a year toBritain. Thats not just ees, but o-campusexpenditure - money that sustains tens othousands o jobs.

Students are not migrants, says LabourMP Keith Vaz. They come rom all overthe world to study here, contributing to theeconomy both through payment o ees and

wider spending.Whilst we are right to seek to eliminatebogus colleges and bogus students, we need

to ensure that we continue to attract thebrightest and the best.

Reducing numbers has drawn criticismrom many quarters, including OxordUniversity vice-chancellor Andrew Hamilton,who has called on the government to easerestrictions.

Difculties over visa applications as aresult o current regulations and restrictionsthreaten to aect adversely the academichealth o the university, he said.

Limiting oreign academics was alsoproblematic, he said, because they werekey to maintaining the UKs reputation as aleading education provider.

New lower limits on the numbers ointernational academics we can recruit or

retain poses serious risks both scholarlyand economic, he warned.He likened the governments move to the

US governments post-9/11 crackdown onstudent visas, which had led to a long-termslump in its education market.

Restricting the ree ow o the brightestand best academics and students is an areawhere heeding the experience o the US mayserve us well, he commented.

During a debate on student visas, LiberalDemocrat MP Stephen Williams said thatoreign students are o undamentalimportance or universities in Bristol and weshould be careul o curbing the numbers ata time when the governments fscal policyo rebalancing the economy would meanhigher dependence on oreign studentincome.

Nicola Dandridge, chie executive oUniversities UK, has pointed out that thevast majority o international students returnhome once their studies are completed. Thisis a success story or the UK, but there is noshortage o global competition.

Students already here are also being hit bythe changes in rules.

While I understand the basic idea behindbringing about a change in the new studentvisa rules, it is disappointing. I was told aboutthe new rules mid-way through my masters,says 26-year-old Anna Isaac rom Chennai,India, who says she now has to re-think hereducational and career plans.

Given that international students spendsometimes our times the amount on tuitionees alone compared to EU and British

students, the reduction in student visas isbound to hit universities and the Britishgovernment eventually, she adds.

Nishit Morsawala examinesconcern over a tightening up of student visas


About 5,000 stu-

dents are working

to improve the

lives of refugees

in the UK through

the national

charity, Student

Action for Refugees

(STAR) One of them is

Steph Hollands

Tell us about yourself.Im Steph, and I come from south-eastWales. I love photography, cycling,

chocolate spread sandwiches and Bob

Marley. Im studying physical geography

at Kings [Kings College London KCL]and its the best subject ever!

Ive just come back from a eldtrip to

Morocco where my fellow geographers

and I surveyed dry rivers, measured theregeneration of the highly valued argan

tree and saw many goats in trees.

After I graduate, I hope to specialise in

meteorology and become a weatherwoman (or a monster truck driver).

When I am not studying I volunteerfor STAR and the Royal Geographical

Society, and work at a pub.

Why did you get involved with STAR?I really wanted to put some of my

spare time to good use and meet cool,new people. KCL STAR offered the

chance to mentor kids and have a bit of

fun. A year-and-a-half down the line Imstill really enjoying it.

Tell us about your volunteeringproject.

KCL STAR supports Refugee HomeSchool Support Project in Wandsworth,

who run an after-school homeworksession for kids from refugee

backgrounds. The Club star ted around

ve years ago with help from KCL STAR.Our volunteers help children aged

between 5 and 15 with their school

homework and run other activities.After 45 minutes of work, we move

on to fun stuff like cooking, arts and

crafts and games. The Katherine LowSettlement, where the Club is held, has

a snooker and table tennis room that

the children really look forward to using

after their work. In November we hada reworks display and sparklers in a

nearby eld. Many of the kids had not

used sparklers before, so it was special.

What are the children like?The kids are very, very, very energetic,hard-working and a pleasure to be

around. Last 1 March one year-3 girl

remembered I was from Wales andsaid, Youre from Wales arent you?

We did that St Davids Day thing today.

Yknow, the thing with the cauliower?.

Our national vegetable is a leek, but

I was very impressed with her for

remembering!

