Strangers into Citizens - Austen Ivereigh to speak at St Ignatius

St Ignatius Church, Stamford Hill, North London, will be playing host to Tablet contributor and author, Austen Ivereigh, next month, as the parish continues to draw attention to the plight of asylum seekers and refugees.

Dr Ivereigh has been invited in his capacity as the author of the document Strangers into Citizens: a call for a pathway to legal status for vulnerable migrants in the UK, at the heart of which is the proposal that undocumented migrants who have been in Britain for four or more years should be admitted to a two-year pathway to full legal rights.  During this time they would be allowed to work legally and demonstrate their contribution to the UK economy and society.

Austen Ivereigh will be addressing the issue in the presbytery of St Ignatius Church, 27 High Street, Stamford Hill, London N15 6ND, on Monday, 16 April, starting at 8pm.  Further information is available from Fr Jim Conway on 020 8800 2121.

Background information: There are an estimated 500,000 irregular migrants in Britain - a combination of refused asylum seekers and people who have overstayed their visas.  Many of them are here to stay, either because they are afraid to go back, or because they do not want to go back because they have jobs and livelihoods in the UK.  The Home Office admits that at the current rate of deportations, it would take 25 years to remove them all and would cost billions of pounds.  This aside, the CBI, the TUC and numerous economists agree that continued migration is vital to meet skills shortages and is responsible for the UK's current low-inflation growth.  The proposals contained in this document will be the focus of a rally in Trafalgar Square on Monday, May 7.  The campaigners will march there from Westminster Cathedral following the 10am May Day Mass in the Cathedral which Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor will celebrate.


 Strangers into Citizens web site