Commonwealth Immigrants Exercise Voting Rights in UK
Politics

Commonwealth Immigrants Exercise Voting Rights in UK

The opposition Labour Party’s resounding victory will put an end to the 14-year Conservative Party rule under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. British elections are open to refugees and immigrants from Commonwealth nations like Nigeria, India, and Malaysia.

After missing the election in his home country of India, Paulraj, 27, who relocated to Britain in February of last year, expressed his eagerness to cast his ballot. “They are giving us an opportunity, like British citizens,” Paulraj said, speaking from his position as a part-time ambassador at the university in Manchester. He came here on a student visa.

Salford resident and Malaysian student Teh Wen Sun is excited to cast her ballot for an immigration-friendly party. In response to increasing pressure on the National Health Service (NHS), housing, and schools—all of which are a result of immigration, a significant issue in Britain—Sunak has pledged to lower net migration levels. Rwanda has been suggested as a destination for asylum seekers, and Sunak has tightened visa regulations.

Support worker Oyinkansola Dirisu, 31, of Manchester, is planning to vote for Labour in the hopes that the party’s immigration policy will be more lenient. Nigerian Esther Offem, 26, is still on the fence but has a little preference for the Conservatives.