The Immigrant Gaze Podcast Launches With Real Stories Behind UK Immigration Headlines
As confusion grows around the UK's new immigration policy, this podcast episode explores common misconceptions about regular immigrants and who the reforms really affect.
The UK’s latest immigration white paper, released by the Keir Starmer government on Monday, 12th May 2025, has ignited intense public debate. The paper outlines several major changes to UK immigration policy, including phasing out the Care Worker Visa, extending the path to settlement for skilled work visa holders, raising the skill and salary thresholds for incoming workers, increasing the Immigration Skills Charge by 32%, and a national push for domestic upskilling and recruitment.
A number of reports and conversations about these changes wrongly conflate these reforms with asylum policies. In truth, the measures in the white paper set out reforms to legal migration, affecting skilled workers, like care professionals and international graduates, not asylum seekers or irregular migrants. This is clearly spelt out in the fifth page of the 82-page document. It is important to clarify which groups of immigrants are being discussed because public sentiments, whether justified or not, should be grounded in accuracy. Conflating distinct immigration categories leads to confusion, misplaced anger, and an unproductive debate. Without clear distinctions, public discourse risks misrepresenting who these policies actually affect and why.
In this context, the launch of our new podcast, is especially relevant. This first episode touches on a critical misunderstanding that has resurfaced in public discussions: the false assumption that regular migrants such as students and skilled workers, receive public funds or free access to services.
A Nigerian Immigrant’s Story: Studying, Working, and Settling in the UK
In the debut episode, a Nigerian woman shares her personal story of moving to the UK as an international student, and later settling in Aberdeen, Scotland. Her reflections reveal the emotional and financial costs of immigration under the current UK visa system, including what she had to leave behind and what it took to bring her family over. She also goes into why it was a necessary move for her.
Her story puts a human face to increasing settlement barriers for non-EU migrants. She sheds light on the real experiences behind policy headlines, which is an essential perspective as the UK redefines what regular migration looks like. She shared an interesting encounter with a colleague:
“She told me we came to their country to take their education and take free things from them… The average person doesn’t know how expensive it is for an international student to study in the UK. I told her I paid £14,500 for my education, three months’ rent in advance, two months' deposit, health insurance and visa fees. It cost my family of three £5,000 just for visa and insurance. She didn’t understand what I was talking about. She felt I had come to reap where I didn’t sow. I basically pay for the air I breathe in the UK… I’m not entitled to any public funds”.
In a climate where policy is often discussed in abstract terms, The Immigrant Gaze Podcast offers first-hand stories that highlight what’s really at stake for individuals living through these changes.
Stories and Small Chops
This season of the podcast was recorded live during the "Stories and Small Chops" event in Aberdeen, hosted in collaboration with The Chop Life Gang. New episodes will be released weekly, covering a range of interesting experiences from the perspective of women who have moved to the United Kingdom in the last five years.
You can listen to The Immigrant Gaze podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.