CHINESE COMMUNITY PROTEST AGAINST CHANGE IN IMMIGRATION RULES

Early day motion 2384, tabled 16 June 2006 by Andrew Dismore (Labour). Signed by 59 members.

That this House welcomes the demonstration in Parliament Square on 16th June by the British Chinese community, the first time ever they have mounted such a protest; notes they were joined by people from the UK's other minority communities, united in opposition to the Government's decision to change the immigration rules so that legal migrants, especially those on the Highly Skilled Migrant Workers programme, will have to wait five instead of four years for indefinite leave to remain; notes that those workers who have no recourse to public funds, but on the contrary, pay taxes and make a major contribution to the economy, now face uncertainty and hardship; and supports their demand that the Government should bring in transitional arrangements to allow those already in the UK before the rule change to qualify under the previous four year rule.

Signatures by party: Labour 45, Liberal Democrat 8, Conservative 3, Plaid Cymru 1, Scottish National Party 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.