Commonwealth Nationals and UK Immigration Policies

Emma asks:

Dear Secretary General,

Can you please explain to me and the remaining commonwealth nationals what their rights are in the UK. Can you also explain what other countries stand to benefit from the Commonwealth in terms of relationship and immigration with the United Kingdom? I believe the UK is not being fair to commonwealth nationals who apply to visit or study in their country. Most Commonwealth Countries (who are mainly former colonies of Britain) use English as the medium of instruction in their schools. Most of these schools’ systems are based on the British model yet in recent times the UK government has been very hostile to Commonwealth nationals especially those who apply to study in UK. Commonwealth nationals have to prove that they can speak a language most of them have already been speaking in their countries. Meanwhiles EU nationals who do not speak a word of English have free movements in the UK. This undermines the Commonwealth as an organisation totally and why are the leaders not doing anything about the way Commonwealth nationals are being treated in the name of controlling immigration in the UK?

Many thanks,

Emma
(prospective PHD and a law student)

The Secretary-General replies:

Dear Emma

All Commonwealth countries work together in a spirit of equality, mutuality, co-operation, partnership and understanding. Openness and flexibility are integral to the Commonwealth's effectiveness. Citizen-to-citizen links are as important to the Commonwealth as the contacts between member governments.

Commonwealth citizens have the right to vote in UK General Elections; you can read more here.

Immigration to the UK for Commonwealth citizens is regulated by the UK Border Agency and the current rights of abode are set out here.

At the end of the day, the extent to which any of the 54 member countries opens its borders to the citizens of another country is the choice of individual government, and we obviously encourage the greatest openness possible to citizen-to-citizen contact across the Commonwealth.

Kamalesh Sharma