A research project has been launched to assess the experiences of tenants and landlords experiencing immigration checks in the west midlands pilot.
Movement Against Xenophobia (MAX), together with Shelter and the Chartered Institute of Housing, is doing the research to monitor the checks for discrimination and human rights implications.
MAX is a campaign aimed at countering anti-immigrant rhetoric in the UK, saying it is concerned about increasing hostility towards immigrants.
The west midlands is the first area in the UK where immigration checks have become compulsory as of December 1.
Depending on the results of the six-month pilot, due to end next May, the scheme would be rolled out to the rest of the UK, although no timeframe or detail has been given.
And of course, there’s this thing called a general election in May.
Comments (5)
MAX ? Whatever next ? An organisation that protects the rights of the rest of us ? When is this nonsense ever going to stop ? Any three-year old could have sussed that agents being forced to do the government's job might possibly, just possibly, lead to some poor folk being turned down (check out the long list of do's and don'ts in the govt guidelines). As these will necessarily be immigrants, will those agents who actually DO the job they are being forced to do be pursued by MAX, Shelter et al ? Oh, and ho ! ho! I see on another site that Shelter are running into industrial relations problems with their own staff. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch. Shelter should concentrate on helping the genuinely homeless like the folk who will be turned down (see above) and stay out of politics !
Well said, MarcH.
Landlords (and agents) will be damned if they do immigration checks by this shower and damned (and fined) by Government if they don't.
Who are "MAX", anyway? Check them out on Google if you have a spare moment – the most wonderful collection of brilliantly-named rentaprotest outfits. You really couldn't make it up. All that seems to missing is Swampy and his Tunnellers Against Practically Everything. There, showing my age…
"Concerned about increasing hostility towards immigrants" – I think you will find the UK has one of the most tolerant attitudes to immigration in the entire planet! – More scare mongering by MAX and Shelter.
It seems from the news that immigration officials have not been doing their checks properly. Will James Brokenshire MP make sure such officials are levied with the same fines that landlords are to have imposed on them for getting things wrong?