Research Done on UK Immigrants

Since 1922, a lot of people coming from different countries, continents, and races, have moved to the United Kingdom, particularly in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. In fact, the number of people who have been moving usually come from Ireland and the other countries that used to be the colonies of the British Empire, namely, South Africa, the Caribbean, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. Being former British colonies, they are provided with the British Nationality Law, which allows them to travel to the UK.

Some have gone to the UK as asylum seekers, as they seek for protection as refugees under the laws established during the 1951 Refugee Convention of the United Nations.

The reasons

Moreover, based on the studies conducted about the aforementioned issue, half of the population growth that occurred between 1991 and 2001 was due to the foreign-born immigration. Nearly five million were born abroad, which accounts for more than eight percent of the population during that time. Perhaps the lacking part of the study is that the census did not include any immigration status or how long they intend to stay in the United Kingdom.

Latest studies

According to the results of the latest studies, it was only in 2008 that five hundred ninety thousand individuals arrived in UK for living purposes, while around four hundred and twenty-seven thousand former residents left. This indicates that the net inward migration can be accounted for around one hundred and sixty-three thousand.

Furthermore, the total net immigration merely in 2007 was two hundred thirty-seven thousand, which increased a huge forty-six thousand individuals in only one year. It was just in 2006 that one hundred forty-nine thousand and thirty-five applications were submitted to the UK Government in order to acquire British citizenship, an amount that is thirty-two percent less during 2005.

However, the number of those who were allowed to be British citizens in 2006 was one hundred fifty-four thousand ninety-five, which is five percent less than the percentage in 2005. Furthermore, the biggest ethnicity group that was granted to become citizens of Great Britain came from the Philippines, Pakistan, Somalia, and India. Despite their legal entry to the UK, there were one hundred thirty-four thousand and four hundred thirty individuals who were granted permission to settle in the UK, a number that is twenty-five percent less than the number obtained back in 2005.

Migration to Eastern and Central Europe

It is a good thing that the migration processes from Eastern Europe and Central Europe has increased largely since the year 2003, along with the accession to the EU of the eight states of these parts of Europe because of the free movement of labor that is happening today.

Points-based system

Currently, the UK Government is phasing in a newer kind of system, particularly a points-based immigration system for the individuals who come from countries other than those included in the European Economic Area.

Entering UK illegally

Those who enter the United Kingdom without the proper authority will be termed as illegal or irregular immigrants. Aside from that, they will also be branded as illegal immigrants if they used false documents during they entry or if they overstayed past their Visa expiry.