Are new immigrants at home in Britain? Many are not and have not made Britain their home. George Alagiah, 50-year old, Sri Lankan born broadcaster and BBC newsreader, in a recent interview to Daily Mail (24th April), said migrants today are not doing enough to integrate and make Britain their home. He said they are not interested in make their home here: ?They see it as a place where they can live; their real ties remain with their homelands.? At the age of 11, he arrived in Britain and went straight to boarding school. He said: ?I was different from the other kids so I had no choice but to adapt. I wanted to fit in and become British.?

The same paper referred to recent warnings from Trevor Phillips, head of the Commission for Racial Equality. It is time to ?assert a core of Britishness? and encourage immigrants to integrate more effectively into mainstream UK life. A recent report warned that Britain?s towns and cities are developing ?ghettos? comparable to the worst problems seen in America.

From 2005, new regulations have been in force for those who wish to apply for British citizenship. They must pass certain criteria. Texts of the knowledge requirements are available. It is just as well. Some immigrants want to be British when it suits them.

Campaigners claim the paper declared that the sheer scale of immigration in recent years makes effective integration virtually impossible. This is simply an excuse. They don?t know where to place their allegiance? to Britain or to their land of birth from which many are running away from various reasons.

Many Mauritians have come to UK from the early1960s. Although many have obtained British nationality, they still feel they are Mauritians to the core. Mauritian Hervé Isabelle of OMAT, noted: ?Once we had our home comfort, we invested large sums of money on land, building work, in many cases being ripped off by family and traders in the process.?

Many of them are in conflict. They have lands and houses in Mauritius. Their kids feel British and enjoy all the facilities here; they don?t wish to go there and settle. Many of the older generation wish to go and retire and even die in their island paradise. But they don?t want to leave their children and grand children behind in UK. They?ve got their feet in both camps. They don?t know who they really are; many are married to British ladies; the wives want to stay in Britain; the Mauritian partners wish to go back.

It is really becoming difficult for many immigrants in Britain. Scotland talks of one nation, many cultures. This is very good indeed. The immigrants must decide to make the best of this way of life here and invest here and have both feet firmly planted here.

Make this place your homeland; if you are not happy, don?t complain; integrate or go back to the place you call home.

To integrate, we as immigrants have a lot to work at; we are in someone else?s land; we must learn to live well and productively here. Our conflicts of interest will not be good to ourselves in the long run. Integrate well whether you become British or not. I am not saying anything new than what is being said by many others like George Alagiah.

<B>Dr David B. Lingiah</B>