ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses what happens when the cultures and practices of people from various parts of the world such as the Indian sub-continent come into contact with British immigration rules and with the attitudes of the Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs). It focuses on eight different people whose case studies illustrate the difficulties encountered by individuals as they go through the immigration process. The chapter examines how cultural divisions between Britain and the Indian sub-continent dominate the processes and outcomes of immigration control in Britain. One case focuses attention on an application for a visa by a Pakistani citizen to enter the UK temporarily in order to visit an elderly relative, a Glasgow resident and British citizen who was likely to die in the near future. Another case focuses on a refusal to grant a temporary visa for the purpose of attending a wedding. Another case focuses on a man trying to get permanent stay for his wife in the UK.
