Windrush Generation- Scandals, Related Schemes and action taken by Britain, article for UPSC!

Windrush Generation is the generation of people who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean Countries. The term Windrush has been taken from a ship named MV Empire Windrush, which was docked in Tilbury (a town in England) on 22 June 1948. It brought workers from Caribbean countries like Jamaica, Trinidad, and Tobago to fill UK Labour Shortages post-Second World War.

World History is an important part of the syllabus of General Studies Paper – I in the Mains Examination. In this article, the issue related to the Windrush Generation of Britain and Caribbean Countries will be discussed. This topic will help to prepare for GS – I of the UPSC IAS Exam.

About Windrush Generation

Windrush Generation people were invited to Britain to live as British Citizens and help rebuild the British Economy after the Second World War. The British Nationality Act of 1948 allowed people living in Commonwealth Countries to come and enjoy full rights of entry and settlement in Britain to help the Country. Owing to the Second World War, the shortage of labor encouraged British industries like Rail and the National Health Service to heavily recruit from Caribbean Countries like Jamaica and Barbados.

Despite being permitted under the British Nationality Act of 1948 and having been guaranteed equal rights with British Citizenship, immigrants from Commonwealth nations who came to live in Britain had to deal with racism and bigotry.

How did the Windrush Generation Change Britain?

• The Number of Immigrants in Britain from the West Indies grew from about 15,000 in 1951 to 172,000 in 1961.
• The British government enacted the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 owing to “a heavy influx of immigrants”. The act became a bane for the future right of entry previously enjoyed by citizens of the Commonwealth.
• Racism rooted in fear and mistrust erupted into violence in Notting Hill in 1958, as one of the gangs, called the Gang of Teddy Boys, roamed the streets attacking Black men.
• Notting Hill Carnival started conducting improved race relations in 1959.
• Notting Hill (a district of West London) was gradually revitalized from racism during the 1960s and 1970s. Some Afro-Caribbean new arrivals opened cafés and clubs, and Notting Hill gained a reputation with a trendy crowd of white as well as black people.
• The Windrush Generation brought an explosion of dance, art, writing, and music with them, which transformed British culture.
• When Caribbean artists and music lovers arrived as the Windrush Generation, they brought Music of Latin American, African and Asian influences such as jazz, blues, gospel, Latin, and Calypso onto the scene at a time when London was all about swing and dance bands.

Check out the article on British Empire.

What is Windrush Scandal?

The Windrush Scandal, which unfolded in April 2018, revealed that numerous Commonwealth citizens, particularly from Caribbean countries and the 'Windrush' generation, had been erroneously detained, deported, and deprived of legal rights by the British government. Many from the Windrush generation, who arrived as children on their parents' passports, faced challenges as the Home Office destroyed records. The demand for proof of residency dating back to 1973, without proper documentation, led to individuals being wrongly classified as 'illegal immigrants' or 'undocumented migrants.' This resulted in the loss of access to essential services like housing, healthcare, bank accounts, and driving licenses, leading to condemnation and calls for significant changes in Home Office policies and UK immigration laws. The discriminatory treatment exposed the devastating impact of Britain's immigration policies on Black British lives, fueling anger and demands for justice.

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Legal Status

The following acts of the UK Government give details about the Windrush Generation:

• The Immigration Act of 1971 provided that foreign nationals who were resident in the UK on 1 January 1973 were deemed to have ‘settled’ status.
• The British Nationality Act 1981 provided that if anyone was a citizen of the colonies of the UK as of 1st January 1983, they became British Citizens.

This act allowed the UK Government to call the people of commonwealth countries to come and settle in Britain to help the country post-World war-II.

