A high-ranking UN official is worried about the UK government‘s plan to stop boats bringing migrants. He thinks this plan is not a real solution to migration problems.
Rishi Sunak made a promise that was one of the five most important things for his government. The Prime Minister talked about these priorities at the beginning of last year.
However, Filippo Grandi, the leader of the United Nations refugee agency, told the media that migrants are vulnerable and can be easily taken advantage of.
The Home Office said that stopping people from entering the country illegally is a big problem and needs new, creative ideas to solve it.
Before the US presidential election and the UK general election, Mr. Grandi said that people in both countries are worried about immigration.
“Politicians are mostly responsible for causing this,” he said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
“Using lies to get people to vote for them. ”
“Migrants and refugees are often easy to harm or attack. ” Saying “we need to work hard on these problems” is not as exciting as saying “let’s just push them away and everything will be okay” – which isn’t true.
Mr Grandi was asked by Nick Robinson on the Today show if he is talking about the UK’s policy to stop boats and Donald Trump’s policy to build a wall.
“Sure,” replied Mr.
These are not real answers and they don’t even talk about the issue of arrivals.
“The problem is that too much focus on that takes away from the important work that needs to be done to better handle these difficult thoughts. ”
Mr Grandi spoke from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and shared his worries about the UK government’s plan to offer asylum to people from Rwanda.
Right now, Parliament is looking at a plan for a five-year agreement. It says that some asylum seekers who come to the UK will go to Rwanda to have their claims checked there.
If the plans work out, they might be given refugee status and be allowed to stay in the middle of Africa. If not, they could try to live in Rwanda for a different reason or ask for protection in a different country.
However, in November 2023, the highest court in the UK decided with complete agreement that the Rwanda plan was against the law.
After the highest court decided, the government made a new law to show that Rwanda is a safe country in UK.
Mr Grandi said to the media that some rich countries are making plans to give up their duty to help asylum seekers and make other countries take care of them instead. This goes against the main rules for protecting refugees.
Mr Grandi said it’s important for all people seeking asylum to have a fair process, especially in countries that have agreed to certain rules.
“If you refuse to take on that duty and give it away just to keep people out, the UN will always disapprove of it. ”
Mr Grandi asked for continued help from the West for Ukrainians affected by the war. He talked about a school in Kyiv that was built underground to keep kids safe from air strikes. He said that it shows how life has become very different for many people in Ukraine.
He said: “I’ve been in many wars, but I’ve rarely seen civilians as strong as they are now. But, we shouldn’t think their strength will last forever. ” That strength needs help from other countries.
“Four billion dollars is the total amount of money needed to support the humanitarian efforts for the Ukrainian crisis, both inside Ukraine and in countries hosting refugees. ”
Mr Grandi said he is very concerned about the frequent destruction of buildings in Gaza, especially this time when a UN building was destroyed, killing 12 people.
Israel said it didn’t do the attack and is checking if it was hit by Hamas.
“The government doesn’t agree with what the UNHCR has said about shirking responsibility. We are working with a safe country and taking care of over 130,000 asylum seekers. ”
“The Court of Appeal and the High Court said that it’s okay to move people to safe countries to process their asylum claims. This follows the rules of the Refugee Convention in the UK. ” The Supreme Court did not change this.
The Home Office said it wants to stop small boats from crossing the English Channel from France.
“We are focused on stopping the boats. That’s why we are taking strong action to stop people-smuggling gangs, discourage migrants from crossing dangerously, and work with the French to stop boats. ” a spokesperson said.
Tag: Migration
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Stop the Boats policy is a ‘fake response’ to problems with migration – UN
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Mass youth migration a major sign of a failed state and no propaganda campaign can change it – Economist to Akufo-Addo
Financial analyst and economist, Scott Bolshevik, has responded to President Akufo-Addo‘s recent plea, advising African youth against pursuing perceived opportunities in Europe or America, terming it the ‘mirage’ of a better life.
After addressing the Full Circle Africa Economic Conference in Accra on Thursday, December 28, President Akufo-Addo stressed the importance of collective efforts to transform Africa into a continent of investment, progress, and prosperity. He discouraged the prevailing trend of African youth leaving their homeland in search of a supposedly better life abroad.
“We must help make Africa the place for investment, progress and prosperity, and not from where our youth flee in the hope of accessing the mirage of a better life in Europe or the Americas.
“We want to derive maximum dividends from our relations with the African Diaspora in mutually beneficial co-operation, and as partners for shared growth and development,” he said.
But Scott Bolshevik disagrees with President Akufo-Addo’s assertion. He holds the position that “Nobody migrates in quest of a mirage, no matter how foolish he is.“
According to him, “only at times of war, hunger, or economic disaster have people moved in search of better lands throughout human history.“
In a post on December 29, Mr. Bolshevik emphasized that all indications suggest that any country encountering such a problem is currently a failed state, attributing this to the government’s failure to make the right decisions to deter the mass exodus of its citizens.
