I was the 'perfect immigrant' – Labour's new plan still treats me like a stranger

The government doesn’t want migrants looking for opportunity. It wants those with capital, property portfolios and investment visas.

Tiago Ventura Pic: Handout

I am a good immigrant.

I came here legally, completed my education, paid my taxes, and learnt the language. I integrated so well that I earned the highest compliment: “I couldn’t even tell, your English is so good.” And yet, I’m one of the reasons Britain is now, in the Prime Minister’s own words, an “island of strangers.”

The old fallacy of the ‘good immigrant’, the one who simply worked hard and contributed, is dead.

The Labour government’s new immigration white paper, Restoring Control Over the Immigration System, is one of the most regressive policy documents I’ve read in years, and as a migrant who has dealt with Visa issues, I have read a lot of government policy in my time.

The paper implies migration is the reason behind the country’s economic stagnation. Never mind that migrants contribute around £42 billion to the UK economy. Never mind that we have always paid in more than we take out. None of that matters when you need a scapegoat.

Keir Starmer claimed Britain is “addicted to importing cheap labour”. And so, the logical conclusion his government has drawn is to punish those most vulnerable to exploitation, rather than the corporations and employers who do the exploiting.

There’s no move to tighten labour laws. No attempt to lift standards across the board to protect British and migrant workers. Just more restrictions, more fees, more hoops to jump through.

Let’s be clear: these changes won’t benefit anyone. They’ll hurt most in the sectors that rely on migrant workers — care, health, hospitality. The government is slashing social care visas and taxing employers for hiring foreign staff.

One in five NHS workers are from outside the UK. These are the people who showed up during the pandemic, cared for the sick, and kept the system going while the rest of the country clapped on doorsteps. Now they’re being told they’re a burden and an economic liability.

Under the new rules, working in care, health or hospitality doesn’t make you a “skilled worker” anymore, unless you’ve got a degree. And even if you do, your clock starts ticking the moment you arrive.

International students, who pump over £12 billion into the economy every year, now have just 18 months after graduation to secure a job paying £38,000 in order to remain in the country. Good luck with that.

Even worse than the policy is the tone. Starmer’s tweet: “If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English. That’s common sense,” is a masterclass in dog-whistle politics.

If that’s common sense, should the 350,000 Brits living in Spain speak fluent Spanish?

The government has increased the required English language level for settlement from B1 to B2. Anyone who’s learnt a second language knows this a serious leap. And yet there’s no plan for support. No funding. No language programmes. Just a higher bar and a silent shrug.

I grew up with parents who spoke broken English. They worked long hours, paid their taxes, raised a family. One opened a business. The other worked at one of the biggest banks in the country. Would they have passed this new test? Probably not. But that didn’t stop them from building a life here, from contributing in every way that matters.

This isn’t about integration. It’s about class. The government doesn’t want migrants looking for opportunity. It wants migrants with capital. With property portfolios and investment visas. For everyone else, the message is clear: don’t bother.

It’s gutting to see this come from a Labour government. If Nigel Farage were in charge, no one would be shocked. But this isn’t what people voted for. They didn’t vote for policies that punish the vulnerable and reward the exploiters.

However, the fight isn’t over yet. Many Labour MPs didn’t sign up for these exclusionary measures either. These policies still have to pass the House of Commons. Now is the time to write to your local MP and urge them to challenge, scrutinise, and reject them. There are plenty of voices within the party who oppose these policies, they just need to hear from you.

I love Britain. I grew up here. I made lifelong friends here. This is my home. Yet, I am so tired of politicians using migrants as political pawns to secure votes. And now I’m being told I’m part of the problem, that the crisis isn’t austerity or inequality or failed leadership — it’s migrants.

Perhaps, soon, the only ‘good immigrant’ will be a gone immigrant. ■

About the author: Tiago Ventura is a freelance journalist based in London. Originally from Portugal, he moved to the UK at thirteen and holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London. He writes on politics and global affairs

This piece is part of The Lead Says, bringing you insightful writing on people, place and policy. Immigration and how it is tackled is a topic we’ve returned to regularly on The Lead, from Zoë Grünewald outlining how immigration is often seen as the number one topic for voters (when in fact, it isn’t) and her view on Starmer’s migration announcement, Nicola Kelly previously on Labour’s ‘Go Home Van’ moment earlier this year and migration researcher and campaigner Zoe Gardner on how ‘smashing the gangs’ narrative won’t work. Help support our writing on immigration and more by becoming a subscriber to The Lead.