Brexit was the first wound. Many immigrants felt it deeply personal - the majority of Britain’s population seemingly deciding that people like us were no longer welcome. Many EU citizens left Britain altogether, heading back to their homelands, exhausted and disheartened.

Since then, the rhetoric has been mostly aimed at so-called illegal immigrants. Now, politicians hardly bother with that distinction. We are all lumped together, vilified simply for existing here.

Robert Jenrick, Shadow Justice Minister, laid it bare when he recently said: “Damaging though illegal migration is, legal migration is even more harmful to the country because of the sheer eye-watering numbers of people who have been coming across in recent years perfectly legally – it’s putting immense pressure on public services.”

In one sentence, he erased the difference between those who play by the rules and those who don’t. For those of us who have sacrificed so much to build a life here, those words sting deeply. They confirm what many already feel: no matter how much we contribute, Britain’s politicians will still blame us.

I know this first-hand. I came to the United Kingdom from South Africa more than a decade ago. I worked tirelessly - sometimes juggling three jobs - while paying taxes and contributing to the NHS, all without being entitled to the safety of benefits if things went pear-shaped. For ten years, I applied for visa after visa, each time at my own personal cost.

The fees are punishing: a family visa application costs £1,321 per person, on top of the NHS surcharge of £2,587 payable in advance for several years at a time, plus possible solicitors’ fees, as the applications can be minefields. These visas often have to be renewed every two and a half years before eventually applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) - each stage costing thousands more.

Many immigrants are not on visas that count towards ILR, and are prevented from applying after five years. My own journey took ten years. By the time I finally secured ILR, I had spent a small fortune just for the right to stay in the country where I was already contributing. It should have been a moment of recognition. Instead, in today’s Britain, even people like me who have followed every rule are being told we are the problem.

The Facts About Immigration

The truth is far removed from the scaremongering. Immigrants are not draining Britain - they are keeping it afloat. Recent figures show that skilled worker visa holders in 2022/23 had a net fiscal contribution of £16,300 each, compared to around £14,400 for UK-born adults. Immigrants, in other words, are contributing more to the Treasury than the average Briton. Between 2001 and 2011, migrants from the EEA contributed £22 billion more in taxes than they took out in services, while non-EEA migrants contributed £2 billion more. These numbers prove what the rhetoric denies: immigration is not a burden but a benefit.

It is also important to remember who the immigrant population is. Migrants are disproportionately young and working-age. They come to Britain in their 20s and 30s, the years when people are generally at their healthiest, least reliant on the NHS, and most economically productive.

Most leave after a few years or when they grow older, often returning to their countries of origin before they ever reach the stage of life when people draw heavily on healthcare. That means Britain benefits from their taxes and their labour during their prime years, without bearing the long-term healthcare costs that come with ageing.

The NHS is a perfect example. Around one in six NHS staff is an immigrant, and almost 40% of doctors trained abroad. Without them, the system would collapse. The same is true of social care. In 2023/24 alone, over 100,000 care workers had to be recruited from overseas to fill gaps left by dangerous and chronic shortages.

Those posts were available to people living here, but they weren’t filled. The truth is, without immigrant care workers, hospitals would overflow, care homes would shut down, and vulnerable people would be abandoned. Many of these recruits are not just care workers but qualified nurses and health professionals in their countries of origin, bringing expertise Britain needs.

The Lies Politicians Sell

Nigel Farage and others have spent years peddling myths:

• Immigrants take British jobs - False. Studies consistently show that immigration has little impact on employment for UK-born workers. Instead, immigrants fill the jobs others cannot or will not do, especially in healthcare, social care, and hospitality.

• Immigration causes the housing crisis - False. Britain’s housing crisis is decades in the making, caused by underinvestment and poor planning - not by immigration.

• Immigrants drain welfare. False. Most immigrants have no access to benefits for years, yet they pay taxes from day one. They are net contributors.

• We can’t get GP appointments because of immigrants - False. GP shortages are driven by chronic underfunding and a shortage of medical training places. In fact, thousands of GPs and practice nurses are immigrants - without them, waiting times would be even worse.

• The NHS is collapsing because of immigration - False. The NHS is collapsing because of years of austerity and neglect. Immigrants are propping it up, not breaking it down.

These are not just harmless lies. They create division, fuel resentment, and leave immigrants like me feeling unwelcome in the country we help sustain.

Farage’s Cruel Fantasy

Farage’s latest half-baked idea - rescinding Indefinite Leave to Remain - is not only cruel, it is unworkable. He proposes replacing ILR with renewable visas every five years, with stricter salary thresholds and conditions.

This would destabilise hundreds of thousands of people’s lives, including many who have lived in Britain for decades, raised families, and built careers. It would devastate the NHS and care system by driving away essential staff. And it would send a chilling message to every immigrant: no matter how long you’ve been here, you will never belong.

ILR is not a gift; it is earned. People like me spent years following every law, paying every fee, and proving our worth. To strip that away retroactively is nothing short of betrayal.

This feels personal

The facts matter, but the human toll is more difficult to quantify. Every time a politician says immigration is the problem, it feels like a finger pointed at me, at my daughter, at others like us. I know countless immigrants who feel the same: we work hard, we contribute and yet we are told we are not wanted.

It is demoralising, it is exhausting, and it is deeply personal. And it’s becoming frightening. As my friend who has lived here for close to 15 years said after she drove to work one morning with St George’s flags ominously lining miles of road: “Things are getting scary - it’s making me think of Europe many decades ago”

Britain’s choice

Britain faces an ageing population, workforce shortages, and an overstretched NHS. Immigration is not the problem - it is the solution. Without it, pensions would become unsustainable, hospitals would collapse, and social care would disintegrate. The problem is not the immigrant workforce; it is the mismanagement of the country over decades, combined with a lack of political will to invest in housing, infrastructure, and public services.

I came to Britain because I believed in its values of equality, opportunity and openness. I still want to believe. But the rhetoric tells me I will never truly belong here, no matter how much I give.

Here is the challenge: to politicians who peddle lies for votes, stop scapegoating us and start addressing the real problems. To the public, look at who is helping keep the hospitals, care homes and farms running. And to Britain as a whole: decide whether you want to be a country that thrives by embracing reality, or one that declines by chasing myths. Immigrants are not the enemy - we are part of the solution, and it’s time Britain’s leaders had the courage to say so.