Net migration falls by one-third
November 26, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
By Alan Travis
Net migration – the number of people who come to live in Britain minus the number who move abroad – fell by more than a third to 163,000 last year, its lowest level since Poland joined the European Union.
The Office for National Statistics said the fall from 233,000 in 2007 was mainly driven by a rise in emigration to a 17-year high: 427,000 people left Britain to live abroad, up from 341,000 the previous year. The increase was mainly due to the number of Poles returning home.
The truth about immigration: Citizenships granted fall by 35,000 in a year
October 25, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
Britain’s immigration rate is decreasing and we are far from being “swamped”, according to an official report presented to the Foreign Office last week. The new figures, obtained by The Independent on Sunday, suggest the Government is starting to get immigration under control. They undermine gloomy warnings of “overcrowding” made by pressure groups and parties including the British National Party.
Applications for British citizenship have also shown a marked decline in recent years, as economic turmoil and government shake-ups have had an impact on the numbers attempting to settle in the UK.
The figures undermine the claims of critics such as the BNP leader Nick Griffin (below), who last week told a BBC Question Time audience that “it’s time to shut the door because this country is overcrowded”. Mr Griffin, ridiculed on the programme for his views on race, homosexuality and Islam, responded to criticism the following day by complaining that London – where the programme was filmed – had been “ethnically cleansed” and was “no longer British”.
Despite a broadly negative response to his comments, he appeared to hit a nerve when he accused the Government and the media of failing to address the issue of people’s concern about immigration. One poll taken after his appearance on Question Time found that more than one in five people would “seriously consider” voting for his party. The level of potential support YouGov recorded for the BNP was more than three times the 6.2 per cent it secured in this June’s European Parliament ballot – its best-ever showing in a national election.
Concern over the issue continues to rise: in the decade up to 2004, the pollsters Mori found the percentage of adults saying immigration was the biggest issue facing Britain had risen from 5 per cent to 30 per cent.
But the new figures, compiled by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggest that, while immigration into the UK remains high compared with the rest of Europe, the problem is not as acute as many believe. Above all, officials point out that the rate of immigration into Britain is slowing, while the rate of emigration is rising. The number of foreign nationals entering Britain fell from 460,000 in 2006 to 441,000 in 2008, while, during the same period, the total of foreigners leaving rose from 173,000 to 237,000. The number of citizenship applications granted fell by 35,000, to 130,000, in a single year up to 2008.
“There’s a lot of concern among so-called ordinary people about high levels of recent immigration,” said Tim Finch, head of migration at IPPR. “But it’s striking that people are keen not to articulate that as being the fault of immigrants. The perception that the Government hasn’t been controlling it is what’s upsetting them.”
However, the increased prominence given to the race/immigration issue appears to have emboldened some people to use it as an excuse for conflict: after a general decline, racist attacks have gone up by 20,000 this year. According to Home Office reports, in 2006-07, 61,262 racist incidents were reported to the police, an increase of 3.7 per cent over the previous year, and a 28 per cent increase over the past five years. Approximately half the police forces in England and Wales reported an increase in racially and religiously motivated incidents.
Yet Mr Finch insists that the people he has interviewed are eager to point out that they are not motivated by race “or not wanting to live in a multicultural society”.
He added: “It suits the far right to paint this scary picture, but that’s not the case. The numbers have changed Britain, but there hasn’t been a negative impact on many areas of society because of immigration.”
The IoS’s snapshot of people across a range of races and cultures appears to confirm this. Despite the furore over Mr Griffin and his party, Britain’s experience of race relations is an overwhelmingly positive one. Every day, across Britain, people of all races interact routinely, naturally. The stories on the following pages represent the majority, rather than an unhappy minority.
Myth and reality: Sorting the facts from the fiction on immigration
Britain isn’t British any more
The myth: Nick Griffin claimed that “we, the indigenous British people, will become an ethnic minority in our own country well within 60 years – and most likely sooner”.
The reality: The Celtic Britons were conquered by the Romans, who were replaced by the Anglo-Saxons after they left; followed by the Vikings, the Normans, the Italians, more Germans, the Irish, Jews, Indians, West Indians…
Immigrants are responsible for violent crime
The myth: Many newspaper articles claim crime is caused by immigration. The Daily Mail said in August that one in every five killers is an immigrant. In 2008 the Daily Express quoted the chief constable of Kent, Mike Fuller, as blaming “migration surges” for a 35 per cent rise in violent crime in the county.