What have you learnt from being aSTAR?Ive become more condent, self-assured and tolerant. STAR has opened

new pathways for me, including

becoming a geography ambassador forRoyal Geographical Society where I

give presentations to groups of school

kids about geography.Ive been able to attend extra training

and courses like the Kings Leadership

Award offered by our students unionto active student society members.

Volunteering for STAR has also made

me more aware of other cultures andmade me a more responsible person.

The friends Ive made are brilliant andI denitely feel volunteering with STARhas added to my student experience.

Visit www.star-network.org.uk.

Be a STAR, help a refugee

Photo:STAR

Studentsalready hereare also

being hit bythe changesin rules

Univers ity: Ease restrictions government urged.



14/35

Ruta Daswan samplesBirminghams latest food

revolution - the birth

of the Balti

14 www.rant.r

Birmingham has long had areputation for culinary innova-tion. Apart from being home tofamous English food brands such

as HP sauce, Typhoo Tea, Bourneville cocoa,Birds custard and Cadbury chocolate, it isnow known as the nations curry capital.

Authentic curries in Britains second

most populous city go back to the 1940swhen Abdul Aziz opened The Darjeeling inSteelhouse Lane, selling curry and rice.

Another landmark came in 1977:Mohammed Ajaib produced a dish that hehoped would give him an edge over his rivalsin Birminghams highly competitive Indianrestaurant market. The balti was born.

It was cooked and served in a steel wok or

Balti: Adapted to

Western tastes

Balti

A

matterofta

ste Few things have changed as

much in Britain in the last

40 years as food. Then, ourfood was famously stodgy

and dull; now, its one of the

most diverse cuisines in the

world. Thats what we at

Migrant Voice think and we

decided to put it to the test

of public opinion.

Joe, 16, STUDeNT

I like Chinese food, andespecially sweet and sourchicken because it is differentin terms of taste. I likecooking with spices. If I amgoing abroad, Im not sure Iwill miss anything becauseyou can nd everythingeverywhere.

KUiDo ANgeleS, 31, cooK

I prefer Chinese food likethe type I can get in SpicyNoodle its really practical,fast and the portions are big.For me there is much morethan just sh and chips herenow. A lot of people from allover the world are living hereso we have a bunch of options

to choose from.

PARiD, 78, ex-meRchANT

NAvy

I never buy food in take-awaysbecause it is not healthy.Britishfood has changed a lot, it hasbecome more continental.Before, there was only sausageand mash, sh and chips Now there are more vegetablesmore spices. But it is true, if I

had to leave Britain, I wouldmiss haddock and chips.

k us n fabkMigrant Voice


15/35

www.gc.g

balti, Hindi for a bucket or pail.It caught on rapidly. Balti houses

mushroomed and today the south-easternarea of Birmingham that houses over 50 baltihouses is known as the Balti Triangle.

The balti has since been adapted toWestern tastes and needs. The meat iscooked off the bone; use is made of vegetableoil, herbs and a selection of spices thatincludes fenugreek, turmeric and cuminalong with a garam masala mix and freshcoriander as garnish.

For quick service, the maximumpreparation time is 10-15 minutes.

The balti was born in Bham [Birmingham,

or Brum], says Mo Ahmed, manager of theaward-winning Al Frash Balti restaurant inLadypoole Road.

It is the only place where baltis are servedauthentically. Food is prepared, cooked andserved in the balti dish which retains thegoodness and makes the dish a light, healthyalternative to the heavier curry, he adds.

Trying an authentic balti in an authentic

Trying anauthentic

balti in anauthenticrestaurantis a must

on everyvisitors list

Shops in the Triangle: It caters for everyone. Photos: Ruchita Daswani

Brum born and bredrestaurant is a must on every visitors list.

Recognised by the council as a unique areaand promoted as a tourist destination, theTriangle draws over 20,000 visitors a week.

People come to eat here from London,from Scotland, from all over - Iranians,Saudis, Japanese, Chinese, everyone comesto visit, says Hassan, co-owner of the LahoreRestaurant, Kebab & Sweet House.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan had ameal of balti here recently. We also cater to allcommunities. We create special dishes for thefestivals, not just for Eid, but also for Diwaliand for Christmas, he says.