Windrush Scheme

• The Home Office established a Taskforce to assist the Windrush generation on April 16, 2018, and soon afterward, the Windrush Scheme was introduced.
• The Windrush Scheme was established to make it easier for members of the so-called “Windrush generation” who arrived in the UK and made their homes there before January 1, 1973, from Commonwealth nations, as well as their children, to obtain free documentation of their immigration or to apply for British citizenship.
• If a person of the Windrush Generation is settled in the UK but lacks a document to demonstrate that settlement, he may be entitled to apply for a document under the “Windrush Scheme” that will allow him to live and work in the UK.
• The following requirements must be met in order to be eligible to apply for the Windrush Scheme:
• He/She came to the UK from a Commonwealth Country before 1973 or
• The Parents of any individual who came to the UK from a Commonwealth Country before 1973 or
• Any individual who came to the UK from any country before 31 December 1988 and is now settled in the UK.
• The following points will apply to a Commonwealth person who either settled in the UK before January 1, 1973 or who has lived there continuously since their arrival:
• After confirming the already availed citizenship of a British Citizen, a confirmation document will be provided to the individual by the Windrush Help Team.
• In the case of non-citizens of Britain, upon applying wishing citizenship, they will be considered for naturalization under the British Nationality Act 1981.

The aforementioned criteria will also apply to children of Commonwealth citizens whose parents were residents in the UK before January 1, 1973, and who were either born there or arrived there before the age of 18.

A Commonwealth citizen who was settled in the UK before 1 January 1973, whose Status of settlement lapsed because they left the UK for more than 2 years, the following Points will be applicable to them: If the applicant is not liable to deportation on the grounds of criminality or other non-conducive behavior and has strong ties with the UK, they will be given indefinite leave to remain.

Actions Taken By the Government

In response to the Windrush Scandal, Theresa May, the then Prime Minister of Britain, apologized to Caribbean leaders for their treatment of the individuals of the Windrush Generation. She announced an inquiry into the issue, and a compensation Scheme called the Windrush Compensation Scheme was established. The report of the inquiry was released in March 2022, and it criticized the culture of disbelief and carelessness in the Home Office of Britain.

Britain’s Home Office has taken the following steps to address the difficulties of the Windrush Generation in In April 2018:

• Establishing a ‘Windrush Scheme’ to issue a confirmation of settlement status and granting British citizenship free of charge to eligible applicants.
• Establishing a ‘Windrush Taskforce’ to assist people who will be eligible under the Windrush Scheme.
• Establishing a ‘Windrush Compensation Scheme’ to compensate the individuals of the Windrush Generation for their loss sufferings.
• Conducting reviews of historical Caribbean Commonwealth cases wrongly targeted for detention by the Home Office.
• The recommendations of the inquiry, such as appointing a migrants commissioner and establishing a race advisory board, were accepted by the Government.

Moreover, the efforts to provide justice to the suffered people of the Windrush Scandal are ongoing. In this continuation, the Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme are operational, and the Home Office is trying its best to provide a remedy for the injustice suffered by Windrush Generation.

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Windrush Compensation Scheme

The Windrush Compensation Scheme was created to provide compensation to individuals of the Windrush Generation who have suffered losses as a result of not being able to prove their legal status in the UK.

The loss endured by individuals is not depicted in a straightforward or consistent manner. The Scheme has been designed to address possible losses under a variety of categories and, to the greatest extent possible, taking into account the impact of losses in each case.

The following losses are covered under the Windrush Generation Scheme:

S. No.

Type of Losses
1	Employment
2	Health
3	Housing
4	Education
5	Banking
6	Driving Licenses
7	Living Costs like rent, utilities, contributions towards food and household essentials, travel and prescription fees.
8	Detention and Removal

विंडरश जनरेशन – घोटाले, संबंधित योजनाएँ और ब्रिटेन द्वारा की गई कार्रवाई पर यूपीएससी के लिए लेख यहां पढ़ें!

Eligibility for the Scheme

The following eligibility is to be fulfilled to apply for the Windrush Compensation Scheme:

• The individual of the Windrush Generation had losses because of being unable to prove his/her right to stay in the UK.
• The individual of Windrush Generation had losses being the partner, child, brother, sister, or parent of someone who could not prove their right to stay in the UK.
• The individual of the Windrush Generation represents the estate of someone who had losses because they could not prove their right to stay in the UK.

In all the above three cases an individual can apply if He/She-

• Came to the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973 or
• His/Her parents or grandparents came to the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973 or
• Came to the UK from any country before 31 December 1988 and are now settled there.

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Windrush Celebration Day

Around 500 members of the Caribbean countries migrated from their nations to Britain on 22 June 1948. The UK Government in June 2018 on the 70th anniversary of the Windrush Migration announced that Windrush Day will be celebrated on 22 June each year to mark the anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush Generation.

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