“It’s a major sign of a failed state and no propaganda campaign can change it,” he added.
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Young Nigerian woman shares experience of perilous journey to Europe
Amidst the fervent political debate over migration across the Mediterranean, a topic that has propelled right-wing parties into power in Italy and other places, it’s easy to get lost in a sandstorm of statistics: the tens of thousands of arrivals on Italy’s shores, or the estimated 2,000 people who have tragically lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean this year.
However, after spending a week reporting from southern Italy on migration, what truly stands out are the personal stories – tales of fear, hope, tragedy, and triumph – that surpass anything else.
Consider Tessy, a young Nigerian woman who successfully made it to Italy 15 years ago. As she recounted her journey to Europe, she almost broke down. For ten days, she found herself stranded in the unforgiving Sahara desert, with minimal food and water, facing a grim 50:50 chance of survival.
Today, Tessy is happily married and dedicates herself to helping newly arrived migrants and refugees settle into life in Italy. Despite her current contentment, she firmly believes that she would never advise her 21-year-old self to embark on such a perilous journey.
Then there’s Anicet, an Ivorian woman whom I encountered outside a migrant reception center in Crotone. She revealed that she had been sold into slavery in Tunisia, describing the horrifying reality of beatings and rapes that countless women endure while attempting to reach Europe. Men, too, spoke of imprisonment and beatings in Libya, where they were held until they could pay ransoms.
The physical and psychological scars inflicted on these individuals will undoubtedly take a long time to heal.
Nevertheless, despite the tremendous risks and challenges, those who undertake this perilous journey hold onto hope that, like Tessy, they can ultimately establish a better life for themselves in a new land.
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Stakeholders urge policies enhancing youth migration aspirations
In a workshop focused on Migration and Youth in Ghana, participants emphasized the need for customized policies that effectively address the migration aspirations of young individuals.
They said such policies would also go a long way to encouraging the youth to take the right decisions to better their economic status and that of the country at large.
The Migration and Youth in Ghana project was a collaboration between the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS), the University of Ghana, Legon, and the Maastricht University, Netherlands.
The workshop was to highlight the findings of the studies conducted on youth migration aspirations and how these aspirations affect their lives.
Ms Onallia Esther Osei, a Ph.D. A student at Maastricht University, said the collaboration focused on the transnational family lives and how it shaped migrants’ and non-migrants lives, including their well-being.
She said in the case of young people, the project looked at children of migrants living in both destination countries and countries of origin, because it was important to gather perspectives of different groups mostly about the same issues, including mobility trajectories and migration aspirations.
She said: “That will help in understanding how things are either the same or even when people have different backgrounds or differ because of certain background characteristics, certain differences in their experience over time, or because people have different aspirations.”
Ms Osei said the workshop was on the migration aspirations of Ghanaian youths, including children of migrants living in Ghana.
She said the study revealed that almost every young person aspires to move “but the time they want to move out and how they want to move out are not the same.”
She urged all stakeholders and caregivers to guide the youth to make their migration aspirations to become an asset for the country as they were helped to improve their life chances within their well-being.
She also called on all actors in the migration industry, including scholars to have a strong desire to go beyond the pessimistic views of youth migration or migration aspirations and see how to harness these aspirations to their benefit and that of the country of origin.
Ms Osei said: “For example, there should be a specific-tailored system to aid the youth who preferred to stay in Ghana after completing secondary school so that they would be able to take advantage of the local tertiary training, understand how education really works in Ghana, improve their knowledge on the culture, the practices, and the life before they decide to go abroad or visit abroad and come back and still have the opportunity in Ghana to work.”
She added: “If there are no chances like that for the youth, then the majority of them will be aspiring to move as soon as they finish Senior High School or Bachelor degrees because they foresee that it would be difficult to find work in the country of origin if they stay or it will be difficult to enjoy family life as most of them hope to, or so many other challenges they outlined.”
She said challenges could be well addressed and that staying would not pose a bigger problem in the future could be curtailed and most people would not be thinking of just moving out.
She noted that addressing those challenges would also shape the current practices that the Government of Ghana and other destination countries were either trying to put in place or were enforcing, such as the mobility of teachers and nurses across borders.
“As much as we have a problem of shortage, if people think it is okay to go out to support within three to five years, at most ten years, and come back and still have a better life, they will not feel cheated by the government in whatever monies they have to get by going out to support the labour market outside, then people will be happy to move back and forth.
“Otherwise, most people, especially the youth, see that it is better to leave out there for their economic benefits than staying here and feeling trapped without better employment or living conditions,” she added.
Dr Balisuma Dito, from Maastricht University, emphasized the need to look at the long-term aspirations of the youth and assist them to achieve them.
She said young people represented the workforce of every country and it was important to harness their potential for socio-economic development.
Professor Mary Setrana, the Director of CMS, said the policy dialogue tied with the CMS’ key mandates and expressed their gratitude for the collaboration.