In the wake of balti restaurants came

groceries and supermarkets selling baltiingredients.

Raja Brothers, a family-led business thatstarted 30 years ago, is one of the biggest andbest-known. Three years ago David Cameronworked at the store to spend some propertime out of Westminster though it wasonly a three-hour stint.

The store specialises in Asian and Middle

Eastern food, says Kamran Ishtiaq, the thirdgeneration to handle the business.

Its mostly the ethnic community, butalso the English, who came to eat in the BaltiTriangle and now want to get the ingredientsto make the same food, he explains.

The triangle now also boasts boutiquesand jewellery stores with vividly colourfuldisplays.

It caters for everyone, says RifathHussain of Generations, one of the

jewellery stores on Ladypool Road.Birmingham is a multicultural city, so manypeople, English people as well, come to buythings for weddings. There is something for

everyone.The one thing you must do here is come

to eat. Not just your main meal, but alsodesserts: there are restaurants that justspecialise in desserts. People may havetheir dinner in one place, then go to anotherplace for dessert and a third for shisha[hookah], she explains. This is a one-stopshopping area.

15

Diana, retireD

I often buy sandwiches withchicken, ham, cheese, baconand vegetables because fastfood is really rubbish, andso is British food with itsMcDonalds and Subway. Iparticularly enjoy Chinesefood.

James, 28, hospitality

business

I like noodles and sushibecause it is fast but healthyand tasty. I denitely thinkBritish food has changed from40 years ago. Nowadays wehave this inuence with allthese cultures like Indian,Polish, Spanish. Ive been

inuenced in my cookingby adding some new spices

Causher, 57, playboy

My favourite food is chickenbreasts and I like it spicy.I prefer to cook because in

restaurants you dont haveenough to eat and it is notgood quality. For instance, themeat is raised with too manyhormones.

KhaDra

I love grilled chicken, notthe oily one you can nd infast foods but proper grilledchicken. However, I preferhealthy food such as salads,soups and vegetables. Iappreciate that now Britishfood is inspired by manyinuences and is not only shand chips any more. But if Ihad to go abroad I would notmiss anything.

moe, 24, stuDent

Its typical but I likehamburgers because nomatter where you are in theworld its something yound familiar. When I cook, Ioften use soy sauce to give mycooking a Japanese avour.Its something that I alwayshave to have in my kitchen

cupboard. I think food inBritain has changed a lot

peter, 21, it Developer

My favourite take-away isIndian because you can rarelybe disappointed with Indianfood: it is always good andtasty. As my mum is Indian, Ienjoy tasty and spicy food andI love to use spices when I amcooking. But if I had to leaveEngland, I would denitely

miss English breakfast.

over the years with differentcultures from around the worldliving here. You can actuallyenjoy food from all over the

world being here, especially inLondon. If I was to leave theUK, I would miss sh & chipsfrom seaside towns.

into my food. If I had to leavemy country I would miss theSunday roast or my Christmasdinner.

fw @MigrantVoiceUK


16/35

Homes and migrants:the facts


What are the factors behind theshortage of social housing in the

UK?The reasons are simple: far less socialhousing is being created, while demandcontinues to grow.

The number of homes being builthas declined overall from about350,000 a year in the 1960s to lessthan half that number now. Most ofthe decline is the result of failure tobuild new social housing.

In addition, government policieshave decreased the amount of socialhousing available for example,by selling off social housing to theoccupants from 1980 onwards.

There is less rented housingavailable as well, because for decadesgovernment policies have favouredhome ownership.

People who cannot afford to buy mayalso nd it difcult to rent privately,especially if they have large families,as there is now a limit on the housingbenets paid that particularly affectsfamilies who need four bedroomsand more. That will be even tougherwhen the benet cap is introduced in2013. (Legislation is going throughParliament that would see a limit ofabout 500 a week on the combinedamount of benets a single family can

receive, excluding disability benet andwar widow pensions.)So the options available to people

with low wages, no savings, or animmediate need for accommodation

are decreasing.

Is there a link between the shortageand immigration?

Obviously, immigration contributes topopulation growth in a country witha successful economy, and populationgrowth contributes to the need forhousing. However, immigration,through more tax income, morebuilders and so on, also contributes tothe ability to provide housing.

