James Bowes
@jamesbowes01.bsky.social
Also international students are more likely to be working too now there are more from countries like India. (Indian students are more likely to be in work than Chinese students).
November 11, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Also international students are more likely to be working too now there are more from countries like India. (Indian students are more likely to be in work than Chinese students).
Yes. It’s easy to blame Nigel Farage but he’s been around forever. It was only when prime ministers like Rishi and Keir started agreeing with him that he both got a higher profile and felt safe to express the full extent of his racist views.
November 9, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Yes. It’s easy to blame Nigel Farage but he’s been around forever. It was only when prime ministers like Rishi and Keir started agreeing with him that he both got a higher profile and felt safe to express the full extent of his racist views.
Yes I agree with you here. It is a mistake for Labour to go this far on immigration, it loses them a lot more votes than it gains them. Although there is a possibility of Labour going so extreme that they start taking Reform votes, but they'll have lost most of their current voters if they do that.
November 9, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Yes I agree with you here. It is a mistake for Labour to go this far on immigration, it loses them a lot more votes than it gains them. Although there is a possibility of Labour going so extreme that they start taking Reform votes, but they'll have lost most of their current voters if they do that.
In my area though I think the problem is a greedy landlord. He hiked the prices massively and suddenly most of the businesses shut down. On the positive end some got reopened by immigrants but less positively we also got some dodgy shops and overly expensive hipster type places.
November 9, 2025 at 9:27 AM
In my area though I think the problem is a greedy landlord. He hiked the prices massively and suddenly most of the businesses shut down. On the positive end some got reopened by immigrants but less positively we also got some dodgy shops and overly expensive hipster type places.
Yes there really wouldn’t be many shops left without immigrants running them in many areas. There are some illegal shops that should be clamped down on but they‘re clearly outnumbered by the legitimate shops.
November 9, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Yes there really wouldn’t be many shops left without immigrants running them in many areas. There are some illegal shops that should be clamped down on but they‘re clearly outnumbered by the legitimate shops.
Yes, we have very strict rules. The only reason it’s not more obvious just how strict our immigration rules are is because the graduate visa is temporarily slowing down emigration, artificially raising net migration. But by next year that won’t be the case anymore as those visas will be expiring.
November 8, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Yes, we have very strict rules. The only reason it’s not more obvious just how strict our immigration rules are is because the graduate visa is temporarily slowing down emigration, artificially raising net migration. But by next year that won’t be the case anymore as those visas will be expiring.
I think the plan is that they’ll be able to get it after 10 years if they’re working, have a clean criminal record and pass an English test but I’m not certain.
November 8, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I think the plan is that they’ll be able to get it after 10 years if they’re working, have a clean criminal record and pass an English test but I’m not certain.
I don't think they'll try this as it's so transparently racist, but I expect they'll copy other Danish ideas eg for ILR or tougher rules for refugees.
November 8, 2025 at 1:15 PM
I don't think they'll try this as it's so transparently racist, but I expect they'll copy other Danish ideas eg for ILR or tougher rules for refugees.
The pickpockets were white. No idea if they were of Danish origin or not though.
November 8, 2025 at 12:20 PM
The pickpockets were white. No idea if they were of Danish origin or not though.
I felt so much safer when I went to Malmö. It was actually a really nice place from what I saw of the city.
November 8, 2025 at 12:18 PM
I felt so much safer when I went to Malmö. It was actually a really nice place from what I saw of the city.
One bar I went into, I later found out that the year before someone had thrown a grenade in there and blown someone’s jaw off. Okay this one was in Christiania but the others were in a normal part of the city.
November 8, 2025 at 12:15 PM
One bar I went into, I later found out that the year before someone had thrown a grenade in there and blown someone’s jaw off. Okay this one was in Christiania but the others were in a normal part of the city.
It’s the only place I’ve been to where pickpockets blatantly walked up to people from the front and put their hands in their pockets. Everywhere else they’d at least try to sneak up from behind where you can’t see them. I saw someone chasing after someone trying to smash a glass bottle on his head.
November 8, 2025 at 12:14 PM
It’s the only place I’ve been to where pickpockets blatantly walked up to people from the front and put their hands in their pockets. Everywhere else they’d at least try to sneak up from behind where you can’t see them. I saw someone chasing after someone trying to smash a glass bottle on his head.
I think this pretty much is how primary purpose worked at the time, it mainly was targeted at stopping British citizen women of South Asian origin from bringing a husband from South Asia.
But I think we all know the Home Office now would also be harsh to spouses from France.
But I think we all know the Home Office now would also be harsh to spouses from France.
