Migrant Workers, Students Lobby UK Parliament for Fair Immigration Reform

London: Migrant workers, international students and elected representatives gathered at the Houses of Parliament in London for a lobbying session demanding urgent reforms to the UK's immigration and citizenship policies. The event was jointly organised by the Indian Workers' Association Great Britain (IWA-GB) and the Students' Federation of India UK (SFI UK).

A new report titled "Challenging Injustice: For Fair Anti-Racist Immigration and Nationality Laws in Britain" was launched at the event, exposing inequities in Britain's current immigration laws. The report draws on findings from a month-long survey conducted in May 2026 among workers in sectors such as healthcare, IT, retail, hospitality and transport, as well as among international students. It states that raising the qualifying period for settlement from five to ten years would lead to severe inequality and exploitation within society.

The session was attended by British MPs John McDonnell, Ruth Cadbury, Baroness Ruth Lister and Dawn Butler, along with representatives of prominent organisations including the Bangladesh Workers' Council, The Monitoring Group and Praxis. Inaugurating the event, IWA-GB National President Harsev Bains stressed the need for unity in resisting policies harmful to migrant communities.

Priya Joyce Rajan, who presented the report, released survey findings on the severe psychological and financial difficulties faced by migrants. Sixty percent of survey respondents reported facing significant difficulties with visa procedures, while nearly 70 percent said the policies had adversely affected their mental health. Over 40 percent said high visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge had become a major financial burden.

Rajan warned that the new "earned settlement" model, which favours only high earners, would leave ordinary workers and students in prolonged uncertainty. She added that these policies not only harm migrants personally but also damage Britain's public services, universities and local economies.

The organisations' key demands to Parliament through the report include retaining the existing five-year qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain, reducing visa and health surcharge costs, strengthening protections against exploitation, and safeguarding post-study work routes.

PCS representative Tony Conway outlined the racially rooted history of British immigration law, criticising a policy that continues to treat migrants merely as a source of labour while denying them equal rights. He noted that extending the settlement period, while disregarding migrants' contributions to sectors including the NHS, would push workers further into exploitation.

Speaking on behalf of SFI UK, Vishal Usha Udayakumar addressed the rising visa costs faced by international students and the uncertainty surrounding post-study opportunities, arguing that the country should not view the significant contributions of foreign students to British universities and society merely as a source of short-term financial gain.

Mariam, speaking for The Southall Community Alliance, expressed concern that the new visa reforms could lead to human rights violations, saying that prolonged dependence on visa sponsorship would discourage workers from speaking out against abuse, potentially violating fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Personal testimonies from migrant workers and students at the event drew considerable attention. Ranya spoke of facing uncertainty despite years of study in the UK, while registered nurse Jayakrishnan spoke about the heavy visa and health surcharge costs imposed on healthcare workers. Nithu shared concerns over labour exploitation, while nursing student Lakshmi spoke about the crisis in the care sector.

IWA representative Joginder Bains warned that extending the settlement pathway from five to ten years would push children in migrant families into poverty and undermine family stability, adding that it would place severe financial strain on families through visa and healthcare costs.

In the parliamentary discussion that followed, MPs acknowledged that migrants' concerns were legitimate. MP John McDonnell warned that the decline in international student numbers due to stringent immigration policies had pushed higher education institutions into financial crisis, and that continuing this trend could cause the UK's care sector to collapse. MP Ruth Cadbury also voiced concern that policies restricting access to public funds would worsen child poverty.

MPs commended the work done by IWA-GB and SFI UK for migrant communities and assured that the report would be made available to members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The lobbying session concluded with an announcement that trade unions, student groups and anti-racism campaigners would be brought together to intensify the campaign in the coming days.