Highly skilled migrants: handing in the petition

Nearly 100,000 of us have signed a petition calling for Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, to “Stop abusing the national security clause to deport highly skilled migrants.” It was set up after Matu, a health inspector who’s lived in the UK for 11 years, found out she is facing deportation because of an everyday tax error. She’s paid her taxes, volunteered in her community and raised her kids as a single mum, but the Home Office are mis-using a law, designed to protect us from terrorists, to deport her.

On Monday 11th June, Tahir from ‘Highly Skilled Migrants UK’ and Molly and David from the 38 Degrees staff team delivered the petition to the Home Office, urging them to make sure the doctors, scientists, and other skilled migrants our country relies on, are treated fairly.

Tahir and Molly handing in the petition to the Home Office

People like Matu have come to the UK to create life saving drugs, teach our kids, work in our NHS and train our engineers. They’ve built a life here, paid taxes and raised families. Now because of small tax errors that any of us could make, people are being falsely marked as terrorists as a quick way to deport them. Their passports are tagged, they can’t work and they risk being deported at any time. Some are too afraid to sleep at night because they fear a knock at the door from someone coming to deport them.

As 38 Degrees-ers we welcome people who come to the UK to enrich our society. Our NHS, schools and businesses rely on their contributions – and our public services benefit from their taxes. Whether it’s standing up for the Windrush generation, or stopping the deportation of victims of child trafficking, we come together to fight Home Office cruelty and stand up for fairness and justice.