₦airaland Forum

Cyberknight:
I've no opinion either way as to the weight or number of potential or actual Commonwealth voters in the UK - just mentioned in response to the earlier post that Reform has indeed taken official notice of this. And while I find the concept of actually casting a free and fair vote exhilarating, given where we come from, I wouldn't care if the government took away this right from Commonwealth citizens - it is indeed somewhat unjustifiable from a UK citizen stanpoint.

Ultimately, it's another of Farage's ways to shift the discourse to topics so he can control the narrative, such that Labour will be forced to take notice and possibly have to be seen to be doing something as per usual. Cf. the student loans discourse, for instance.

The commonwealth citizens in the final analysis eventually become uk citizens and when they can’t due to being denied ilr or unable to extend or switch visa categories they exit the country so taking away the right doesn’t even matter but however the deform party can keep having their fun!

Cyberknight:
Er... it appears they are.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/reform-uk-would-limit-polls-to-british-citizens-and-scale-back-postal-votes-5HjdTfd_2/

This topic has been quietly gaining momentum on the right with a growing view that commonwealth voters are mobilising and bloc voting in order to derail and influence government policy in their interests and contrary to the mandate of the British public. E.g. voting Green because of Gaza and softer immigration policies.

Most of the British public were not aware that commonwealth citizens are allowed to vote in all UK elections (EU citizens can only vote in local elections), but now that Farage has brought this into the public domain, it is likely that commonwealth voting will eventually be abolished, just like birthright citizenship decades ago, or at least scaled back.

Cyberknight:
The US may have evolved into a frenemy, but the UK has nothing at all to gain from divorcing NATO, especially given the fact that the French nuclear deterrent is independent unlike the UK's.

I agree. I was being facetious but you're completely right - it would be naive and retrograde to divorce NATO and even Trump/US despite him acting like an unstable and unfaithful husband. In this case, marriage counselling (and prayer) is definitely the better option.

Labour have just passed through emergency legislation that prioritises UK medical graduates and doctors with "significant" NHS experience for govt funded NHS foundation and specialty training posts (which are necessary to become a fully qualified doctor). The bill aims to reduce competition from international applicants e.g. via Plab 1 and 2, and "secure training places for domestic talent".

The government states that in 2025, 15,723 UK-trained doctors and 25,257 overseas-trained doctors competed for 12,833 round 1 and 2 training posts. For 2026 recruitment this number currently stands at over 47,000 applicants.

@Jedisco, a group of IMGs is considering legal challenge and crowdfunding for the lawsuit if you want to get involved/contribute.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/new-bill-to-prioritise-uk-medical-graduates-for-nhs-training#:~:text=The%20Medical%20Training%20(Prioritisation)%20Bill,prioritisation%20as%20soon%20as%20possible.

Zahra29:
Labour have just passed through emergency legislation that prioritises UK medical graduates and doctors with "significant" NHS experience for govt funded NHS foundation and specialty training posts (which are necessary to become a fully qualified doctor). The bill aims to reduce competition from international applicants e.g. via Plab 1 and 2, and "secure training places for domestic talent".

The government states that in 2025, 15,723 UK-trained doctors and 25,257 overseas-trained doctors competed for 12,833 round 1 and 2 training posts. For 2026 recruitment this number currently stands at over 47,000 applicants.

@Jedisco, a group of IMGs is considering legal challenge and crowdfunding for the lawsuit if you want to get involved/contribute.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/new-bill-to-prioritise-uk-medical-graduates-for-nhs-training#:~:text=The%20Medical%20Training%20(Prioritisation)%20Bill,prioritisation%20as%20soon%20as%20possible.

What, 25000+ foreign students? Good ness me that's crazy.

They may start limiting Plab exams too

Taal17:
What, 25000+ foreign students? Good ness me that's crazy.

They may start limiting Plab exams too

It's likely to be well over 30,000 IMGs (international medical graduates) for the 2026 cycle - basically 2:1 against UK graduates- all competing for approx 12,000 training slots. This is one of the reasons for the recurrent strikes. Many UK graduates have been unable to secure roles and are faced with leaving the NHS or the profession entirely. Even with UKG prioritisation, training slots will still be oversubscribed, although the chances of getting onto a training programme will be massively improved.

They won't limit Plab exams. But Plab numbers will likely drop quite dramatically as IMGs who were desirous of securing NHS training realise that training pathways are no longer viable (unless they have ILR) and it's increasingly difficult to get non training roles.

Cyberknight:
Er... it appears they are.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/reform-uk-would-limit-polls-to-british-citizens-and-scale-back-postal-votes-5HjdTfd_2/

Hehe... didn't take long...