It has also been said that populationgrowth contributes to the rise inhousing costs.

In the case of free markets, prices arebound to rise as more people try to buyor rent houses. But Britain is not a freemarket: there are policies to promotethe buying of houses and massivesubsidies to private sector rents principally through housing benets,but also in the past through UK Border

Agency procurement of housing forasylum-seekers, which seemed to raiserents for the worst properties in someareas as landlords realised they couldcharge more.

If social housing was a real choicefor people, that would act as a brake onboth rents and prices because landlords

and sellers would realise they hadcompetition. However, that is not thecase as it has become very difcult to

obtain social housing.Further, until recently social housing

was always seen as a poor-qualityworst option. So the issue is aboutthe amount of housing we need andits price. Most researchers agreewith Stephen Nickell, the respectedeconomist, who reckons there would bea need for 270,000 new homes a yeareven if the number of people leavingthe country and the number enteringthe country was in balance. So thehousing shortage will continue even ifno new migrants arrive. And if no newmigrants arrive, we may not be able topay for the new homes we need or tobuild them.

What are the main housing issues formigrants in the UK?

Its a mistake to talk about housingissues for migrants as a single group.Some migrants really have no housingproblems at all. At the top end of theproperty market, some migrant buyersare forcing up prices of homes in the 2million plus bracket.

Which housing issues affect differentmigrants is determined by a variety offactors, such as immigration status.Refugees are inevitably homeless whenthey arrive and so are more likely toend up in social housing. Migrantsfrom European Union countries aremore likely to be in private rentedhousing. Some work migrants fromoutside the EU may be more likely tobuy, because they are highly qualiedand richer. Work migrants often are ableto make preparations before arriving.

A factor often not mentioned isdiscrimination. Even if factors suchas class, education and jobs are takeninto account, there is still a mismatchbetween what we might expect andwhat actually happens to migrants, anddiscrimination may account for a lotof this.

Migrants often do not know theirrights, may have difculty exercisingthem, may struggle to nd advice or

advocacy if they face discrimination,and so end up in poor conditionsor homeless.

Photo: Migrant Voice

Housing and immigrants are both controversial but are the two

connected? Sue Lukes, a member of the Mayor of Londons Housing

Equality Standing Group, explains the issues to Migrant Voice

The Housing Act says that in

the allocation of social housing,precedence should be given to:

the homeless

priority needs groups - families with

children and the elderly

people living in improper sub-

standard accommodation

people with medical and welfareneeds

those who need to move in order

to avoid hardships

those at risk of violence or threatsin their current homes

Who gets priority?



17/35

Taking jobs or helping

build the economy?Migrant workers are takingBritish jobs is an often-heard

complaint. Migrant Voice

hears another side of the

story


W

hen Gails Bakery in LondonsPortobello Road advertisesfor staff, we hardly get any

British applicants, says man-ager Martin Barnett.

Almost everybody who applies is amigrant, he says and he wonders how thecity would function without them.

Where I work, he comments in answerto his own question, it would be extremelydifcult for me to ll vacant positionswithout them.

Statistics back him up: migrants make up69 per cent of all London workers in cateringand cleaning. Half the care assistants in thecapital, half of all nurses, one in four doctorswere born abroad.

And they didnt get their jobs because theyaccept low pay.

Its because they work harder than theirBritish counterparts, according to DavidFrost, the previous director general of theBritish Chambers of Commerce.

Overwhelmingly, business has adoptedmigrant workers for the simple reason thatthey are often better educated and have astronger work ethic than local people, hesaid on his last day in the job.

The Greater London Authority hasdescribed international migrants as theengine of Londons economic growth,with rms emphasising the ability toattract international talent as essential tomaintaining the citys reputation as a tradeand investment hub.

And as part of an on-going evaluation ofthe national minimum wage, the Low PayCommission found that immigration tothe UK made a positive contribution to theaverage wage increase experienced by non-immigrant workers.

Of course, economic arguments about thepros and cons of migration are complex, andrepresent only one set of approaches to theissue. The government and large sectionsof the public, for example, cite a number ofreasons for wanting to regulate the numberof migrants entering the country to work.

