UK should welcome aspiring immigrants

AT a time when many people seem to be asking if we really want immigrants, I would argue that we need them now more than ever. Immigrants are the ultimate flattery for any society.

I am a UK citizen, who is married to a Taiwanese woman. We have lived in Taiwan for 12 years and are emigrating to the UK this week.

We are immigrants. I am a UK citizen, who has paid income tax for 24 years, but to bring my wife to my home country, I must waive my rights to public funds for five years and must meet stringent financial requirements that do not apply to other UK citizens. The visa to allow my wife to live in the UK will cost the better part of £5,500 and will involve five years of stress.

So, why are we so keen to pay such a high financial and emotional price to live in the UK? Brexit, economic instability and a marked increase in racist incidents are hardly the stuff of dreams.

The answer is simple: we have an eight-year-old son, whom we wish to educate. My wife and I have experience of 50 different countries and few are more attractive to the parents of young children than the UK.

At a time when it is fashionable to be cynical, we are bright-eyed and hopeful that we can make a new start. We will have no welcoming committee at the airport when we arrive. We ask for no charity. We only ask for the chance to work and for our son to be happy. I just wish to return home with my family, work hard and give my son a decent education.

Ask yourself how anyone who flatters your choices with such faithful imitation can be an enemy.

MICHAEL McGARRIGLE Zhonghe City, Taiwan