“Meanwhile, allowing non-Brits – people with zero connection to this country – to vote on our future is absurd. It is right that only British citizens should be able to vote in British parliamentary elections.'


How can he say commonwealth residents have zero connections... most of us are distant relatives and former subjects of the crown.

Eitherway, let's see if Labour would latch unto this in their right wing drive. I doubt though as Reform/Restore seems to be most affected here.

Cyberknight:
Much as I'm not yet a permanent resident myself and would rather the old rules remained in place, I would be very surprised if this goes anywhere in today's febrile climate. Apart from paying some smart barrister's bills for a while. Not only does it smack of entitlement, but also I think public opinion would be firmly against unelected judges gutting an elected government's policy of this magnitude and salience (if Labour doesn't do a U-turn in this matter in the first place and secondly, ultimately only amends the Immigration Rules by SI).

Incidentally, the Grauniad, the FT and the rest of the progressive media have been recently running articles about how the fall in net migration will negatively affect the economy, bless their hearts, but it's quite clear now that the immigration debate has moved firmly into the political realm and any other arguments, including economic arguments, whether actually substantiated or not, no longer carry any weight.

I would contest the bolded. Seeking legal routes for redress (i.e petitions, peaceful protests, writing to MPs, using the courts) is exactly what it means to be British. I'd say that proponents of this push are infact demonstrating that they're 'integrating' into British culture. I would not expect a Brit or someone who seeks same to immediately cower in defeat when they feel an 'agreement' has been trespassed upon. There are lots of things the courts can do. But even if they fail, let them try. They have little to lose.

It remains to be seen in full what effect the rapid drop in migrants causes. It's said that it takes about 7years to get to the maximum benefit of migrants arriving. Labour might still have some leeway economically over the bext 2-3yrs (due to recent arrivals) before things begin to unravel. I suspect they've tied themselves in knots without knowing.

Goke7:
😂 it’s just like Ghana who accepted to allow deportees from the US to escape the earlier visa ban Nigeria got who rejected to accept deportees but still ended up on the 75 nation ban list! The man in the White House no send you even if you give him your father’s house!

Hehe.. the earlier nations understand, the better.

My worry for African nations here is that we're still individualised so it's easy to pick us apart. Looking at Europe, most of their strength today is due to the union. They come to the negotiating table as one block which is indeed powerful.

Goke7:
Seriously I doubt it will make any difference as most commonwealth citizens are not even aware they can vote and when they are aware many don’t actually participate. This is just an excuse to continue to rile up the base as usual. For starters what’s even the figures if we also add EU citizens that are residents (as so many exited after Brexit) that could actually impact the outcome in any major election reason I stated earlier about the concept of wasted votes!

It's just like the 'family voting' brouhaha they wanted to use as excuse for the last defeat or Trump claiming the election he lost was rigged. When you look at the actual numbers, it's more of a storm in a teacup and doesn't really move the dial except for performative wickedness

jedisco:
Hehe... didn't take long...

“Meanwhile, allowing non-Brits – people with zero connection to this country – to vote on our future is absurd. It is right that only British citizens should be able to vote in British parliamentary elections.'


How can he say commonwealth residents have zero connections... most of us are distant relatives and former subjects of the crown.

Eitherway, let's see if Labour would latch unto this in their right wing drive. I doubt though as Reform/Restore seems to be most affected here.

Their own meaning of connection is different o! Na wetin Dey make Aunty kemi Dey hala these days 😂

jedisco:
Hehe.. the earlier nations understand, the better.

My worry for African nations here is that we're still individualised so it's easy to pick us apart. Looking at Europe, most of their strength today is due to the union. They come to the negotiating table as one block which is indeed powerful.

African nations are too territorial to unify as a block. Even within nations there are territorial tensions. For example see the dispute over the Nile river among Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and all the way down to Rwanda, you don’t expect such countries to come together when there are a lot they are already contesting for. It’s that hard and deep!

jedisco:
It's just like the 'family voting' brouhaha they wanted to use as excuse for the last defeat or Trump claiming the election he lost was rigged. When you look at the actual numbers, it's more of a storm in a teacup and doesn't really move the dial except for performative wickedness

Let them remove the voting rights sef before they start blaming immigrants for losing elections or they start saying they are threatening their democracy. You know even if Brits start having malaria now you know who they will blame again 😂 Biko many migrants are not actually interested in voting in the first place. It’s all distractions from lazy politicians!

