tankie

New rules for retired Gurkhas will mean thousands more will be eligible to live in Britain. The Government said the changes would allow 4,300 more former Gurkhas into the UK The changes will allow in around 4,300 more former Gurkhas out of a total of 36,000 who served in Britain's armed forces prior to July 1997.

The move, which followed a High Court ruling last year, is likely to disappoint campaigners, who wanted residency rights for all ex-Gurkha soldiers.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said: "This guidance honours the service, commitment and gallantry of those who served with the Gurkhas brigade.

"Where there are strong reasons, there has been scope for Gurkhas who retired prior to July 1997 to apply to settle in the UK.

"In fact, because of rules brought in by the Government, we have already welcomed around 6,000 Gurkhas and family members to Britain. Now, another 10,000 Gurkhas and family members will be able to benefit from our revised guidance."

"We will work with the Ministry of Defence to actively inform those who might be eligible in Nepal of these changes."

"I intend to initiate a review of the impact of the guidance in 12 months time."

General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, said: "The Army welcomes this announcement, which further underlines our extensive and ongoing commitment to the welfare of former Gurkhas whether in Nepal or the UK.

"Generations of Gurkhas have served the UK with great courage, sacrifice and distinction and the Brigade of Gurkhas continues to make a vital and valued contribution to our operations around the world."


At last , some good news for these brave warriors who have served the UK very well in soldiery ,and have won many a VC .

Unlike the muslim radical extremist hate preaching bastards ,who live here with impunity , and before anyone has a pop at me ,im not getting at ALL muslims , just the ones who try to kill maim and destroy whilst reaping the benefits of this once great country , and yet the govt allows in all sorts of foriegners from Polish to Romanian gyppo,s etc etc who are mostly responsible for the crime (gangs )that operate in Londonistan ..


Holy crap , this is just in now


Campaigners for former Gurkha soldiers seeking to retire in Britain have accused the government of treachery after the publication of immigration guidelines they said would bar most of them from settling.
The Home Office said on Friday new rules would give around 4,000 former members of the Nepalese unit that has fought for Britain since 1815 the right to settle, along with 6,000 dependents.

But campaigners said restrictions imposed by the government meant fewer than 100 Gurkhas would qualify.

"This is nothing less than an act of treachery and betrayal," said solicitor Martin Howe of the Gurkha Justice Campaign.

David Enright, a solicitor representing the Gurkhas, said "this government ... should hang their head in shame so low that their forehead should touch their boots."

The settlement issue for the hardy soldiers, who still go into battle with their famous curved Kukri knives, has been raging for years.

The Gurkhas say that if they were good enough to fight for Britain, they are good enough to be allowed to stay.

The government however fears some 100,000 former soldiers and their families would apply to settle in Britain if they removed all restrictions and that thousands of other colonial UK soldiers would soon join the queue of those applying to settle.

The rules apply to Gurkhas who left the army before 1997 and who do not share the same rights to settlement enjoyed by colleagues discharged after that date.

The government issued the revised immigration guidelines after a High Court judge ruled last October that existing policy was unlawful.

The new rules allow Gurkhas who retired before 1997 to settle in Britain if they meet one of five criteria, including having 20 or more years' service, a gallantry medal or a long-term medical condition attributable to their service.

Actress Joanna Lumley, whose father served with Gurkha soldiers, said she was "ashamed" by the government.

She said the criteria would at most admit a few Gurkha officers, and would exclude thousands of ordinary soldiers, who were only allowed to serve 15 years.

Immigration Minster Phil Woolas said expectations had been raised too high and that the High Court had never said that all Gurkhas should be able to settle in Britain.

"We have complied with what the judge said and more, and it is simply not true to say that we have betrayed the Gurkhas," he told BBC television.

He said the government could not give an automatic right to all Gurkhas as that would open Britain's doors to hundreds of thousands of former Commonwealth soldiers.

"I don't think people would want to grant settlement to potentially 100,000 people, let alone the precedent that would set other groups around the world, all of whom would rush to the courts with their claim for settlements."

He said campaigners had miscalculated how many Gurkhas were eligible for settlement.

"It's a lot more than 100 I can assure you," he said. "I've got 1,200 or so on my desk waiting for these guidelines."

