Closed petition UK Government to stop removals of Commonwealth citizens

Closed on 4 May 2016

There is a deliberate attack against immigration from outside the EEA. The UK has a longstanding relationship with the Commonwealth that must be recognised and respected. It is unacceptable for the government to forcibly remove Commonwealth passport holders who are peaceably living in the UK.

The Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962 ended the long standing policy of open migration for British subjects wishing to stay in the UK. Most recently, changes to the Rules on 9 July 2012 and the Immigration Act 2014 seek to ensure the UK is less attractive to all but the "brightest and the best" and makes it virtually impossible for those who are already in the UK to obtain permission to stay here. We call for all Commonwealth passport holders currently living in the UK to be exempt from immigration control.