back-to-school

BRITISH BACK TO SCHOOL SALE

The EU provided for easy movement between member states without the need for passports. Millions of legal immigrants in britain following the Brexit are now wondering how their status will be affected. The situation is particularly difficult for those who have set roots in the UK and who will not be able to easily extricate themselves. Many are receiving messages from friends in their home countries urging them to return, rather than live in the climate of uncertainty and hostility.

 

Questions around the potential need for visas, the cost for a possible visa, and the new status of immigrants in this new UK, where immigrants have now been made to feel unwelcome.

 

The referendum vote that led to the Brexit - or British Exit - was mainly driven by massive amounts of immigration into the UK from 27 member states. The groups that were campaigning for the Brexit gave assurances that those EU members already in the UK would not have to worry. Unfortunately, such groups are in no position to give such guarantees as these will only be decided at the tail end of a great deal of negotiation.

 

With 7.5 million immigrant residents in the UK, the stakes are high and the air is heavy with a feeling of disdain pointed in their direction. Afterall, the very essence of the vote was to get people like them out of the country.

 

Immigrant sellers at the Borough Market spoke openly with a Polish worker stating that immigrants were “treated like scum, even though no one wants to do their jobs.” Returning change to a customer during a back to school sale he chided her by calling them English pounds as opposed to Welsh pounds, Scottish Pounds, and Irish Euros.

 

The seller came to the UK in 2004 during the time that the EU was expanding to include many eastern bloc countries. His objective was the same as many who did the same thing: to get better paying jobs. But in the current climate he is considering packing up and moving to a european city so that he can continue enjoying easy movement and being part of the European community.

 

Although Polish people are the largest group of immigrants in the UK, activists do not think that the referendum result will drive Poles back to their country. There is however an observation that hostile references to immigrants have now become commonplace.

 

In an attempt to address very legitimate concern among the large number of European immigrants living in London, it’s new mayor Sadiq Khan at a gay pride parade attempted to put minds at ease. He pointed out that London as an area voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, and that he wanted London-specific issues to be raised at the eventual negotiating table.

 

Sellers are nervous about different things that result from the Brexit. For one there is the issue of the eventual value of the british pound. For those who are importing goods from other areas of the European Union the lack of stability in pricing at the moment creates huge uncertainty. Will prices for goods be significantly higher? Will there be price fluctuations for a good while? Another matter is the issue of tariffs.

 

Since the UK will no longer be part of the EU it will now be subject to both import and export tariffs. As is done in all markets all of these extraneous costs are passed onto the customer. Between the decrease in the value of the pound, and the possibility of tariffs it will be difficult to gauge what pricing will look like, also what level of increases will start to disturb sales.

 

Then there is the issue of staff. How does a business owner negotiate the hazards of staffing employees who might have visa issues in the next couple of years?

 

One of the most pressing issues is the fear of the rhetorical climate - the ways that parties like the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and others have been addressing legal immigrants. There have been advertisements that lumped them together with hordes of Syrian refugees.

 

Many are not sure that they can call the UK home anymore, after all this. Some immigrants see this as only emboldening the far right who are all too happy to make life uncomfortable for immigrants. There are reports of especially older UK citizens who are very clear in their disdain for immigrants. They plainly point out the difference in skin color as the best determinant of British citizenship.

 

The influx of people from member nations is simply because the UK has a strong currency, the pound, and people want to take advantage of it. The pound has begun a slide downwards so if the economy in the UK and the currency slacken, the reason for immigration to the UK might vaporize, leading immigrants to evaluate which member nation holds out the best prospects for earning a good living.