JiscMail Logo
Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

Help for ESOL-RESEARCH Archives


ESOL-RESEARCH Archives

ESOL-RESEARCH Archives


ESOL-RESEARCH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ESOL-RESEARCH Home

ESOL-RESEARCH Home

ESOL-RESEARCH  February 2008

ESOL-RESEARCH February 2008

Options

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password

Subject:

Re: Earned citizenship: another brick in the wall of fortress Europe

From:

Melanie Cooke <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Melanie Cooke <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:52:23 +0000

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (212 lines)

Thanks for this Heather,

I think it would be interesting to hear other experiences similar to  
the one Heather describes here. I know that some people are  
experiencing great stress trying to get certificates in time before  
their visas run out, particularly since the extension of testing to  
qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain. This particularly affects  
spouses who, as we know, have no recourse to public funds (i.e.  
reduced fees for ESOL) in their 1st year of residence - after their  
1st year they have to then find a place on a course (not easy in many  
parts of the country) and then make enough progress in a short time to  
get their certificates before their visas run out after their limit of  
2 years. This is often made worse by lack of childcare and so on.

I would be happy, later, to pull together some of the experiences etc  
to form the basis of a 'dossier' (hopefully not a dodgy one) for  
letters of complaint to the Home Office and so, to highlight how  
citizenship legislation is affecting ESOL provision/teaching etc.

As for the Green Paper, presumably there are ways we can comment on  
this through our MPs, letters to the Press and so on...

Would be interesting to see what ABNI and some of the groups such as  
CRE (what was) have to say about the proposals.

Quoting Heather Greaves <[log in to unmask]>:

