Serenity was released 20 years ago today

This is a fantastic read by @itsjoelvin.bsky.social that perfectly describes the rigmarole and absurdity of applying for and living up to ILR - and to note, this was well before things like “the hostile environment” and massive Increases in fees that came about in the early 2010s.

I was started to feel less stressed until I came upon this "Mahmood will instead attempt to find a separate mechanism to prevent this cohort of migrants being granted permanent settlement after only five years." Labour really doesn't want us here, do they? web.archive.org/web/20250930...

I really want JK Rowling to explain how struggling to pay the bills has anything to do with trans people existing.

I had no idea that there's whole conspiracy theories about where New Zealand is.

I'm still angry and stressed about proposed changes to ILR. However, tonight I'm playing D&D with my friends so I am holding onto that small spark of joy.

Today in the garden.

When I came to the UK at the beginning of 2022, the minimum wage for a work visa was £26,200. When I got my work visa for the exact same job renewed last year the minimum wage was £38,700. In July this year the minimum wage was increased to £41,700. Yet they still claim we aren’t contributing enough

This is what I fear they’re going to do. It is so blatantly unfair to suddenly change the rules for those of us already on the ILR pathway. We have followed all the existing rules & yet they want to punish us for that.

You’re right, Ms Mahmood - I don’t. Because the slippery slope we’ve been going down has been spine chilling. It started with “illegal migrants.” That was the “reasonable concern” Just the law, nothing more. Politicians said, “people aren’t anti-immigration, they just want the rules respected.”

i've seen so many articles on this today, and not a single one so far has pointed out that where "not taking any benefits payments" is concerned, you have no access to public funds on a visa. this has been the case for years. but nobody, from the BBC down, will challenge this or anything else

What a shame that Lucy Powell’s party seems hell bent on the exact opposite.

If scrapping indefinite leave to remain (ILR) entirely, as Reform would do, is racist, according to Labour, what is making ILR twice as difficult, expensive & humiliating to obtain, as Labour are doing?

This is what the "automatic" ILR currently looks like for someone on a working visa. Pay a £3K fee, pass a Life in Britain test, earn a set minimum wage and have your employer write a letter saying that you are still needed in your position. Does that sound "automatic" to you?

I really like this idea. Imagine if all immigrants in the UK just didn't show to work for a week. Not only would the NHS basically cease to function, but many businesses and services would be thrown into chaos. Good luck ordering anything through Deliveroo or Uber Easts that week.

Deplorable. Forcing people who want to live and work in the UK to undertake compulsory unpaid labour. This is a dark path Labour is taking down. But there IS an alternative. Join me in building a welcoming country. join.greenparty.org.uk

This is actually good and what Labour should be doing more of. Take money away from those who earned it through corruption and give it to those most in need. Oh, they aren't going to do that second part, are they?

This is the outcome of the dumbest thing Britain is currently doing. We lose our biggest advantage: English is a globally spoken language, so we could attract talent and workers from anywhere. Instead, we're resigned to decline because idiots don't like brown people.

Nice stroll through Greenwich park before the whole civil war and Sharia law thing that Mr Trump says is coming to London kicks in...

It really is just relentless the constant dehumanisation in this country. Prove you deserve to be here. Prove you deserve to be cared for. Prove your gender. Prove you deserve to have human rights. Prove you deserve to stay after a whole decade. It just chisels away at your humanity

how long before organisations rely on the unpaid labour of people seeking indefinite leave to remain as their business model?

Just fuck off with this. How about start the conversation by highlighting how much immigrants contribute to the UK - not least by propping up the NHS and social care system! Also - forced volunteering is not volunteering, it's unpaid labour.

I am getting really sick of this government just adding more hurdles to me being able to qualify for ILR. Extending the time to 10 years plus now being expected to volunteer. There will be number of hours & for how long we do so added to the requirements. Just to prove we are good immigrants.

Daily bunny no.3091 was a little overdue

There is still beauty in the world if you know where to look. Sunlight filtering through the bright leaves of Autumn, or the deep red gleam in the eyes of Mothman as he surprises you in the alley behind the kebab shoppe.

The enshitification of the interwebs continues apace. And you just know that ads will be doubled and made even more annoying for anyone who has the audacity to not pay for the privilege having their data constantly collected.

We had biometric cards but the govt took them away at the end of last year & gave us eVisas. We now don’t have a physical form of ID that proves we are in the country legally. Tell me how this is supposed to make it easier to identify who should be here??

Should probably offer a different vision to Reform's, then

This is what a leader sounds like. There is absolutely no “valid concern” that can ever justify this sort of abhorrent behaviour.

"That is why today I am announcing this Government will make a new, free of charge, digital ID mandatory for the right to work by the end of this Parliament,” A digital ID for immigrants to prove their right to work already exists. It's called an eVisa and it was rolled out in December 2024.

My manager, who has done fuck all for the past 5 months resulting in me having to do both his job and mine, told me today that I should use a self-help app to help manage my "stress". That man is lucky he is based nowhere near me.

The success of the far right is not only measured in votes and seats but in its impact on rhetoric, policy and ideology. The fact that a (nominally) social democratic head of government with a huge majority choses to say and do this is maybe the biggest success of the far right in Europe yet.

Starmer says past governments have been "squeamish" talking about immigration. Bullshit. Starmer isn't bravely breaking a taboo. He's blaming vulnerable people & deflecting attention from the super rich who hoard power & wealth. Want something better? join.greenparty.org.uk

Hi, can I interest you in some fantasy written by a nonbinary author? With trans and intersex characters? Not based on a franchise by a transphobic author! Dragonfall, Emberclaw, and my rewritten debut, Pantomime, are out now, and I could very much use some help getting the word out about them. 💖

feeling this again today

“I’m determined to put in the infrastructure that Nigel Farage will be able to use to deport everyone he dislikes”

I like it when anyone criticises London, and Sadiq posts something saying, “we are all multilingual and bisexual”

London is, and always will be, a place for everyone. A city where people of all backgrounds live side-by-side, and where our differences are not just tolerated, but celebrated.

Your horoscope for today: Be like a diamond - use the pressure you're under to become tougher, multifaceted, and more brilliant.

Disney+ are charging folks in the US $11.99 a month for the package with ads? Here in the UK it’s £4.99 or $6.70 a month.

Do we have any drag kings named Alan Key? Feels like we should.

This is where we are as a society. Needing to debunk claims that migrants are eating swans.

Removing Kamala Harris from my list of politicians I respect.

What is wrong with these men?? There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Eastern European immigrants are eating swans.

Does Farage honestly believe that paracetamol is dangerous? Actually, does he know that Tylenol is just the US brand name for paracetamol??

My friend and I have been sharing our favourite German cover songs. They have made my week by sharing a German cover version of Cher's Believe. I have no words. It is pure gold. open.spotify.com/track/4Qq0ca...

Wild lettuce secretes a milky substance that was used in the 19th century as a sedative. It is sometimes known as “opium lettuce.” And that’s why salads for lunch are dangerous.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Ignore the haters, London is the 🐐

Still no Rapture? If only the Lord were as punctual as He is wrathful. Glory!

Next year's @easterconuk.bsky.social bursary is now live! Do apply and don't self-reject, I hear too many talented authors and artists saying "well I would go to Eastercon but I can't afford it." eastercon2026.org/bursary-sche...