Nevertheless, it is important that all thefacts and views are on the table in

any such discussion including thecase for immigration, which is that byincreasing the labour supply it contributes

to the expansion of parts of the economy,increases productivity and this contributes toeconomic growth, employment and wages.

Indeed, the governments MigrationAdvisory Committee has stated that eachreduction of 10,000 in the number of skilled,non-European Union migrants coming toBritain means that more than 500 million islost from gross domestic product. Thats bigmoney for a country struggling to record anygrowth at all.

The Committee also pointed out thatskilled and qualied migrants make a positivecontribution to public nances that is, area benet not a cost and play an importantpart in the provision of education, health andsocial services.

Whats more, current proposals stipulatethat most skilled migrant workers andtheir dependents should leave the UK

after a maximum of ve years, with no rightto apply for settlement here. The BritishChambers of Commerce says the policy

would be incredibly disruptive to companiesof all sizes, and to the UKs economicrecovery....

Far away from the governmentcommittees and the economic theorists,Roland Sylvester, who works at the Prince

Albert pub in Battersea, has a more down-to-earth view.

I work with many migrants and natives. Ihave a very high regard for migrant workers,as they really seem to understand the value ofwork, he says.

You know you can depend on a migrantworker to have a good work ethic - they getthe job done, sometimes better than nativeworkers.

Culturally, they bring their own distinctways of life to work. I work with men fromPoland, Hungary, Egypt, Australia, Italy,

Argentina. I think this enriches the work

experience, as you can learn so much morefrom peoples that have travelled from far-ung places.

The policywould beincrediblydisruptive tocompanies ofall sizes, andto the UKseconomicrecovery

Restaurant sta ff: You know you can rely on migrant workers. Photo: Louise Sweet, Talking Pictures

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18/35

Royalists will be hanging out the buntingagain this summer when QueenElizabeth celebrates her DiamondJubilee. She has ruled, albeit in the

loosest sense, for 60 years, and with her equestrianpursuits, iconic sense of period style and stiff upperlip, she symbolises something the world regards asquintessentially British.

She bears the name of an earlier English femalemonarch who beat off the Spanish Armada , but shesreally a very royal mixture of nationalitiesand genetics.

With relatives in the courts of many of Europesroyal families, and a genetic heritage from Germany,

shes very much a product of her class.Down the ages, royal families have guarded

and enhanced their power, inuence and wealththrough marriage with inuential gures fromother countries. For centuries royals have foundspouses through arrangements made by parentsand politicians, often seeing each other only once ortwice before the wedding day. In Elizabeth IIs case,however, her choice was a dashing young exile fromoverseas, Philip of Greece and Denmark.

A foreign spouse is no longer the preserve of

kings and queens. A labour market i n ux andthe development of a hyper-connected Internetgeneration are the primary causes of cross-bordermarriages.

Arranged marriages are out of fashion and itsattraction that usually sparks the journey up the aisleor into the register ofce. Among the glittering ofcebuildings of Londons Square Mile a young Spanishlawyer catches the eye of his British colleague. Acrosstown, a Polish carpenter, having recently broken-up with his girlfriend back home, is chatting to anAustralian girl on an Internet dating website.

Jump back 500 years and a powerful fatheris brokering the marriage between his eldest son

and an alluring Spaniard. The marriage of Catherineof Aragon and Henry VIIs son, Arthur, was atactical move that concluded an alliance between thetwo kingdoms.

Two months later when Arthur died, his brother,Henry VIII, took the widowed Catherine as his wifeto avoid diplomatic complications and maintain thepeace with Spain.

Henry VII was also the rst European monarchto negotiate a peace treaty between England andScotland, by marrying off his daughter Margaret to

the Scottish king, James IV. Like a good royal female,the Tudor scion did her duty for king and country andtook Scotland as her home.

Marrying cousins was another common practiceamong royals, usually with the intention of keepingfamilies together, socially and economically.

Queen Victoria, who married her rst cousin,Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, is a primeexample. The inuential monarch is regarded as thegrandmother of Europe because eight of her nineoffspring had cross-border marriages.