As regards the current NHS brouhaha, I'd say this- It has been brewing for over a year and I've been well involved. A good fight has been put up although it does seem like the majority would have their way.
Eitherway, it doesn’t come as a surprise - it was easy to predict and we spoke about this in our circles as far back as 2019. Its been a recurring theme for over 80 yrs - as far back as the world wars and windrush arrivals. You go back to the 50's and 60's and thesame narrative played out. Many foreign docs arrived - offsprings of whom went on to do well (e.g Sunak)

The funny thing is that what's happening today is a direct result of Brexit. It took me a few weeks after my arrival to the UK to see how Brexit would benefit me. Remember telling one that I don't get why folks can't see the realities of Brexit- and eventhough it might not be good for the economy, it'd sure benefit me - chap thought I was being sarcastic. Afterall, the focus then was on chasing away Europeans with very few seeing other moving parts.

I wouldn't get into the specifics as just like with most subjects on migration, most of what's reported is emotive and hardly the fact. Europeans were taking all the jobs afterall. But things are already moving and give it a few years and same folks in war against migrants would start paying them to come over. I was paid £20k just a few years ago.


All said, I'm glad that before I came to work in the UK, I was clear eyed that the only reason I had access was because I was needed not wanted even when folks here accused be of being proud for stating such facts. When covid hit and people were clapping and foaning how we were saving lives, I told a colleague that this same cohort clappping would throw stones when the times comes and that didn't take long to manifest. It's the simple reason I was aggressive and unapologetically took opportunities so that when the day came, even if I remained in the UK, I'd be unaffected. Infact, I was already applying for my second role before starting the first which I subsequently switched from in under 6 months. Good enough, quite a few colleagues also caught the vibe at different times. Unfortunately, those who didn't or who came in later would face the realities of the present day.

Like I've said for the past 7 years and keep saying, we're only here cos we're needed. Every migrating person should do well to remember that. It's a 'needfeast' not a lovefeast.

Goke7:
African nations are too territorial to unify as a block. Even within nations there are territorial tensions. For example see the dispute over the Nile river among Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and all the way down to Rwanda, you don’t expect such countries to come together when there are a lot they are already contesting for. It’s that hard and deep!

Ecowas e.t c was supposed to kick-start some of this but it's failed to. Folks though that with France adopting the Euro, francophone countries would be released from certain shackles but that hardly happened. Now most are under military regimes which brings alot of uncertainties into the mix.

The African free trade agreement is a good win- hopefully, we can build from that.

Goke7:
Let them remove the voting rights sef before they start blaming immigrants for losing elections or they start saying they are threatening their democracy. You know even if Brits start having malaria now you know who they will blame again 😂 Biko many migrants are not actually interested in voting in the first place. It’s all distractions from lazy politicians!

Hehe... sure we already have the excuse for the next Reform loss

Shabana Mahmood scraps permanent refugee status:

Refugees arriving in the UK from Monday will now be granted only temporary status that will last just 30 months.

At a 30-month review refugees with a continuing need of sanctuary will have their protection renewed, while those whose countries are now deemed safe will be expected to return home.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/01/shabana-mahmood-to-limit-refugees-to-30-months-in-uk

Cyberknight:
I'm a school governor at a primary school and sadly we get to deal with this from time to time (exclusions). Has your child's school raised any concerns to you about their behaviour? The school can refer your child for an assessment if they feel your child meet the threshold (they'll need your consent for this). Speak to the school SENCO (special needs coordinator). You could also go to your GP and ask for a referral as well, but I think it's likely to be more successful if the school does it. Waiting times are generally long, but your mileage may vary.

Some parents pay for private assessments, but the NHS can refuse to accept those. The NHS can refer you to a private provider in some cases so that's something else to consider.

@Cyberknight Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate, would follow your advise. He is currently in Year 8 in a grammar school but he gets written up for behavioural issues a lot, seemingly small issues but its quite frequent.. Truth is he's been showing some of the signs but we kept writing if of as him just being a typical boy, he struggles to follow multi-step instructions, gets distracted easily, Zones out, he's bright but he gets inconsistent grades, fidgets (uses stress balls to mitigates these), cant sleep except he plays white noise at the background, the teachers always complain he needs to focus more. When he was in Year 5 a teacher mentioned we might need to get him assessed for ADHD but we (typical african parent) wrote it off as them trying to put a label on him. But now that we know better, we are looking for the best way to get him the help he needs.

