World News | UK Steps Up Compensation for Victims of Immigration Scandal
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Britain will step up compensation for thousands of long-term UK residents originally from the Caribbean who were wrongly caught up in a government drive to reduce illegal immigration, officials said.
London, Dec 15 (AP) Britain will step up compensation for thousands of long-term UK residents originally from the Caribbean who were wrongly caught up in a government drive to reduce illegal immigration, officials said.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Monday that after listening to complaints about the compensation program from across the country, authorities will overhaul it to ensure those eligible will receive more funds and more quickly.
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The government came under heavy criticism in 2018 when scores of legal British citizens — most of them immigrants from the Caribbean — were wrongly detained, threatened with deportation or deported under tough new immigration rules despite having the right to live in Britain. Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to health care and benefits because they couldn't produce the right paperwork proving their right to live in the UK
Those affected were called the “Windrush generation,” named after the ship “Empire Windrush” that in 1948 brought hundreds of Caribbean immigrants from former British colonies to the UK to help rebuild the country after the devastation of World War II.
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Patel said she wanted to “correct the wrongs of the past.” Under the changes announced Monday, the minimum payment for victims will be raised from 250 pounds (USD 333) to 10,000 pounds, while the maximum payment will rise from 10,000 to 100,000 pounds. Higher awards may be available to those in exceptional circumstances.
The compensation programme for the scandal's victims has so far paid out more than 2 million pounds and offered 1 million pounds more, but Patel said more needed to be done to repair the damage. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)