A series of studies conducted under the project outlined the frustrations and mental trauma the youth who failed to meet their migration aspirations go through and suggested counseling assistance for them.
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Thousands of Egyptian migrants expelled from Libya
Reports emerging from Libya indicate that a significant number of Egyptian migrants have been forcibly expelled and made to undertake a challenging journey on foot back to Egypt.
Libyan authorities have conducted raids on people traffickers in the eastern part of the country, resulting in the discovery of approximately 4,000 migrants, as confirmed by a Libyan security source.
However, an Egyptian security source has countered these claims by stating that only those individuals who were residing in Libya illegally, constituting around half of the total number apprehended, were subjected to deportation.
This suggests that the other half had legal status or valid reasons for being in Libya.
Migration agencies estimate that there are approximately half a million migrants currently residing in Libya.
Many of them harbor aspirations of reaching Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, while others have managed to secure employment and establish settled lives within the country.
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UK government under pressure due to rising migration rates
Net migration to Britain hit record highs in 2017, according to official data released on Thursday. This puts pressure on the UK government, which has made the issue a political focal point.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 1.2 million individuals entered Britain in 2022, while approximately half of them left, for a net migration of 606,000 people.
That is in spite of promises made by previous Conservative administrations to significantly restrict immigration to the UK, especially in the wake of Brexit, which its proponents hailed as a crucial step for Britain to “take control” of its borders.
Thursday’s figures forces difficult questions for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and his embattled Home Secretary Suella Braverman, both of whom have pledged to reduce migration figures.
“The main drivers of the increase were people coming to the UK from non-EU countries for work, study and for humanitarian purposes,” Jay Lindop, Director of the Centre for International Migration at the ONS, said Thursday.
This is a developing story. It will be updated…
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2024 US Visa Lottery: How to check if you have been selected
The US Embassy in Ghana has announced that the selections for the 2024 US Visa Lottery, also known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, are now available.
The program randomly selects people from countries with low levels of migration to the US and grants them a visa or a green card, which allows them to live and work permanently in the US and potentially obtain citizenship.
The online applications for the 2024 US Visa Lottery started on October 5, 2022 and ended on November 8, 2022.
The results were announced on May 6, 2023 and the winners can submit their green card applications starting on October 1, 2023.
To check if you have been selected for the 2024 US Visa Lottery, go to https://dvprogram.state.gov/ and enter your confirmation number, surname, birth year, and authentication code.
- If you have been selected, you will see a confirmation screen with your name and a case number. You will also receive instructions on how to proceed with your visa application.
- If you have not been selected, you will see a message that says “Based on the information provided, the Entry HAS NOT BEEN SELECTED for further processing for the Electronic Diversity Visa program at this time.”
- You should keep your confirmation number until at least September 30, 2024, as you may need it to check your status again or to apply for a visa if you are selected later.
- You should also be aware of fraud and scams that may try to mislead you or charge you money for false information or services related to the US Visa Lottery. The US government will never ask you to send money or personal information by email or phone.
The US Visa Lottery is a free and easy program that does not require any special qualifications or skills. However, you must meet some basic eligibility requirements, such as being a native of an eligible country, having at least a high school education or equivalent work experience, and being admissible to the US.
The US Visa Lottery is a great opportunity for people who want to live and work in the US and enjoy its benefits and diversity. If you applied for the 2024 US Visa Lottery, we wish you good luck and hope you will check your status on the Entrant Status Check website.
Meanwhile, effective May 30, 2023, nonimmigrant visa fees will be revised upwards by the US Embassy in Accra. This means that B1/B2 visas for business and tourist travel, F visas for international students, J exchange visitor visas, and other visa classes not requiring a petition will increase from $160 to $185.
On the other hand, petition-based nonimmigrants who fall within (H, L, O, P, Q, and R) categories will pay fees of $205 instead of the previous $190.
Source: The Independent Ghana
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Health Professionals leaving the country a big blow Adomako-Kissi
Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom, Dr Adomako-kissi says the migration of health professionals from the country is worrying.
In an interaction with Joynews, the MP who doubles as a health practitioner noted that the demand for health professional in the aftermath of Covid-19 has increased, therefore, losing over 3000 health workers is alarming
“Any single doctor lost to our shores is a heavy blow because he/she will have touched minimum 800 lives. And it a huge thing on our human capital and you know human capital is a very important when you talk about development and it a crisis.â€
This comment comes on the back of a report by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association has revealed that within a period of one year, over 3,000 nurses and midwives have left the country to seek greener pastures.
The Association blamed the alarming migration on the insufficient stipends and poor working conditionings.
It feared that hospitals and health centres in the county would be hit with understaffing in the next three to five years if government does not intervene.
Dr Adomako Kissi, however, called on the Ministry of labor and the health ministry to have a discussion and find solutions to end the migration of health workers from Ghana to other foreign countries.
“It is more lucrative at the other side and it is a painful thing, I really think that one labor ministry and the ministry needs to revisit this current trend.â€
Source: The Independent Ghana