Bangladeshi migrants are not faring well in Europe, including the UK. Stricter immigration laws, coupled with accusations of some Bangladeshis being involved in militant activities and Brexit have all made life harder for the migrants.
Those who have migrated over the last decade have faced the brunt of the changes to immigration laws. Gaining permanent residency has become harder and many have had to come back to Bangladesh even after living in various European countries for years.
“Stricter immigration laws in European countries, the issue of Muslims being associated with militancy, the economic recession in Europe have all led to a fall in living standards in Europe. New migrants are facing a tough challenge,” Tozammel Haque, former Bangladesh Ambassador to France, told the Bangla Tribune.
Emdadul Haque Emdad has been living in Italy for almost three decades and works in a multinational company. He pointed out that the economic downturn in Italy has forced even many Italians to move to other countries in hope of finding work.
“In the last five years, thousands of Bangladeshi Italians left for UK with an Italian passport hoping for a better life there. Meanwhile in Italy, the price of houses has more than halved over the past five years,” he told the Bangla Tribune on Monday morning.
Some people file false claims of unfair treatment against the government of their country and appeal for asylum posing as oppressed journalists or political leaders. This tarnishes the image of the country to the world
He added that Italy was previously considered the haven of illegal immigrants due to its easier immigration process. “Even that has become much tougher now.”
Khandaker Khaliqur Rahman, a cultural activist from Moulvibazar, who lives in Germany’s Bonn, said: “Germany has provided shelter to a large number of immigrants over the last few years, but the number of Bangladeshis among them is very low.”
Mohsin Ahmad, who hails from Habiganj and currently lives in France, had a first-hand account of immigrant sufferings to tell to the Bangla Tribune. “I came to the UK with a work permit in 2004, which expired in two years. I crossed into France through Dover and made my way to Belgium. I got the chance to live there legally after applying for asylum as an unaccompanied minor.”
“However, a lot of similar appeals were filed at the same time, the Belgium government became suspicious and cross-checked our fingerprints with the database of thousands of ‘missing’ illegal migrants, which they collected from the UK. Fingerprints of those of us who fled from UK matched the database and they came to know about our previous passports and all our immigration data. A Brussels court gave us bail on the condition that we would leave Belgium within 30 days. ”
He continued that they then fled to France and applied for political asylum there. “However, within a year, we heard that Portugal was giving permanent residency on easy terms within four years and moved there in 2015. I spent around €5,000 of my hard-earned money to get illegal tax documents to prove that I had been a resident there. But in 2016, the Portuguese government made their immigration terms tougher and I returned to France.
“I am not sure if I should seek asylum here again. I have been in Europe for 12 years now, but I still have to flee from the police or immigration officials like a thief. There is nothing to do. I do not have the money to go back, nor am I in the age to get married and start a family.”
Jarmal Ahmad Khan, a leader of UK Jubo League, told the Bangla Tribune: “Many people, who come to the UK on visits, are posing as ‘Jamaat’ leaders to get asylum in London during the [Awami League] government’s tenure. ‘Jamaat and Save Bangladesh’ is certifying them as workers of their party. It happens in case of every government. Some people file false claims of unfair treatment against the government of their country and appeal for asylum posing as oppressed journalists or political leaders. This tarnishes the image of the country to the world.”
Dr Renu Lutfa, a Bangladeshi writer and social worker who lives in Britain, told the Bangla Tribune: “Where were we before Brexit, specially us Bangladeshis? We lag behind other countries in terms of education. Most of us in Britain, who reside without proper documents, used to work in Bangladeshi restaurants. But, even that has become harder due to the increasingly strict of immigration laws. A restaurant owner is fined if he is found to have hired an illegal person. The Immigration Act 2016 is much stricter. People without proper documents cannot have bank accounts or driving licenses. It has become easier for the government to send back illegal immigrants. Getting legal help has become impossible.”
She continued, “Some time back, the Bangladesh Caterers Association was calling for reducing VAT imposed on Bangladeshi restaurants. It was ridiculous. They could not even understand that the law is equal for everyone. Bangladeshi businessmen wanted to bring workers from the country. But as soon as the government gave that benefit, they abused it and started an illegal business without bringing in real workers. There was not a single real chef in the past.”
Lutfa continued: “Just before the vote on Brexit, some leaders of our society started spreading the word that if we leave the EU, then there would be opportunity to bring people in from Commonwealth countries. Many believed that if the Europeans left, unemployment allowances and other benefits would rise. They failed to understand that the law passed in the Parliament will not be revoked.”
“If you ask how the immigrants are faring? The direct answer would be that those who have properly used the scopes this country provides, changed their fate with education and qualifications, are faring well. But those who were relying only on reaping government benefits are left hopeless. The budget has been cut down in most European countries, not just Britain as the number of benefit-seekers has kept on increasing."
This article was first published on Bangla Tribune