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TANKIE

WITHOUT WAX

Parihaka

I'm really beginning to think your current govt. is scum...

tankie

We have known it for a long time Iian , a bunch of overgrown public schoolboys playing games with peoples lives ,a bunch of BASTARDS

VarSity

I can honestly say this whole issue really grips me! What is the problem with saying if you serve the country you and your family can stay?

Lets be honest here, all that politicans really care about is their image and getting back into office, so what's the problem here? In what way does letting the Gurkhas in cause bad press?

Mihais

Just a Romanian here with no intention of invading your labour market.It is disgusting what these politicians are doing to these loyal soldiers.They've opened the gates for every useless scum,they've given a bad name to the notion of diversity,but to those that put their lives at risk there is only a kick in the back.Why the French do not have a problem with their former legionnaires?

Deltacamelately

Too bad for the soldiers. These freakin politicians will never be able to guage a soldier's psyche or desire. Inspite of our own political scumbags, the Gurkhas in the Indian Army are free to settle in India which is a great relief to be honest.

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I am the DARK that Rise to Kill..And Soar to Redeem!

dave lukins

Over the last few years this Government opened the floodgates and let in MILLIONS of European workers, some good some not. Over the last year or so lots of good ones have returned home but the bad ones have stayed. Jails are overcrowded with them and the European Courts say we cannot force them to return to their Country of origin. As we speak they are allowing more in every day. This week the French have demanded that the British let in refugees massed in Calais and other ports. The British Government will bow to their demands.

On the other hand, we have a fearlessly loyal, obedient and copacetic Soldier willing to lay down his life for a Country thousands of miles away from his home. They serve, uncomplaining in all theatres of war, in all countries they are sent to by Government, the British Government. He can die for the British Government and no doubt a letter of condolence will be duly dispatched. During his service he will see different life styles and ways to better his and his families life. After years of service he is then told by the British Government "Sorry we don't want you" Words fail me when I think of this Government. This recalcitrant bunch of half-wits need a kick where the sun doesn't shine. They are the one's showing how to be perfidious in all things decent to OUR, yes OUR, Soldiers. They are lower than a snakes belly. Gordon Clown and his bunch of appaRATchiks should remove themselves from offices at the earliest opportunity...NOW would be ideal

astralis

why don't they just simply put gurkhas and ALL formerly serving commonwealth soldiers higher up on the queue? i see nothing wrong or inadvisable about setting veteran's preferences when it comes to the number of immigration slots.

__________________
The human mind cannot grasp the causes of phenomena in the aggregate. But the need to find these causes is inherent in man’s soul. And the human intellect, without investigating the multiplicity and complexity of the conditions of phenomena, any one of which taken separately may seem to be the cause, snatches at the first, the most intelligible approximation to a cause, and says: “This is the cause!"

-Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace

dave lukins

Correct astralis, sadly the British Government have a different policy

antimony

This link shows that places where Gurkhas have been allowed to settle, have seen positive changes.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...r-on-criminals

WTF???

Even more infuriating is the following

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008...igrationpolicy

Excerpt:
Are you fr*****g kidding me???

Even the Ancient Roman Empire was better than this

Shamus

I'll echo that sentiment.....if there was ever a group more deserving of going to the front of the line to immigrate I'd be hard pressed to think of one.Damn shame.

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"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories." Thomas Jefferson

theravenseldon

So? It's not like Britain is immigrant free. If you want any immigrants you'd think former soldiers would be first in line. First of all they're going to be loyal-they've already proved that. Second of all they aren't going to be lazy lay abouts.

So you've got the two requirements for good immigrants-loyalty and a good work ethic. I imagine their English is pretty good too.

Really what the hell is the gov't thinking? I fail to see any downside to letting former soldiers into your country.

Shamus

Thumbs up to the Indian government for that Major.

antimony

I wonder if there is a deeper political angle to this. I can bet Labour thinks that returning Gurkhas (or other non-british soldiers) would have a politically conservative viewpoint (as ex-soldiers). Especially now, I cannot imagine Gurkhas who have been granted citizenship voting for Labour, now or ever. This might be a votebank question after all

Parihaka

Even if it were 500,000, spread across 64m it wouldn't have a huge impact