Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham London is one of the capitals of the EU, home to over 1.1m non-British EU citizens, including a large number of families and children. This, according to my team’s ongoing analysis of data from across the EU, is by far the largest conglomerate of non-native EU citizens in the EU….
Category: opinions
How EU families in Britain are coping with Brexit uncertainty
Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham Mirela left Croatia in 1991 because of the civil war in Yugoslavia. Her husband Frank grew up in the Republic of Ireland. Both are worried Brexit has left a deep scar through British society, one that it will take years to heal. They also worry about the impact of Brexit…
“It took 2 hours and one third didn’t get through”: Piloting the settled status application with Roma migrants
By Marie Godin and Mihai Calin Bica* Since the Brexit referendum that took place on 23 June 2016, the Roma Support Group[1], a community organisation working with Roma people in the UK, has been active in informing community members about their rights. In addition, the organisation has been involved in campaigning towards local, regional and…
Theresa May’s dog-whistle rhetoric on EU citizens jumping the queue – and its effect on my four-year-old
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham “Daddy, have we jumped the queue?” She looked at me with her big inquisitive eyes, a little confused and worried. Matilda is four and in reception class. She’s learning a lot of fascinating things at the moment, about planets, robots, rockets and space exploration. She’s also learning about how…
Between rock and hard place: Diary on an EU citizen in the UK (36)
Originally posted on Postcards from …:
My Italian passport expires at the end of July. As an Italian formally resident abroad (AIRE), I depend for all bureaucratic matters on the Italian Consulate General in my country of residence, in my case is London. This includes the renewal of my passport. In order to do so, a…
Amber Rudd, the Windrush scandal and the reluctant Remainer
The Windrush scandal is undoubtedly the scene of a crime, multiple crimes. But which scene and what crime now needs maximum public exposure? Source: Amber Rudd, the Windrush scandal and the reluctant Remainer | openDemocracy There is something bittersweet and something definitely fishy in Amber Rudd’s resignation. Many have celebrated it as a victory against Theresa May’s ‘hostile…
Windrush generation is not alone – children of EU citizens could be next
by Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham Theresa May, the UK prime minister, and Amber Rudd, home secretary, have both apologised for the distress caused by the treatment of the so-called “Windrush generation”, in the face of mounting pressure from MPsand the wider public. Having been accused by the Home Office of residing in the UK without authorisation, these Commonwealth-born,…
You can’t have an integrated society in a hostile environment: Diary of an EU citizen in the UK (34)
The UK Government’s strategy is not for an integrated society, focusing on what government and society could and should do, but for integrated ‘communities’, code word for everyone else. After a bit of fanfare, a couple of catchy soundbites and a few top-line proposals leaked a day or two before the release, the Department of…
Home Office in breach of law over permanent residence waiting times
The Home Office has broken the law by failing to publish the waiting times faced by EU citizens trying to get residence documents. The Information Commissioner ruled that Amber Rudd’s department is in breach of the Freedom of Information Act, having sat on the request for seven months and counting. Free Movement’s founder and editor,…
EU families & Eurochildren in Brexiting Britain 