Witness Statements Requirement

Date - 15th July 2008

We need witness statements from work permit holders* and ancestral visa holders* who are affected by the April 2006 change in ILR qualifying criteria from 4 to 5 years of stay. We need witness statements from all possible categories e.g. those who got ILR refusals, those who are to file for ILR, those who left the country due to ILR changes, those who got their ILR but have encountered severe hardships in the process due to the changes etc.,

We would need the below following information covered in your witness statements with supporting evidence. This can also be considered as a format of a witness statement;

• The heading should clearly mention witness statement.
• It should start with I your full name and present address.......
• The end should state "statement of truth" and that the contents of the statement are true to the best of your knowledge.
• Contents of the Witness Statement;

• It should say why and when you decided to come under the work permit* / ancestral visa*.
• Any sacrifices you and your family had to undergo in order to move to UK ?
• Were there any representations or promises which were made by the Government that you would get ILR in 4 years time ? what sort of correspondence did you receive e.g. guidance notes, letter from home office, letter from the Immigration Minister to your MP etc.,
• Why the 4 to 5 years ILR changes were unfair for you ?
• Will the changes help to ensure further commitment from your end as stated by the Government ? Have you proved your commitment to UK ? if so how ?
• What problems and difficulties you and your family members are facing because of the changes ? e.g. problems in getting permanent employment due to limited leave to remain and children's education etc.,
• Do you have any problems with the Life in the UK test ? Give reasons.

* Please note that these categories also are being looked into but its inclusion would be decided only after the suggestions made by our legal advisors.

Please follow the above format without fail and feel free to include any further information you consider could be useful. Do not copy and paste the above questions in your statement, just ensure that those questions are covered in your statement in detail. Please try not to exceed more than 3 pages. Please provide us with your statement at the earliest as it might need few interactions with our team so to ensure everything is covered from your end. Send it in word document and through email only and do not sign and send it till you are asked to do so.

Note - Please provide necessary evidence where required. We have received enough statements from those on HSMP so we do not need any further statements from this particular category.

We may not consider statements which does not follow the above requirements.

Please email your witness statement with an approachable contact number at research@hsmpforumltd.com

Thanks

Research Team

HSMP Forum

research@hsmpforumltd.com