November 8, 2025 at 11:24 AM
I think this pretty much is how primary purpose worked at the time, it mainly was targeted at stopping British citizen women of South Asian origin from bringing a husband from South Asia.
But I think we all know the Home Office now would also be harsh to spouses from France.
But I think we all know the Home Office now would also be harsh to spouses from France.
Denmark is definitely not somewhere to emulate. Also I’ve never felt as unsafe in a city as I did in Copenhagen (except perhaps for in Rome).
November 8, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Denmark is definitely not somewhere to emulate. Also I’ve never felt as unsafe in a city as I did in Copenhagen (except perhaps for in Rome).
Yes I think they’re thinking 5 years as shorter and 10 as standard. 3 years on some forms of the global talent visa though.
November 8, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Yes I think they’re thinking 5 years as shorter and 10 as standard. 3 years on some forms of the global talent visa though.
Yes looking at this it does seem like the inspiration for the government’s proposal. At an absolute guess the salary threshold to qualify earlier would be set at the higher salary threshold no discounts for a work visa (£41,700 for skilled worker visa or £31,300 for a health and care visa).
November 8, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Yes looking at this it does seem like the inspiration for the government’s proposal. At an absolute guess the salary threshold to qualify earlier would be set at the higher salary threshold no discounts for a work visa (£41,700 for skilled worker visa or £31,300 for a health and care visa).
It’s insane and fascisy, outright ethnic cleansing. They probably haven’t realised it also means deporting a quarter of nurses and a third of care workers.
November 8, 2025 at 9:05 AM
It’s insane and fascisy, outright ethnic cleansing. They probably haven’t realised it also means deporting a quarter of nurses and a third of care workers.
A Tech Excellence Visa is a terrible idea, as pointless as the Scale Up Visa. But keeping 5 year settlement and (if it can’t be scrapped) making the IHS payable monthly makes a lot of sense.
November 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM
A Tech Excellence Visa is a terrible idea, as pointless as the Scale Up Visa. But keeping 5 year settlement and (if it can’t be scrapped) making the IHS payable monthly makes a lot of sense.
Yes they have no legal case at all here. The government did rush things through somewhat but I think ultimately the employer is the one at fault here as there’s no reason for them to wait for someone‘s graduate visa to expire before they sponsor them.
November 7, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Yes they have no legal case at all here. The government did rush things through somewhat but I think ultimately the employer is the one at fault here as there’s no reason for them to wait for someone‘s graduate visa to expire before they sponsor them.
I think a big problem with doing it regionally is that there was an overrepresentation of scam care homes in the midlands and Yorkshire. If they could be linked up with care homes in the south they may be more likely to get a job.
November 7, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I think a big problem with doing it regionally is that there was an overrepresentation of scam care homes in the midlands and Yorkshire. If they could be linked up with care homes in the south they may be more likely to get a job.
Why does this happen?
1. Labour’s immigration cuts are gradual over the second half of 2025.
2. There was a surge in graduate visa grants in 2024 when visa rules tightened (especially care worker dependant rules) and these visas expire in 2026.
3. Student numbers are higher in 2025 than 2024. (2/2)
1. Labour’s immigration cuts are gradual over the second half of 2025.
2. There was a surge in graduate visa grants in 2024 when visa rules tightened (especially care worker dependant rules) and these visas expire in 2026.
3. Student numbers are higher in 2025 than 2024. (2/2)
November 7, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Why does this happen?
1. Labour’s immigration cuts are gradual over the second half of 2025.
2. There was a surge in graduate visa grants in 2024 when visa rules tightened (especially care worker dependant rules) and these visas expire in 2026.
3. Student numbers are higher in 2025 than 2024. (2/2)
1. Labour’s immigration cuts are gradual over the second half of 2025.
2. There was a surge in graduate visa grants in 2024 when visa rules tightened (especially care worker dependant rules) and these visas expire in 2026.
3. Student numbers are higher in 2025 than 2024. (2/2)
Even the word dependant isn’t helpful as it’s widely misinterpreted (either out of ignorance or maliciously). It should have a name that explicitly mentions family I think.
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Even the word dependant isn’t helpful as it’s widely misinterpreted (either out of ignorance or maliciously). It should have a name that explicitly mentions family I think.
The only real gap in the data is it’s not always easy to identify who has emigrated. So it’s likely that the employment rate for dependants is even higher than the data suggests.
November 7, 2025 at 11:40 AM
The only real gap in the data is it’s not always easy to identify who has emigrated. So it’s likely that the employment rate for dependants is even higher than the data suggests.