Main Challenges For Romanian Migrant Workers

I ended the introduction of this blog series by saying that in order to solve the problem of Roma mobility, their social exclusion in Europe, the European institutions (e.g. European Commission) and the individual governments (e.g. Romanian, British) need to provide practical solutions. This blog will look deeper into the predicament in which Romanian migrants live and sometimes risk criminal charges because of the current work restrictions.

This post will look deeper into the impact of the European integration and what their full impact is on Romanian citizens’ everyday lives in the UK. Here are some of the negative consequences that make the lives of Romanian migrants difficult:

[ul style=”arrow”]

• Civil charges – Romanian citizens sometimes are arrested for congregating in north London area.

• Illegality – Romanian migrants become subject to a fine when they are in another EU country for more than three months without registering with the local authorities (town hall, police station).

• Out of date documents – Due to the long waiting times (currently up to 9 months), their documents expire (such as passport or ID) and prevent them from travelling abroad or submitting further work applications.

• Debt and poverty – Their day-to-day life becomes more difficult without employment because basic costs are not covered and they run deeper into debts.

• No confidence in the system – Some migrants refuse to apply for National Insurance numbers because they hear about others who have been refused up to eight times. This also leads to them working illegally or in unseen work.

[/ul]

I have found that some consequences are more urgent than others. The most pressing that need urgent attention are: criminal charges, illegality, and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) long waiting times for Romanian students at British Universities applying for work permits. These circumstances are not separate, but interlinked and lead one another, e.g. someone who has been waiting too long for a work permit becomes an illegal working migrant.

[toggle title=”For more information on the UKBA rules and regulations, click on the links below:”]

In English language:  Guides for Romanian and Bulgarians from foreignersinuk.co.uk

–Working while studying: rules for Bulgarian and Romanian students in the UK

–Self-employed: rules to work in the UK for Bulgarians and Romanians

–Accession Worker Cards: new BR3 forms for Bulgarian and Romanian work authorization applications

In Romanian language: How to register as a self-employed in the UK [Înregistrarea statutului de lucrător pe cont propriu (self-employed) în Marea Britanie]

–http://romani.co.uk/newsletters/septembrie2012/inregistrare_self_employed.html

[/toggle]