> I do agree, Melanie, with everything you have said.  I am sure I am not
> the only ESOL teacher in the country who is close to despair about the
> hijacking of our subject. I feel we are being used as an arm of the
> Immigration Services.
>
> I have been reading Chris Taylor's "ESOL and Citizenship " (NIACE 2007)
> which captures some of the enthusiasm some people felt at the beginning
> of the Citizenship project. Teaching Citizenship groups has been
> exciting, inclusive and successful.
>
> But increasingly, at the beginning of each new Citizenship course I
> start teaching now,  I find myself apologising for the erratic journey
> the students are embarking on; for the vagaries of the Home Office; for
> the fact that ESOL students are now the only Skills for Life students
> who have to pay for their classes. They know full well that we are not
> a 'tolerant and fair-minded country'.
>
> And now I am going to have to rewrite all the materials again to
> incorporate what? ID cards? English tests for spouses? "Earned
> citizenship"? Limits on access to benefits?
>
> Enough of the rant - now to the point. Have we any evidence throughout
> the country that it is becoming harder for students to gain citizenship
> after gaining just one Skills for Life Speaking and Listening
> Certificate? Some of our students appear to be hitting another brick
> wall and have been told by the Home Office that they have to enrol on
> the next level course. This goes against all information tutors have
> been given so far.
>
> Heather Greaves
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Melanie Cooke"   
> <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 11:23 AM
> Subject: Earned citizenship: another brick in the wall of fortress Europe
>
>
> Dear All, here is another version with some slightly easier to read
> punctuation!
>
> Some thoughts on the Green Paper announced by the Home Secretary Jaqui
> Smith on Wednesday. Interested to hear other thoughts on this,
> Melanie Cooke
>
> A Green Paper announced by Home Secretary Jaqui Smith in Parliament on
> Wednesday proposes yet more restrictions on those coming to our
> 'tolerant and fair-minded country' and further draconian demands on
> those wishing to settle here and become citizens.
>
> Smith reminded us with pride that at the end of the month the
> much-touted Australian style points system will allow 'only those whom
> we NEED to come to work and study' (my upper case addition)) and that
> later this  year 'we will begin to introduce compulsory identity cards
> for foreign
> nationals who wish to stay in the UK, making it clear whether they are
> allowed to work and how long they can stay.' At the same time, the
> consultation on testing the English of 'spouses' is nearing its end
> and seems likely to become law in the near future.
>
> Wednesday's announcement set out New Labour's plans for the 'third
> phase of immigration reform'. These plans are based on the results of
> what Smith calls, quaintly, 'listening events' with the British public
> (did anybody on this list get listened to about this?). The British
> public, according to Smith 'were clear about what we should expect of
> newcomers who choose to come to the UK and start on the path to
> citizenship 'that they should speak English; that they should work hard
> and pay tax; that they should obey the law; and that they should get
> involved in and contribute to community life.'
>
> With the supposed backing of the British public in place, Smith went
> on to announce a raft of highly draconian proposals which amount to a
> shoring up of Fortress Europe against the rest of the (less developed?
> Brown and black-skinned? Poor? Non-European language speaker) world.
> These proposals are notable for their focus on health care and other
> welfare benefits, for example, migrants will be charged for services
> until they are full citizens (or EU, of course). She also introduced
> the concept of 'earned citizenship', mooted previously in papers by
> Ruth Kelly and Liam Byrne and mentioned in several speeches by Gordon
> Brown. Here we see how ideas and things said in passing become
> law, how what is unthinkable one day becomes acceptable and then
> 'common sense' a short time later. Some of the proposals are:
>
> - All migrants coming to the UK will be admitted as temporary residents.
>
> - A limited number of categories?highly skilled and skilled workers,
> those joining family and those granted our protection?will then be
> able to apply to become probationary citizens for a time-limited
> period. Probationary citizenship is a new  stage which will determine
> whether a migrant can progress to full citizenship or permanent
> residence.
>
> -The vast majority of highly skilled and skilled workers entering
> under the points-based system will be expected to speak English
> (unless they are from the EU, of course?)
>
> - In order to become a probationary citizen everyone will be expected
> to demonstrate English and knowledge of life in the UK. (that's where
> we, the ESOL sector come in)
>
> - Refugees who legitimately require protection will continue to
> receive their current entitlements (but the govt will make sure that
> fewer and fewer are accepted each year)
>
> - Temporary residents will be expected to support themselves without
> general access to benefits. Full access to benefits and services will
> be deferred until migrants have successfully completed the
> probationary citizenship phase. They are expected to contribute
> economically and support themselves and their dependants until such
> time as they become British citizens or permanent residents. (does
> this mean ill people will be left to treat themselves? If someone is
> in an accident and taken to hospital they won't be treated unless they
> have paid their dues? How much further back will the welfare state be
> rolled?)
>
> - People will be able to move more quickly through the system where
> they have made a positive contribution to British life by, for
> example, volunteering with a charity.
>
> - A fund will be set up to help local service providers to deal with
> the impacts on local communities of rapid changes in population. Money
> for the fund will come from charging migrants an additional amount on
> immigration application fees.
>
> Unlike her predecessors at the Home Office, Smith does not even
> attempt to couch racist, discriminatory polices in the liberal
> language of 'entitlement' or rights. What were unthinkable, or at
> least unpopular, ideas only a few years ago e.g. citizenship testing,
> language testing prior to entry, (almost) forced voluntary work, ID
> cards, removal of health care and education for the most vulnerable
> etc etc are about to become enshrined in law. The question for those
> of us who remain on the inside of Fortress Europe must be how long
> before the same legislation is extended to us?
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
> -- 
> Melanie Cooke
> [log in to unmask]
>
> ***********************************
> ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an
> interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is
> managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research,
> School of Education, University of Leeds.
> To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
> http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
> A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
> http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
> To contact the list owner, send an email to
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> -- 
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.9/1290 - Release Date:
> 20/02/2008 20:45



-- 
Melanie Cooke
[log in to unmask]

***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
To contact the list owner, send an email to
[log in to unmask]

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

JiscMail Tools


RSS Feeds and Sharing


Advanced Options


Archives

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006


JiscMail is a Jisc service.

View our service policies at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/ and Jisc's privacy policy at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/website/privacy-notice

For help and support help@jisc.ac.uk

Secured by F-Secure Anti-Virus CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager