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[global times uk correspondent ji shuangcheng] editor's note: on september 16, british prime minister starmer visited italy, and one of the priorities of his trip was to learn from italy how to reduce illegal immigration. the immigration issue has become one of the focuses of british politics. before his visit to france at the end of august, starmer also emphasized this issue in his statement. just before and after the british prime minister met with leaders of italy, france and other countries, immigrants continued to drown while trying to cross the english channel. the immigration issue has not only caused constant quarrels between britain, france and the european union, but has also become a "thorn" in the hearts of many british people, triggering riots that have spread to many places recently. after the labour government came to power in july, it immediately abolished the conservative government's "rwanda plan", but still had no good solution for how to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants. i have lived in the uk for more than 20 years and have witnessed the changes that immigration has brought to the uk, and i have also witnessed the dilemma of local decision-makers in the face of the changing times on immigration issues.

from facilitating immigration to holding immigration officials accountable

when i first came to the uk to study in 2002, like many immigrants, i was unfamiliar with this country. in my mind, the image of britain was linked together by queen elizabeth ii, then labour prime minister tony blair, stephen hendry, who has won seven snooker world championships, and football star david beckham.

at first, i thought that the uk was a country that did not welcome immigrants, but one summer vacation, when i was waiting for my visa to be checked at london heathrow airport, something incredible happened to me. at that time, a white staff member in charge of immigration and border control looked at my visa and found that it was only valid for more than a month. "oh, sir, your uk visa is about to expire." i remember that he took out a pen while talking to me. "yes, i plan to apply for an extension after i settle down." i looked at him, and naturally hoped that he would agree with my choice. "oh, how long do you plan to stay in the uk?" he asked me. "at least another 6 months." i answered truthfully. "how about this, i will give you a year, so you won't be too rushed." the staff member said, while writing a one-year valid visa on my passport with a pen, stamped it, and handed the passport to me, indicating that i should walk past him and enter the uk.