Santa2:
@Cyberknight Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate, would follow your advise. He is currently in Year 8 in a grammar school but he gets written up for behavioural issues a lot, seemingly small issues but its quite frequent.. Truth is he's been showing some of the signs but we kept writing if of as him just being a typical boy, he struggles to follow multi-step instructions, gets distracted easily, Zones out, he's bright but he gets inconsistent grades, fidgets (uses stress balls to mitigates these), cant sleep except he plays white noise at the background, the teachers always complain he needs to focus more. When he was in Year 5 a teacher mentioned we might need to get him assessed for ADHD but we (typical african parent) wrote it off as them trying to put a label on him. But now that we know better, we are looking for the best way to get him the help he needs.

Not at all - in a way I've been there as well. One of my sons (seems to be usually boys) had similar issues, bright, but poor concentration, all over the place with grades, etc. As someone who used to be a fidgety child myself before self-control was beaten into me African-style, I felt that what he lacked was standard African measures. I've since realised that these issues are real, but our society forces everyone to conform, while here they try to address them differently. He's doing OK now. If your son is now in Year 8, the school SEN should have raised these with you by now, as they're usually the best placed to do this. If they haven't, talk to his form teacher and see what they think. But start a process and hopefully you can get a good outcome.

Depending on the process outcome, and again standing outside the box of African parenthood - you may ultimately want to consider changing schools. I didn't consider a grammar for my son or put him forward for the 11+ like his brother (hard decision considering the amount of rent I pay to live in Bucks), because the fact is that most grammars are not set up to deal with students who need support - they're one size fits all and they expect children to keep up. By definition very few students in grammars need support anyway, and they tend to be way more focused on overall achievement, exam results, and so forth and to overlook those who need help to stay the course. I would prefer a sensible comprehensive for a child who is academically able but unfortunately has support needs.

Best of luck in whatever course you take and feel free to ask any questions at any time.

Santa2:
I seem to recall that there was a parenting in the UK thread that opened sometime ago. Tried to find the thread cant seem to locate it, not sure if its still going on. I am hoping I can get resources there on diagnosing a kid with Adhd. Would appreciate if anyone has knowledge of the process or got a link to the thread. It about time I stopped being a typical african parent and face reality head on.

Hello Santa,
The SENCO team in the school should be able to raise concerns and ask for a referral to Camhs/pediatrics and if not you can speak to the GP for a referral, waiting times may reach 4-5 years depending on what NHS Trust you're in. If the child has risky behavior, the referral is expedited. GP may give you the option of going privately to get an assessment, some NHS Trusts accept private assessments, some do not , so you need to be sure. Private means you have to shell out hard cash ie from £1, 000 upwards but at least it is faster and depending on the age of the child, it could be a paediatrician doing the assessment.

2.Have as many school reports as possible, especially the ones that highlight the focus and concentration issues ,if this problem occurs at home and in other places as well and when speaking, be sure to talk about the impact of this problem on the child.

3.You can ask the school for reasonable adjustments in the mean time eg sitting in front of the class, maybe sitting alone to avoid distraction , longer time to complete work, regular breaks to help with hyperactivity if that is present and prompting from teachers to go over work several times to avoid mistakes. Children with ADHD sometimes resort to bad behavior because they're always picked on by teachers eg Okoto stop talking, Okoto concentrate, Okoto stop moving etc.. If a child feels called up all the time, their confidence gets affected and sometimes they then start being defensive and lash out all the time. It is very very important to get a grip of the behavioural problems before they escalate and they get tagged to be what they're not.

4.Adhd when treated properly if present has very good outcomes, it's always better to catch early, your child still had a lot of time, some will grow out of some issues, but a lot persevere through life. Most of the work will be at home, correcting gently as much as you can, reinforcing positive behaviour, study time should not be 100 hours at a time, break it into 10-15-20 mins intervals.. Engage in sports or outdoor activities to manage energy levels etc

5.High pressure schools can be very hard on a child when the mind is in so many places and it's hard to be organised because the brain is not cooperating. It is doable but all hands Including the school's must be on deck.

Good luck to you and your family..

Zahra29:
Shabana Mahmood scraps permanent refugee status:

Refugees arriving in the UK from Monday will now be granted only temporary status that will last just 30 months.

At a 30-month review refugees with a continuing need of sanctuary will have their protection renewed, while those whose countries are now deemed safe will be expected to return home.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/01/shabana-mahmood-to-limit-refugees-to-30-months-in-uk

Interesting stuff .. I hope they plug all the immigration loopholes.. Maybe we will finally have some peace and not be blamed for every problem

Levels have already reduced but I hope net migration becomes even negative so everyone can rest

Wasted vote shebi?

We will see.

