Whilst I agree to some of the points you've raised herewith, I strongly oppose the others.
I agree we were not forced to come to the UK and settle down. I agree UK government has duty of care towards their own citizen first. I agree, however to correct, not government, UK constitute has allowed us to enter the UK for better prospects
However, I do not agree or approve the unjustified increment in "ONLY" Tier 1 General Migrant Visa fees. What exactly have we done here to bear that? We have, least every single one I know whose on T1 G Visa, abide by the laws, have stayed onto the right side of the law and done everything asked for. Had fees been increased for everyone, I would accept happily. This is unjustified as to only one class of migration community gets higher increment. I would rather want government introduce something that will completely overhaul criteria. However, very unfortunately they probably wouldn't do that to avoid another HSMP case in court and waste Tax payer's money.
As Sam mentioned above, we will at the end have no option but to pay for it. BUT WHY NOT RAISE OUR VOICE AND TRY. You don't get if you don't try/ask they say.
So, I am hand-in-hand with everyone who supports this petition, even though, I am in very well paid job and does affect me paying few hundreds extra!!!
chrischris wrote:I know this would not be a popular opinion, but I don't think it is right to proceed with this petition. the government can always give a "take it or leave it" argument, i.e. people on tier 1 visas are here by choice - they are economic migrants who unlike asylum seekers do not face persecution back home.
lets be frank with ourselves taking residence in the UK for those of us on tier 1 visas is something we chose to do. no one was forced into it. don't get me wrong, everyone has the right to seize every opportunity to improve one's life. the government has opened up an avenue for migration that was not available many years ago and would probably not be available in the future.
the primary responsibility of the UK government is to its citizens. if the citizens of the country are feeling pain, it is the government's duty to ease that pain; and if that means stepping on the toes of immigrants so be it. as much as we contribute economically to the country's finances, we are still economic migrants - it has not been altruistic; i would not imagine that tier 1 visa holders gave up better economic lives to come contribute to the UK economy.
having said that, if any petition is to be made it should be for improving services. if one is going to pay £1,500 (or £6,000+ for those with dependents) for a service, then that service would better be quick. From the document posted earlier last week, it costs UKBA £181 to process each application. If that's the cost, why should anyone wait for four weeks just to get a biometrics letter? clearly their processes and systems need to be improved. a two week wait is more than enough.
on a lighter note, another petition could be to increase UKBA staff salaries by 25% or so. the poor guys should also benefit from the additional revenue they are helping the government collect. maybe they'll work harder to get things done quicker.
PS. if anyone from UKBA is reading this, i'm still waiting for my biometrics letter a month after submitting my extension application.
An [Expensive] Immigrant journey has ended 19/08/2015. Good luck to you all out there...
!!!!