immigration map of britain
- From: "onlyme" <onlyme_sitting@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 13:49:07 +0000 (UTC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/born_abroad/html/overview.stm
"Between 1991 and 2001, half of Britain's population growth was due to
immigration, although it is impossible to predict what will happen next.
What is clear is that every region of Britain has experienced migratory
change - but there are great differences in the rates of change, the actual
numbers and who the newcomers are.
London continues to see the greatest change - and the immigration story of
Britain is predominantly the story of the south. Its economic pull cannot be
denied. In contrast, population falls in some areas have only been prevented
by increased migration. "
What's changed since 2001...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4220024.stm
"Migration isn't a one-off event - it's a global and complex phenomenon
which changes from year-to-year. The Born Abroad maps and figures aim to be
both a snapshot of what was happening in 2001 while also providing a sense
of the recent history of migration. But what are some of the key issues that
have affected migration in and out of the UK since then?
IMMIGRATION FIGURES
It's virtually impossible to accurately say how many people come to live in
the UK on a permanent or semi-permanent basis on a yearly basis because of
the various ways people are allowed to come in and the procedures available
to them to apply to settle. In simple terms, someone arriving one year on a
temporary work permit, may be later granted a right to permanently stay -
the difficulty is in avoiding counting that person twice.
In general terms, the number of people coming for at least one year, in
relation to the number of people who were leaving, has been going up since
1987. In 1999-2000 100,000 more people came for a year than left, before
reaching a high of 171,000 in 2001. That figure has dropped back since.
Another key measure is the figure for people giving "grants of settlement" -
a right to stay permanently in the UK. This figure has been tracking the
general trend and came to about 144,000 in 2004.
It excludes EU nationals who generally have an automatic right to stay under
the free market rules that allow British citizens to do the same on the
continent.
STUDENTS
A key part of the picture is university students. Major institutions - and
smaller ones too - regard foreign students as a key resource because they
pay higher fees than the institutions get for British students. About
300,000 a year come at present and many universities are establishing formal
links with other counties.
Students account for some of the greatest diversity to be seen in urban
areas: our maps show some that some of the largest clusters of people born
abroad are in neighbourhoods with university halls of residence.
ASYLUM SEEKERS
The rise in the number of asylum seekers was the trigger for the ongoing
controversy about migration - but in reality their numbers have fluctuated
wildly over the past 10 years but generally in line with international
trends.
The high point for asylum applications (excluding dependents) was 84,000 in
2002, since when it has fallen. The BBC News website archive includes a
large number of stories detailing the changes over the years.
GENERAL POPULATION
At the census, the population of the UK was 58,789,194. The latest estimate,
published a week before Born Abroad was published, is 59.8m. The figures
suggest that the UK population will very soon top 60m, in line with
predictions. Migration is an important part of this population growth; as
our Born Abroad figures show, those coming from abroad accounted for half of
population growth between 1991 and 2001.
The Office for National Statistics estimates that net migration (ie those
who coming from abroad minus those who are leaving) accounted for two-thirds
of population growth in the year to summer 2004.
EMIGRATION
Migration is not a one-way street. As the world has become more mobile
thanks to globalisation and cheaper travel, more people take the opportunity
to move. While the UK has been experiencing greater immigration, it has also
experienced greater emigration. This is not just people born in Britain
leaving.
The figures in this project show steep declines in some of the key historic
migrant groups to Britain, principally the Irish and people born in the
Caribbean as many take the chance to retire back to their home countries. No
accurate figures exist for the number of Britons who live abroad, how long
they stay and how many return.
NEW EUROPEAN UNION STATES
One of the new trends in migration has been arrival of workers from the
European Union's new eastern states. Estimates suggest the UK is the
favourite destination for workers from these states, largely because the
British government has introduced liberal employment rules for new EU
workers to plug what it says are labour shortages in a strong economy.
There are two conflicting figures in circulation, but both suggest the UK is
the favourite destination.
Whitehall thinks about 130,000 new EU workers have come to Britain since
enlargement in May 2004. A German study using different methodology suggests
the figure for "new workers" - those who didn't already have ties to the
UK - is nearer 50,000.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
By definition, it's impossible to count something you cannot see - but do we
know anything about illegal immigration?
It's unlikely that many if any unauthorised migrants - thought to be mostly
people who overstay their visas and continue to work in the black economy -
filled in the 2001 Census form so the next best thing is guessing. The
Census authorities did a degree of this themselves by trying to over-count
the various groups they thought might not take part - the largest of these
being single British men.
Beyond the census, a row during the general election on illegal migration
figures showed how difficult it is to estimate, with the top academics in
the country saying their best guesses are based on inspiration more than
anything else.
The official guess put forward by the Home Office is that there are between
310,000 and 570,000 people living in Britain who aren't authorised to do so,
although we have no means of working out if that's accurate.
WORK VISAS
The British work permit and visa system has been notoriously complicated for
years - something which does not help people understand how migration works
in practice.
Now, the Home Office is in the middle of scrapping it and over five years
replacing it with what ministers pledge will be a more transparent system of
tiered-entitlement based on skills.
In short, those with the least skills will have little right to settle, but
will still be able to work if there is demand for their labour. Those with
the most skills to offer will have greater chance to stay. How this will
work in practice remains to be seen"
****************************************
Discuss??.
.
- Prev by Date: Re: 'the worst nuclear disaster in history!!'
- Next by Date: Re: My contempt for Blair gets lower and lower each passing day....71 y/o ex vicar jailed for non-payment of council tax!!
- Previous by thread: Re: BBC/ITV joint venture
- Next by thread: BBC CENSORSHIP OF HUMPHRYS? IT WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
Loading