The reality: Over a three-year period ending in 2006-07, the Government reported 23 racially motivated homicides. In Scotland and N Ireland, attacks on new immigrants from within the EU continued to be reported at a high rate. Racist and religiously motivated offences totalled 39,643 in 2007-08, the last year for which UK statistics are available. It was 21,750 ten years ago.
Migrants are taking our jobs
The myth: “Nearly all the jobs created in the UK since 2001 have gone to immigrants – not British-born workers,” claimed Sir Andrew Green, the chairman of Migration Watch.
The reality: The economic forecasters Oxford Economics said: “Migrant workers now account for 11 per cent of UK jobs. Within Europe, the UK has a lower overall migrant employment share than many developed countries, including Spain, Germany, Ireland and Sweden.”
Immigrants get priority housing
The myth: “Well-meaning welfare programmes have been exploited to become nothing more than a free handout to scroungers, foreign and local,” said the BNP.
The reality: A study for the Equality and Human Rights Commission in July found that 1.8 per cent of social tenants had moved to Britain within the past five years. Nearly 90 per cent were British-born.
Racist crime is on the rise
The myth: A relentless and increasing tide of racist attacks is sweeping through Britain, as the BNP and its supporters become emboldened by electoral success, according to anti-fascist campaigners.
The reality: According to Home Office reports, in 2006-07, 61,262 racist incidents were reported to the police, an increase of 3.7 per cent over the previous year. Among these, there were 42,551 racially or religiously aggravated offences, representing a 2.6 per cent increase over the previous year.
Muslims want sharia law in UK
The myth: “There are a lot of things that happen in Trafalgar Square that should not happen – the drugs, the alcohol,” said the radical Muslim extremist Anjem Choudary. “Under sharia law it would be a different environment and atmosphere.”
The reality: A British Muslims for Secular Democracy spokesman said: “We are proud of the heritage of this country and British heroes like Nelson and Churchill have made this country the place it is today. It reflects badly on the entire Muslim community when this group does these very aggressive activities.”
London has been ethnically cleansed
The myth: BNP leader Nick Griffin argued that the Question Time audience was hostile because London had been “ethnically cleansed”.
The reality: London is a cosmopolitan world city with residents from 243 different countries. Nearly 70 per cent of those are white, 60 per cent describe themselves as white British, and 70 per cent were born in the UK.
Britain faces immigration crisis
The myth: Roger Martin, chair of the think tank Optimum Population Trust, said: “Britain’s population increase is out of control; we are on course for a high-density, low-quality future.”
The reality: Before the recession, the number of migrants coming to Britain was roughly on a par with the number leaving Britain. The ONS immigration statistics for the year to December 2008 showed a total of 395,000 people emigrated, up 24 per cent on the year before. They included 237,000 non-Britons, many Eastern Europeans.
Money is being wasted on translation services
The myth: “Translation has been used too frequently and without thought,” said the then communities secretary Ruth Kelly in 2007, and people should be encouraged to learn English.
The reality: The former head of the CRE, Trevor Phillips, said: “Translation is a way of helping people in transition to integrate into our society.”
Kids don’t speak English in class
The myth: According to Sir Andrew Green of Migration Watch: “There are more than 300 primary schools in which over 70 per cent of pupils have English as a second language.”
The reality: Figures from the DfE in 2007 show that in inner London primary schools, 53.4 per cent spoke a dialect other than English as their main language, while in secondary schools it was 49.3.
Victoria Richards
Perpetuating population paranoia
October 21, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
Projections of an increase in the UK’s population play into tabloid hands – it’s important to remember we can’t predict the future
By Tim Finch
In the week when the BNP’s leader, Nick Griffin, is due to appear on Question Time, the last thing we needed was some new fuel added to the fire of the immigration debate. So although it is only doing its job and being open with the public, the release of new population projections by the Office of National Statistics is not the most helpful contribution.
The projections suggest that the UK population will increase by more than 4 million in the next 10 years and will top 70 million by 2029. The ONS estimates that 45% of this increase will come from immigration, but also that migrants will contribute to a general population increase through an increased birth rate.
In fact, none of this is a great revelation. The ONS has been publishing similar numbers for some years and the latest figures come up with a slightly lower population increase then last year’s attempt at the same exercise. But even so, these are big numbers – and big numbers on immigration always spell trouble.
Already this week we have seen tabloid headlines designed to scare the public, based on some tentative estimates in an obscure government report on regional migration impacts. Now the government’s own statistical office will be quoted in support of those who argue that immigration is “out of control” and the Home Office “in chaos”.