Her children ruled Britain, Prussia, Greece,Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain and Sweden.

Tradition isnt the sexiest marketing device and

cousin-marriage might be losing its allure, but royalcross-border romance remains common.

Juan Carlos of Spain found romance on a cruiseship with Soa of Greece and Denmark. Rainer IIIof Monaco fell in love with American actress GraceKelly and made the queen of the silver screen hisPrincess Grace. With the world as his romantic oyster,their playboy son, Albert of Monaco, recently tookformer Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock fromSouth Africa as his bride. The couple strike a knowingbalance between antiquity and modernity.GEORGE V

King of UKMARYof Teck

PRINCE PHILIPDuke of Edinurgh

(Denmark and Greece)

QUEENELIzAbETH II

Royal migrants:freshening up the bloodline

Olympics athletes are preparing for the meeting of a lifetime and so are many royals.Maeve Hsea and Ruchta Daswan investigate the Games link with royal romance.

hs s a parta fam tree f cnnectnsetween Eurpes ras.htgraphs:Queen Eliaeth and Prince Phillipww.defenceimages.mod.uk

8 19

The Olympics have wonthe hearts of princesand princesses in more ways

than one.With participants and spectators

from all over the world, t he quadren-nial event counts as an exciting venuefor people to meet and later marry.

The reigning King of Sweden, CarlXVI Gustaf, and his German Brazilianwife, Silvia Sommerlath, met at the1972 summer Olympics in Munich,where Sommerlath was working as aninterpreter.

The Crown Prince of Denmark, Fre-derik, met Australian marketing con-sultant, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson,during the Sydney Olympics in 2000.They were married in May 2004.

The Olympics are not just a royalspectator sport. Royal participantshave included Britains Princess Anneand her daughter, Zara Phillips, JuanCarlos of Spain and Felipe, Prince ofAsturias.

Whose turn will it be in 2012?Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice of Yorkand Charlotte Casiraghi of Monaco areamong the eligible singles expected toattend the London games in July.

The race is on.

VICTORIA

CARL XVKing ofSweden

OSCAR IIKing of Sweden

CLAUS from Germany

MAXIMA from Argentina

GRACE KELLY from USA

ALbERT II Prince of Monaco

CHARLENE from South Africa

HARALD VKing of Norway

GEORGE IKing of Greece

CHilD

1

CHilD

2

CHilD

CHilD

1

CHilD

2

CHilD

1

GRAND

CHilD

GRAND

CHilD

GRAND

CHilD

CHilD

1

CHilD

2

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2

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1

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1

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GRANDCHilD

CHilD

3

bRoTHER

bRoTHERGREAT GREAT GREAT

GRANDCHilD

SHAREDANCESToR by

blooD oRMARRiAGE

bRoTHER

MARIA TERESAfrom Cua

HENRIGrand Duke

of Luxemourg

LOUISEof

Netherlands

JAN WILLEMPrince of Orange

EDWARD VIIKing of UK

bEATRICEARTHURDuke of

Connaught

VICTORIA EUGENIEof battenerg

MARGARETof Connaught

ALEXANDRAof Denmark

HENRYof battenerg

LOUISEMARGARET

of Prussia

ALFONSO XIIIKing of Spain

GUSTAF VIADOLF

King of Sweden

MAUDrincess of Wales

INGEbORGof Denmark

ASTRIDof Sweden

ALbERT IIKing ofbelgium

MRTHAof Sweden

JUAN CARLOSKing of Spain

HAAKON VIIKing of Norway

CARLPrince of Sweden

LEOPOLD IIIKing of belgium

PAOLAPrincess

of Calaria

OLAV VKing of Norway

PRINCESS SOPHIAof Greece and

Denmark (aove)

SiSTER

JOSEPHINEof belgium

JEANGrand Duke

of Luxemourg

KONSTATIN(ex King ofGreece)

FREDERIK

MARGRETHEQueen ofDenmark

CARL XVIGUSTAV

King of Sweden

FREDERIK IXKing of Denmark

GUSTAFADOLFDuke of

Vsterotten

CHilD

CHilD

1

CHilD

1

CHilD

1

CHilD

2

CHilD

2

ANNE-MARIE

MARYDONALDSON

from Australia (right)

