The long read: Britain's Goan flavour
Prasun Sonwalkar
Filed on April 22, 2021
In a unique migration flow, tens of thousands of mostly young Goans have migrated to the United Kingdom before Brexit, adding another layer to the global Indian diaspora
December 31 is usually a time of revelry with vows and promises of new tidings, but there were little signs of that in 2020. The day was grey and gloomy for Britons facing tighter curbs over the Christmas-New Year holiday period due to a spike in Covid-19 cases. But there was also much handwringing about 7,500km away, in Goa, India. The reason: the day marked the completion of the Brexit process; the UK would no longer be part of the European Union (EU) from the next day, which meant that the doors until then open to a migration flow that uniquely conflated colonialism, political economy and long-distance nationalism would close from January 1. After Brexit, it is no longer possible for Goans to easily settle in Britain after acquiring citizenship of Portugal, a unique facility availed by tens of thousands in recent years and decades.