Author Archives: Thais Portilho

I’ve experienced the hostile environment – that’s why I’m determined to end it

I arrived in the UK just over eleven years ago from Brazil, eager and ready to build my career and life many thousands of miles away from home.

Fast forward to 2018 and I have just received in the post my first British passport. Hooray? Yes, hooray now, but even though I was lucky enough to first “enter” the UK immigration system in pre-“hostile environment” times, the journey from being a Brazilian citizen to a British one hasn’t been easy.

There were the exorbitant fees – for a spousal visa, indefinite leave to remain, and finally citizenship – the intrusive document …

Posted in Op-eds and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged | 24 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • expats
    An Israeli airstrike on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza killed six people, including a surgeon and a disabled man, and wounded 28 others, according to the hosp...
  • Alex Macfie
    Have a referendum on which plural form should be used (this sounds like an OMRLP or Count Binface policy)....
  • Roland
    @expats - "As an aside, “Who will you be deporting, how many and to where?" Good question. We knew in 2010 we had a problem, as migration was a hot topic ...
  • Chris Webb
    There are clearly more Tonbridge One-Nation types in the South than the North, but if one characterises them as evidence-based, internationalist, caring and tho...
  • paul barker
    If we want to seem relevant to young Voters Labour have given us a couple of good opportunities with the proposal to cut benefits for the under-25s & the w...