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As a migrant, you& #39;re expecting to bend over backwards and show fealty to countries that will barely give you crumbs - and that& #39;s if you& #39;re lucky.
Even if you become a citizen, you& #39;ll still have an asterisk next to your name that makes you disposable to everyone else. https://twitter.com/janeruffino/status/1249626071319838729">https://twitter.com/janeruffi...
Even if you become a citizen, you& #39;ll still have an asterisk next to your name that makes you disposable to everyone else. https://twitter.com/janeruffino/status/1249626071319838729">https://twitter.com/janeruffi...
"Maybe you should have respect for the country that& #39;s provided for you" - as if migrants don& #39;t pay taxes, on top of exuberant other fees that we need to pay upfront just to get our foot in the country, let alone live here.
I& #39;ve lived in the UK for almost 5 years. I work, I study, I pay taxes here. My partner and I have created a home here.
And for these "privileges", do you know how much I pay? $449 for the application fee. £300 per year upfront for the NHS.
And for these "privileges", do you know how much I pay? $449 for the application fee. £300 per year upfront for the NHS.
Assuming I even get a job in the UK after my PhD, do you know how much THAT will cost me? For the "privilege" of working in a country that I now consider home?
£1,220 for the work visa. £624 for the NHS - per year.
£1,220 for the work visa. £624 for the NHS - per year.
And that& #39;s assuming they won& #39;t jack the prices up again by the time I enter the job market - the one that may or may not even exist this time next year.
And on top of all of this, I am extremely - EXTREMELY - privileged as a migrant. I& #39;m not from the EU, but I am still from the Global North (the US). I was able to take out student loans to help with the heavy finances for my Tier 4 visa. I& #39;m seen as "desirable" as a PhD student.
But I& #39;m still precarious as hell. I don& #39;t make plans in advance because I& #39;m unsure of what my visa status will be. I& #39;m afraid to make big decisions with my partner because who knows if I& #39;ll be in the same country as him next year?
My supervisors have noted that I& #39;ve had difficulties in focusing on my PhD, even pre-pandemic. And yeah, I definitely have - because it& #39;s not just about finishing the PhD for me. I need to have things planned in advance, to schedule every single thing to make the most of my visa.
If I finish at this time, I& #39;ll be able to apply for a one year visa extension. If I don& #39;t, I may end up deported while doing my corrections. I need to secure some kind of position in the UK post-PhD that will let me stay here. I need to save money to apply for a spouse visa.
Right now, I& #39;m unemployed due to the pandemic. I can& #39;t take on most other jobs as I& #39;m limited to 20 hrs/week on my visa. Even then, my supervisors are wary of me working at this point during my PhD as I am falling behind schedule.
I have money in my savings account, but I am terrified of spending it. Why? Because of the financial requirements that migrants need to pass just to get a visa. Did you know you have to prove you have money saved up just to successfully get a visa in the UK?
Not that it matters - even without showing that I have funding in one form or another, I can& #39;t access public funding anyway. I need lots of money in advance regardless to pay off all of my application fees. Once, I was forced out of the UK to apply for a new visa last minute.
