Caribbean families divided
01 January 1991
Caribbean families divided
artdoc July=1992
CARF, no 5, November/December 1992
[Campaign Against Racism and Fascism]
The problem of black families divided by immigration control
is often assumed to be peculiar to Asians, particularly where
husbands and wives are concerned. But an increasing number of
Jamaicans wishing to join their husband or wife in Britain are
being refused as a result of the crude racist stereotypes
employed by the British High Commission in Kingston.
Following recent complaints to the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office about unnecessary inquiries into sexual relationships
and the financial circumstances of applicants and their
sponsors (wife or husband in Britain), the Foreign Office
sought to justify the behaviour of the British High Commission
by blaming the `victims' of immigration policies and
practices.
First, questions relating to previous and current sexual
relationships are `justified, given the unique attitude that
some Jamaicans have towards cohabitation, children and
marriage'. In other words, it is assumed that a man applying
to join his wife in Britain has married her primarily to
enable his emigration from Jamaica, because it is believed
that Jamaicans do not usually consider marriage to have any
particular value.
The assumptions made by the British High Commission about
`normal' Jamaican family life have led to the use of standard
interview questions for marriage applicants with references to
`baby mothers/baby fathers' already typed out for the
anticipated reply about previous cohabitation and the
resultant children.
Second, requests for the husband or wife in Britain to provide
at least six months' bank statements and explain each debit
and credit are based upon a feature of life in Kingston`
whereby sponsors attempt to facilitate visit or settlement
applications by presenting artificially inflated bank
accounts'. In the minds of immigration officials, this can
involve the transfer of funds between family members,
including husband and wife, in order to show that savings, as
well as regular income, are available to support a person
applying to come to Britain.
The British High Commission's unprofessional approach to
dealing with people applying to settle in Britain on the basis
of marriage may not stand up on appeal. But its practices
both humiliate applicants and cause considerable delay and
heartache.
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