Is UK Immigration policy totally bonkers?

You can read about this particular case here: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/fury-at-border-agency-over-case-of-the-australian-nhs-therapist-given-just-a-few-days-to-leave-britain-8935743.html
I'm pretty sure that this person could have applied for Naturalisation so I must admit to being a little puzzled as to why she didn't go down this well tested route, as many of my friends in similar situations have done. Also, her visa ran out in 2011 and even if she had been given discretionary leave to remain, it's exactly that, discretionary.
I'm not unsympathetic, on the contrary, I think UKBA has it wrong, but the rules really are very clear.

NannaAnna if your SILs are married to your daughters they could be eligible for the Right of Abode.

I do wonder what the UK will be like when I finally travel back there. It must be getting very over populated.

On BBC North West news, they reported the case of a seven-year-old boy, born in Canada, whose mother has dual British and Canadian nationality, and who has been served with an order to leave the country or risk deportation - a child of seven! Yes, bonkers.

The article mentioned states that when her marriage broke up, she applied for discretionary leave to remain, and UKBA got back to her TWO YEARS LATER .... ??? I bet she was chasing them up during that time too, not just twiddling her thumbs.

My SILs are on Spousal Visas, for which the length of duration is being reduced + cost of renewing going up all the time!
To apply for Indefinite Right to Remain requires passing the Life in UK Test, and also costs an arm and a leg.
I have no problem with applicants being tested, but has anyone tried studying for the test?? My family members have all tried and failed miserably! We are all well-educated, but had no idea where to start on some of the questions!! It also requires time for a huge amount of study, which men with young families and challenging jobs don't have. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but why expect prospective citizens to know facts that British-born citizens have never been taught!?

My main issue is that Commonwealth citizens are treated as less desirable than European citizens!

As the Australians ^ might^ say "It stinks mate , it really stinks !!

I think this type of ruling needs to be considered in the knowledge that Australian, Canadian and other 'commonwealth countries' are similarly very restrictive on who can live, work and stay (with whatever kind of visa) in their country.
I wish we were not so tightly tied to Europe but we are where we are and European peoples have the fright of free movement.
re the case of the 7 year old - my son was born in Canada but came here aged 2 and a half. Until he was 'naturalised' and allowed to remain he was not at the time allowed to inherit my nationality (British) which could only be passed by fathers.
No-one on any kind of visa in this country should 'assume' they have the right to remain and paying taxes and not claiming benefits is what lots of us natives do anyway.

The immigration laws are crazy in this country. We had someone work for us from the Middle East (I would rather not say the exact country). He came to this country straight from university on the grounds that he had married someone with duel nationality. The marriage was arranged. After being here in this country for just over 2 years he applied for and got full British citizenship after which time he left our company. He later told me that it was a requirement to be in full (steady) employment.

I do think that we only get part of the story each time one of these situations hits the news which makes it so difficult to understand all the issues.

We have to accept that all EU citizens have the right to work in all EU countries and that works for Brits too. I heard figures last week that showed that EU people working in the UK are net contributors to our country.

Immigration from other countries is a separate issue. I think we should be selective about who we allow to stay here as those same figures show that they are net receiver of benefits and this can cause problems in some localities.

I think if a British person was in the same position in Australia they would have had their contract terminated much sooner I'm afraid.
My DIL works in the Australian health system - she battled with the paperwork to get residence - knocked back twice, I think it was, due to very minor omissions before she finally got permission for family to stay. The whole process was arduous and expensive as there was a fee each time.
There is a way that NHS employers can ensure that their employees who are non EU nationals have a right to work in the UK - ref the thousands of Phillipino nurses in the system, and any NHS HR office would have been able to help this person if they wanted to retain her services.
So not madly sympathetic.

Oh dear , jess .

the days when all commonwealth citizens were welcome in this country and similarly commonwealth countries welcomed UK citizens are well and truly over
sad but that is the reality

A an expat British citizen, I received a form when I applied for my next passport. It stated there are 6 kinds of British citzenship. The top one being born in the UK with a British (born in the Uk)mother.
When I left for Germany you only had to have been born there. DD1 is of that favoured nationality, but DD2 is another category. This doesn't matter because she is German and has no wish to be anything else.

I can understand why Australians are getting left out here. They should apply for citizenship which gives them right of abode, but of course they can never be '1st class' citizens!

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