Author Archives: Michael Wang

Michael Wang

Focus on migration Part 2 – asylum policies

By Michael Wang | Tue 19th December 2023 - 11:09 am

Last week, Liberal Democrat Voice shared Carmichael’s timely speech on UK’s asylum policy. I’d like to share my views on this critical issue.

First, the legal implications. In terms of domestic law, the Rwanda Safety Bill is setting the scene for a constitutional crisis. The Bill overturns a Supreme Court decision, but under the UK’s unwritten constitution, the separation of power between the legislature and the judiciary is not as sharply defined as compared to other jurisdictions, such as the US. To limit parliament’s legislative power (even when it is a case of limiting Doublespeak), is not without risk for the judiciary, as it will be viewed as a constitutional innovation.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 6 Comments
Michael Wang

Focus on migration Part 1 – Visa Rule Changes

By Michael Wang | Fri 8th December 2023 - 10:45 am

It is a sure sign of an incumbent government in desperate straits that they turn towards anti-migration policies come election time – and so we see the deeply damaging tactic once again from the Conservatives with their recently announced migration policies. I have faith that the British public will not fall for it. In this article I will focus on the changes to the visa rules recently announced by Cleverley. In future articles I hope to discuss developments with the asylum and Rwanda policy.

The increased family visa income requirement

In April 2023, the median full-time UK income was £34,963 (ONS). The new income threshold for family visa is £38,700. This means that more than half of hard-working UK individuals would not be able to bring their loved ones to live together in the UK. I suppose the government is saying one of two things with this announcement. Either one should be punished for failing to display the proper affection for Britannia, having fallen in love with a foreigner or if you are not an upper management or finance type working in London, then you don’t deserve to live together with your loved ones.  Or thirdly, you should emigrate from the UK to live with your family, which ironically will further increase the net migration figure. This is an intolerable attack on the private lives of all but the highest-earners. 

The increased work visa income requirement

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , and | 3 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Andy Daer
    I expect a more believable theory would have modern Israeli Jews trying to expunge the memory of apparently docile European Jews being annihilated by Nazi racis...
  • Andy Daer
    I expect a more believable theory would suggest that modern Israeli Jews are trying to expunge the memory of apparently docile European Jews being annihilated b...
  • Mick Taylor
    I think there is a real problem with NEETs. When I was young, and indeed when my children were, we were prepared to take any job that paid money whilst continui...
  • David Le Grice
    I missed out that I'm referring to her statement in parliament about the postponement of the 2025 county elections....
  • David Le Grice
    I'm not sure that the reappointment of Angela Rayner is necessarily cause for hope. It became clear during her statement and answers to MPs questions that she h...