Raalsalghul:
Wasted vote shebi?

We will see.

😂 You’re their new campaign manager ba?

Raalsalghul:
Wasted vote shebi?

We will see.

According to @Lexusgs430 Green and Reform might just replace both the torries and labour interesting days ahead....

Goke7:
😂 You’re their new campaign manager ba?

I wish.

I just feel like people underrate them a bit.

My opinion.

The Home Secretary has confirmed that the qualifying period for permanent settlement in the UK will increase from five to ten years from Autumn 2026.

The change will apply retrospectively, affecting many individuals who are already in the UK and currently on a route to settlement.

Despite significant opposition, and although the results of the public consultation that closed on 12 February have not yet been published, the government appears to be moving forward with the proposal swiftly.

While details could still evolve before Autumn, employers sponsoring Skilled Worker visa holders—particularly those who were expecting employees to become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) towards the end of 2026—should begin preparing now for the possibility of extended sponsorship periods.

Advance planning is especially important given the time it can take to secure increases in Certificates of Sponsorship allocations.

As previously reported, in an interview with The Times, Shabana Mahmood confirmed her intention to press ahead with the ILR reforms, stating that the changes would apply to individuals already in the UK. She indicated that the legislation would be amended in the autumn and described the reforms as necessary in light of the “historically large numbers” of arrivals since 2021.

abuhusna1:
The Home Secretary has confirmed that the qualifying period for permanent settlement in the UK will increase from five to ten years from Autumn 2026.

The change will apply retrospectively, affecting many individuals who are already in the UK and currently on a route to settlement.

Despite significant opposition, and although the results of the public consultation that closed on 12 February have not yet been published, the government appears to be moving forward with the proposal swiftly.

While details could still evolve before Autumn, employers sponsoring Skilled Worker visa holders—particularly those who were expecting employees to become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) towards the end of 2026—should begin preparing now for the possibility of extended sponsorship periods.

Advance planning is especially important given the time it can take to secure increases in Certificates of Sponsorship allocations.

As previously reported, in an interview with The Times, Shabana Mahmood confirmed her intention to press ahead with the ILR reforms, stating that the changes would apply to individuals already in the UK. She indicated that the legislation would be amended in the autumn and described the reforms as necessary in light of the “historically large numbers” of arrivals since 2021.

So people wasted their time filling petitions, survey and questionnaires up and down 😂

Goke7:
So people wasted their time filling petitions, survey and questionnaires up and down 😂

LOL I said it several moons ago

Evidence they presented from stats was too damning and it will take a major miracle & maybe the opposition party for it not to go as planned

My own question remains if it will affect global talent too

abuhusna1:
The Home Secretary has confirmed that the qualifying period for permanent settlement in the UK will increase from five to ten years from Autumn 2026.

The change will apply retrospectively, affecting many individuals who are already in the UK and currently on a route to settlement.

Despite significant opposition, and although the results of the public consultation that closed on 12 February have not yet been published, the government appears to be moving forward with the proposal swiftly.

While details could still evolve before Autumn, employers sponsoring Skilled Worker visa holders—particularly those who were expecting employees to become eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) towards the end of 2026—should begin preparing now for the possibility of extended sponsorship periods.

Advance planning is especially important given the time it can take to secure increases in Certificates of Sponsorship allocations.

As previously reported, in an interview with The Times, Shabana Mahmood confirmed her intention to press ahead with the ILR reforms, stating that the changes would apply to individuals already in the UK. She indicated that the legislation would be amended in the autumn and described the reforms as necessary in light of the “historically large numbers” of arrivals since 2021.

Could you share a link to where you got this?

EDIT: I think it's from here - https://www.fsp-law.com/ilr-changes-coming-in-autumn-2026/

HustlaOfLagos:
LOL I said it several moons ago

Evidence they presented from stats was too damning and it will take a major miracle & maybe the opposition party for it not to go as planned

My own question remains if it will affect global talent too

I remembered you mentioned and quoted a particular clause on GTV, where, to qualify for ILR, earnings and income considerations will also apply. Look, it's not about any visa category anymore, but reducing greatly the number of people who will eventually cross the Red Sea from visa to ILR.

HustlaOfLagos:
Could you share a link to where you got this?

EDIT: I think it's from here - https://www.fsp-law.com/ilr-changes-coming-in-autumn-2026/

It was an interview she granted. Many 2021 people are gonna escape

Goke7:
So people wasted their time filling petitions, survey and questionnaires up and down 😂

Court will is the final hope. I dont think what she wants to do is possible. The only reason she extend to August might be because of the election coming in may