BBC Panorama Examines The Issue
"Immigration -- time for an amnesty?", examined the mayor's proposal, but without referring to the Strangers into Citizens campaign which had led to it.
It featured profiles of undocumented migrants, including a Brazilian mother of two who came to the UK seven years ago with the specific intention of overstaying her visitor's visa. She earned £8 an hour cleaning people's houses - all cash in hand, no taxes. If she were regularised and allowed to pay tax, she would contribute to the economy, but would get access to benefits such as healthcare and education. In Maria's case it would mean that her five-year-old son, who was born in the UK, could go to school instead of accompanying her on cleaning job; at present the boy is missing out on his education because Maria is worried they would get deported if her illegal status is discovered.
The programme also profiled Maria's eldest son, born in Brazil, who came over on a student visa which expired three years earlier. He worked as a washer of dishes in a restaurant kitchen 60 hours a week, earning less than the minimum wage. Because he is illegal, he can do nothing about it.
The programme also examined the case of a 28-year-old Bangladeshi teacher, Farhan Zakaria, who has been in the UK for 12 years and considers himself British. He had become illegal without knowing it when his father lost his job at the High Commission. The school where he taught French was forced to sack him; replacing him had proved difficult and costly.
Panorama included comments by Phil Woolas, the immigration minister, and Sir Andrew Green of MigrationWatch, who repeated their opposition to the idea.
Read more about this topic: Strangers Into Citizens
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