Colin Yeo - Welcome to Britain

Colin Yeo - Welcome to Britain: Fixing Our Broken Immigration System 

5 ⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics, Law, General Knowledge

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  Biteback Publishing 

Date Published: 29th June 2020

 

Book Blurb: 

How would we treat Paddington Bear if he came to the UK today? Perhaps he would be made destitute as a result of extortionate visa application fees; perhaps he would experience a cruel term of imprisonment in a detention centre; or perhaps his entire identity would be torn apart at the hands of a hostile environment that seems to delight in the humiliation of its victims.

Britain thinks of itself as a welcoming country, but the reality is, and always has been, very different. This is a system in which people born in Britain are told in uncompromising terms that they are not British, in which those who have lived their entire lives on these shores are threatened with the most unyielding of policies, and in which falling in love with anyone other than a British national can result in families being ripped apart. Here, citizens are called on to police each other, targets matter more than people, and death in detention centres is far from uncommon.

In this vital and alarming book, campaigner and immigration barrister Colin Yeo tackles the subject with dexterity and rigour, offering a roadmap of where we should go from here as he exposes the iniquities of an immigration system that is unforgiving, unfeeling and, ultimately, failing.

My Review: 

One of the most interesting non-fiction books that I read in a while. Immigration is such a hot topic in the UK at the moment, as well as it is a topic that I am really interested in. This book is a non-complex insight into super complex UK immigration policy and system, with easy-to-understand language and explanations.

The author, explains all of the complexity in a very understandable fashion, without much jargon and with some real-life examples of immigration cases. Each chapter is dedicated to a very specific issue, such as asylum seekers, student visas, citizenship, etc. Also, measures on how to make the immigration system better, are suggested. However, the main point author is trying to portray in this book is that migrants are humans and should not be mistreated as in some cases they are now.

I liked that this book is from a migration lawyer's POV, as it explains the complexity of the system and shines a light on how media spreads wrong or misinterpreted messages to the public about migration and migrants who come to the UK.

Overall: I think everyone who cares or is interested in migration topics should read this superbly written book, as it will shine a light on so many different aspects of the UK’s immigration system and policies through the years, and especially prior and post-BREXIT.

 

About the Author:

Colin Yeo is a barrister, blogger, writer and campaigner. He appears regularly in the media and has given evidence in Parliament on several occasions. He writes regularly for newspapers and websites, including a celebrated piece on Paddington Bear as a refugee in modern Britain. He runs the campaigning website freemovement.org.uk, which receives around 2.5 million page views per year. He lives in Bristol.

https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/colin-yeo