SILVIASOMMERLATH

from brail

INGRID ofSweden

PRINCESSSIbYLLA

of Saxe-Courgand Gotha

HENRICount de

Laorde deMonpeat

The sixth Olympic ring

www.mgrantvc e.rg www.mgrantvce.rg

fw us @MigrantVoiceUK we want t knw what u thnk aut the paper, te us [email protected]


19/35

This is a very rewarding c

but it requires a bit of patSince arriving from Indianin 1969 Mihir Bose has

become a journalist and

writer, and an observer of

British society. He talks to

Pilar Balet Robinson about

the changes he has seen.


You rst arrived in the UK in 1969.Why did you come?I came here to study engineering, but I hadno aptitude or it. I fnally qualifed as achartered accountant and became a cricket

journalist.

In what conditions did you land in London?It was my ather who made extraordinaryarrangements to pay or my studies here.I got a little bit o money studying asan accountant, but every month I wasoverdrawn. Once, in order to get somemoney, I cleaned toilets at [accountancy frm]

Arthur Anderson. Not that I was very good atit. They employed me once and told me not

to go back again.

Have things changed a lot in the UK sincethe 70s?Tremendously. When I came here in 1969 theBlack and White Minstrel Show was the mostpopular show where white men would dressup as blacks. I came six months ater EnochPowells Rivers o Blood speech. That was adifcult time or non-white migrants.

Later on, when I was a Sunday Timessports reporter, I was assaulted going toootball matches. It wasnt easy.This country was always a tolerant country,but it has become a much more embracingcountry, particularly in London, where you donot eel you are in a oreign and unwelcomingland. It has changed or the better.

What was it like starting your career in themedia?There were very ew oreign journalists, andeven ewer non-white journalists. Even nowthere are not that many. I would telephonea ootball match in Manchester and wouldsay Its Mihir, and they would say Yes, weknow youre there, but who are you?

I remember going to my frst ootballmatch, Chelsea and Tottenham, in 1978. I satin the press box and someone tapped me onthe back and asked Who are you reporting

or, the Southall Gazette? The idea that Icould be reporting or the Sunday Times wasdifcult or some.

In 1999 you wrote that Asian and blackminorities should be more present in themedia. It seems things havent changedmuch.Not enough. In that sense we should lookat America. Here you see some black and

Asian names, but the great majority arepeople rom the white community. One othe reasons is not racism, but networking.

You get jobs and contacts because o peopleyou know. I tell my English journalist riendsthat the only Asian they know is the waiter attheir local Indian restaurant.

Its a question o networking andriendship. And that hasnt happened yet. Itsimproving, but not enough.

What needs to be done?I think this has to come rom the top, theeditors and those with power to do it. Theyhave to extend themselves a bit.

I am not talking about positivediscrimination. I like to think I never gota job because o the colour o my skin but

I tell myEnglish

journalistfriends thatthe onlyAsian theyknow isthe waiterat theirlocal Indianrestaurant

because people elt I could bring somethingadditional. I think when they are looking atvacancies to fll, i there are fve candidatesand one o them, say, is an Asian or blackperson, perhaps they should think, Well,isnt it time we gave them a chance? I am notsaying Give somebody an unair advantage,but perhaps a chance.

Not enough o that is done. Its happening,but very slowly.

What are your views on Cameronsimmigration speech last October?This country has migration wrong in thesense o what it means. When I came heremigration meant non-white migration: nowpeople are talking o migration as Polish orEastern European.

Migration policy must seem air, equitable.I believe the Americans and Canadians havea air system o points where i you qualiy it

doesnt matter where you are rom, whereashistorically in the UK, i your country hadlinks to this country you could migrate. You

Mihir Bose: It wasnt easyPhoto: Beth Crosland

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20/35

ountry

ence

21www.miavoi.o

could see Australian barmen working hereor six months when you couldnt see Indianbarmen because they didnt have links. I seethat is where the policy is wrong.

Wha kid of poliy do you hik wshould hav?

A sensible policy which says we needcertain people and you have to pass theseq

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