Now, of course, the ONS isn’t deliberately setting out to cause public panic and to upset community relations, but its headline numbers will still do damage.
“The projections are not forecasts, and do not attempt to predict the impact that future government policies, changing economic circumstances or other factors might have on demographic behaviour,” says the ONS. But it’s the headline numbers that will do the damage.
What is vital to add to the projections (which, of course, we at IPPR would not dispute) is that they are based on estimated population numbers up to mid-2008 and on projecting the net migration rate of recent years into the future. In its press release, the ONS makes important provisos: “The projections are not forecasts, and do not attempt to predict the impact that future government policies, changing economic circumstances or other factors might have on demographic behaviour.” These are not small points, they are crucial.
For, since the ONS made these population projections, net migration has fallen quite dramatically – down by an estimated 44% during the whole of 2008. While it is important to be cautious – all of this is educated guesswork – the signs are that this drop was the first sign of a trend that will show immigration slowing and emigration increasing. Certainly, reliable figures show east Europeans have left in large numbers in recent months. And all this, of course, is a result of just the things the ONS says it didn’t take into account in its population projections – namely, government policies (they are tighter) other factors (in this case structural changes in European movements and, above all, the economic downturn.
So, simply put, the future doesn’t always look like the past, but the projections game only has the past up to a certain point to go on. It is an interesting exercise to project ahead and see where the numbers might end up. But it doesn’t give you a certain picture of what the future will hold. Net migration may remain high and contribute to significant population growth. For what it’s worth, we think the years of booming immigration are over and that numbers will settle down. We may be wrong. But so might the ONS.
Tim Finch an associate director and head of migration, equalities and citizenship at the Institute for Public Policy Research
Broken dreams: What happens when a new life abroad turns into a nightmare?
September 26, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
By Laura Latham
We have become a nation of nomads. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that over half a million UK citizens have emigrated since 2006, with 158,000 of us packing up last year alone. Should it continue, migration on this scale won’t have been seen since the period after the First World War, when the British government assisted migration of its citizens to the countries of the Commonwealth.
Read more – http://www.independent.co.uk/
UK population now more than 61m
August 27, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
The UK population has passed 61 million for the first time, according to the Office for National Statistics.
There were 408,000 more people living in the UK in 2008, taking the population to 61.4 million.
For the first time in almost a decade, changes in birth and death rates have overtaken immigration as the biggest factor affecting population growth.
Overall migration levels – the numbers of people arriving minus those leaving – fell by 44% to 118,000.
This is the lowest level since EU enlargement.
The ONS said this latest increase in population was the biggest in nearly 50 years.
In 1962 the population rose by 484,000 and in 1947 population levels rose by 551,000.
There are now 1.3 million people aged over 85, a record number, who make up 2% of the total population.
There were 791,000 babies born in the UK last year, an increase of 33,000 on 2007, and a figure which is almost twice the rise recorded at the start of this decade.
The population is now growing by 0.7% every year, more than double the rate in the 1990s and three times the level of the 1980s.
‘Strong borders’
Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:”The fall in net migration is further proof that migrants come to the UK for short periods of time, work, contribute to the economy and then return home.
“Our new flexible points-based system gives us greater control on those coming to work or study from outside Europe, ensuring that only those that Britain need can come.
“Britain’s borders are stronger than ever before. Our border controls in northern France are stopping record numbers of migrants reaching our shores – 28,000 in 2008.
“The British people can be confident that immigration is under control.”
But shadow immigration minister Damian Green said: “These figures show our population is still rising fast, even when the recession is driving hundreds of thousands of people to leave.
“This puts added pressure on housing and transport, and shows that there is still no proper control over immigration numbers.”
Scaremongering
Tim Finch from the left-leaning think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, said migration flows go in cycles.
“It is now declining sharply – almost certainly because of a combination of the economic downturn, the short term nature of much migration from new EU countries, and the impact of stronger controls put in place by the government.
“There has been a lot of irresponsible scaremongering about immigration in recent years which was based on the false assumption that high migration was inevitable for years to come.”
But a group of MPs, the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration, said the population would continue to grow by millions of people.
The Labour MP Frank Field and Tory Nicholas Soames issued a joint statement, saying the fall in net migration may well be temporary.
“Even at the present level of immigration, we are still on target for the UK’s population to exceed 70 million within 25 years,” they said.
“There are no laurels to rest on. The need for firm measures on immigration is unchanged. The public clearly understand this.”
