Luke Piper
@lukepiper.bsky.social
1.2K followers 330 following 270 posts
Solicitor. Head of Immigration at the Work Rights Centre. All things U.K. immigration law / policy mainly. Yorkshireman in Bristol.
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lukepiper.bsky.social
The debate around care visas in the political space boils down to people saying stuff like this - we desperately need people.

It's a good soundbite but...

A significant surge in care visas were issued since 2020 in response to sector demand and yet the problem of shortage has persisted.

Why?
peterstefanovic.bsky.social
BREAKING: “We will be closing the care worker visa for overseas recruitment” - Home Secretary Yvette Cooper

Don’t we have a desperate shortage of care workers?
lukepiper.bsky.social
Come and join us!

It's a great place to work, learn, have fun and make a difference.
workrights.bsky.social
🚨We're hiring a Policy Manager

Do you have substantial public affairs experience, a deep understanding of how immigration and employment laws can perpetuate exploitation, and a genuine passion for social justice?

Yes? ➡️ Apply now!
No? ➡️Send to a friend 😉

www.workrightscentre.org/publications...
We’re recruiting a Policy Manager | Work Rights Centre
www.workrightscentre.org
Reposted by Luke Piper
workrights.bsky.social
🚨We're hiring a Policy Manager

Do you have substantial public affairs experience, a deep understanding of how immigration and employment laws can perpetuate exploitation, and a genuine passion for social justice?

Yes? ➡️ Apply now!
No? ➡️Send to a friend 😉

www.workrightscentre.org/publications...
We’re recruiting a Policy Manager | Work Rights Centre
www.workrightscentre.org
lukepiper.bsky.social
Important nods in this piece to how the UK's common law did not prevent children subject to corporal punishment or gay people facing discrimination and how it was the ECtHR that had to step in. There is also a link in the piece to the court's impact webpage, worth a look: www.coe.int/en/web/impac...
Reposted by Luke Piper
jdportes.bsky.social
The Times finds it "unacceptable" that people who came here legally in 2021 and have been living and working here since should allowed to stay.

The sad decline of a once great newspaper into ignorant xenophobia and casual racism

archive.ph/TFZY9
There is a more pressing issue. Ministers must ensure that the vast numbers of immigrants who arrived in the so-called Boriswave of 2020-21 are not automatically absorbed into the permanent population. They are about to cross the the five-year threshold into ILR, yet Labour continues to dither. Ms Mahmood must freeze the status of this huge cohort while a new residency regime is finalised. A million or more extra permanent residents in these islands, let in on the nod, is simply unacceptable. Finally, the home secretary must acquaint herself, and the public, with an accurate estimate of the actual number of foreign nationals living here, what taxes they pay and what services they consume. Without hard data, all the political parties are fumbling around in the dark.
lukepiper.bsky.social
Happy 25th Birthday Human Rights Act 1998!! Not exactly the birthday present you wanted but hey!
cjmckinney.bsky.social
"Badenoch is now expected to announce in a speech at the party’s Manchester conference on Sunday how the Tories would exit the ECHR, after a shadow cabinet meeting on the decision on Friday" www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Kemi Badenoch expected to announce plan to leave ECHR
Move to come if Conservatives win next election and is calculated to head off growing support for Reform UK
www.theguardian.com
lukepiper.bsky.social
So very very confusing
lukepiper.bsky.social
Ye sorry to do that to you on a Thursday evening!
lukepiper.bsky.social
Ye I'm watching now and it's not pleasant watching. It's all over the place but he appears to be saying the above. Sorry again in advance!
lukepiper.bsky.social
I know they keep flip flopping on this, but this is the minister in charge of the brief...
Reposted by Luke Piper
jonfeatonby.bsky.social
The idea that being a refugee is somehow a “golden ticket” is genuinely awful. These are people who the government have recognised are in need of protection. Do they think people chose that? That that’s what people wanted?

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Starmer to end asylum ‘golden ticket’ of resettlement and family reunion rights
People granted asylum will have to earn right to invite family in plan charities call ‘straight from populist playbook’
www.theguardian.com
lukepiper.bsky.social
In Dept. for health it will be doctors/nurses/care workers, in the Dept. for trade it'll be tech bros and entrepreneurs, in housing it'll be construction workers on and on it goes. Meanwhile petrifying people already here and putting off the talent the government wants.
lukepiper.bsky.social
This sort of reality collision is going to happen over and over again so long as this government chases perceptions on immigration.
jdportes.bsky.social
Absolutely right from Streeting.

But then government/Mahmood need to make crystal clear this applies to people who have arrived since 2021 and are working in NHS/care right now -and that government is not going to change the rules and leave them at the mercy of a future Reform/Conservative govt
Reposted by Luke Piper
benansell.bsky.social
As regular readers will know, I'm not exactly a fan of doubling the time to ILR but two things about Mahmood's speech. First, she is still keeping to the five years to ILR for some (I expect this will be £ or job related) and this from the FT is good to hear and I very much hope is true.
Reposted by Luke Piper
jdportes.bsky.social
Apart from the unnecessary hardship this will inflict on individuals, this will be bad for integration and social cohesion, bad for the economy, and will increase irregular migration.

[And, as @robfordmancs.bsky.social has shown, it's hugely unpopular and out of step with the British public]
paulbrand.bsky.social
Mahmood says she will introduce new conditions for indefinite leave to remain:

Lived here 10 years not 5
Being in work
Not taking a penny in benefits
No criminal record
Giving back to community eg volunteering
lukepiper.bsky.social
Most people with visas in the UK have no recourse to public funds. This includes child benefit www.gov.uk/government/p...
lukepiper.bsky.social
The Home Sec. repeated her aims of maintaining a "open, tolerant, generous country" in her speech just now.

I'm struggling to see how doubling the qualification period for settlement, forced volunteering (quite the oxymoron) etc. achieve that aim.
paulbrand.bsky.social
Mahmood says she will introduce new conditions for indefinite leave to remain:

Lived here 10 years not 5
Being in work
Not taking a penny in benefits
No criminal record
Giving back to community eg volunteering
Reposted by Luke Piper
paulbrand.bsky.social
Mahmood says she will introduce new conditions for indefinite leave to remain:

Lived here 10 years not 5
Being in work
Not taking a penny in benefits
No criminal record
Giving back to community eg volunteering
Reposted by Luke Piper
zoejardiniere.bsky.social
If scrapping indefinite leave to remain (ILR) entirely, as Reform would do, is racist, according to Labour, what is making ILR twice as difficult, expensive & humiliating to obtain, as Labour are doing?
lukepiper.bsky.social
There is something deeply unfair telling people that their eligibility for options to settle in the UK are unknown because the government is busy chasing perceptions about migrants. I have to essentially 🤷when asked about when they can settle. Stressful for too many. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Shabana Mahmood to demand migrants earn right to settled status
New tests will include learning English to a high standard, paying National Insurance and not claiming benefits.
www.bbc.co.uk
lukepiper.bsky.social
Official statement talks about physical alternatives. Part of me is screaming reading that given all the arguments made about physical alternatives for eVisas. bsky.app/profile/cjmc...