Donna Covey from the Refugee Council said the government had to keep the door open to genuine asylum seekers.
“We must make sure that the focus on strengthening Britain’s borders does not prevent people fleeing for their lives from getting to safety here in the UK,” she said.
Immigration and asylum statistics released
August 27, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
Annual immigration statistics for 2008 and quarterly immigration figures for April to June 2009, covering migration from Eastern Europe, asylum applications and removals and voluntary departures, were published by the Home Office today.
The figures show that work applications from the eight accession countries have continued to fall in 2009. In the second quarter of this year there were 26,150 applications from workers in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia and the Czech Republic – down from 46,070 in the same period in 2008.
The number of Bulgarian and Romanians applying for accession worker cards also continues to fall. There were 580 applications in the second quarter of 2009, a fall of 43 per cent, compared to the same quarter in 2008.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) published figures earlier today that show net-migration fell to 118,000 in 2008, from 209,000 in 2007, the lowest since the eight accession countries joined the EU in 2004.
In the first half of 2009, 30,435 people illegally in the United Kingdom were removed or voluntarily departed from the country, including 2,550 foreign prisoners. The latest figures also confirm that a total 67,980 people were removed or voluntarily departed in 2008.
Individuals seeking asylum in the United Kingdom has remained broadly at the same level over the past four years. It is less than a third of the level when it peaked in 2002. Applications for asylum in the second quarter of 2009 were 6,045 compared with 5,830 in quarter two 2008. The Home Office is now concluding 60 per cent of new asylum cases within six months.
Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:
‘The fall in net-migration is further proof that migrants come to the UK for short periods of time, work, contribute to the economy and then return home. Our new flexible points based system gives us greater control on those coming to work or study from outside Europe, ensuring that only those that Britain need can come.
‘Britain’s borders are stronger than ever before. Our border controls in northern France are stopping record numbers of migrants reaching our shores – 28,000 in 2008.
‘We are rolling out ID cards to foreign nationals, we have introduced civil penalties for those employing illegal workers and from the end of next year our electronic border system will monitor 95 per cent of journeys in and out of the UK.
‘The British people can be confident that immigration is under control.’
Behind the statistics are thousands of skilled and talented individuals
June 17, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
By Nick Scott-Flynn
When the British Red Cross first commissioned a survey into attitudes towards refugees and asylum seekers we already knew there was a gap between perception and reality. We were pretty sure the results would show why Refugee Week, with the aim of celebrating and highlighting the positive impact refugees have on life in the UK, was so necessary.
But, despite working with refugees and asylum seekers every day, and hearing about the prejudice against them first hand, even we were shocked when we found that 95 per cent of people are unable to say to within 5,000 how many people apply for asylum in the UK each year. That almost a quarter of people think 100,000 or more people apply for asylum in the UK each year (the actual figure for 2008 was 25,670). And that people believe the UK is home to a quarter of the world’s asylum seekers.
But the more we looked at the figures, the more we realised that the numbers people carry with them in their heads – often vastly inaccurate guestimates – are a camouflage. A convenient way of hiding the individuality of the people they relate to. By referring to people simply in terms of numbers and labels is to deny them their humanity and ignore both their suffering and their contribution to society.
People like Eric in the video below, who escaped death threats in Rwanda to live on £10 per week in the UK. Destitute, the Red Cross provided Eric with food and clothing, and as his situation stabilised he began volunteering for us – distributing food and water to people affected by the Gloucester floods in 2007. He now works for the Red Cross full-time.
People like Aldijana, who together with her family fled for her life from the war in Bosnia when she was a teenager. Today she is a solicitor in Nottingham.
People like Titcha, who sought sanctuary in the UK after being forced to leave Zimbabwe. She now volunteers for the Red Cross, works in a nursing home for the elderly and is studying for a degree in social care. As she says herself, she didn’t want to leave Zimbabwe, but now she is in the UK, she wants to contribute to society.
The more we focus on the figures, the more we fall into the trap of dehumanising vulnerable individuals capable of extraordinary contributions. We must not allow the figures in people’s heads to obscure the humanitarian needs and contributions of individuals, especially given how distorted those notional figures have been shown to be.
We need to look beyond the numbers and concentrate on the individuals involved. We should be proud of the UK’s role offering refuge to people in desperate need of safety, and celebrate the skills, talents and contributions people seeking sanctuary bring to the UK.
Source: Oxfam
Nick Scott-Flynn is head of Refugee Services at the British Red Cross
Foreign Workers flee UK recession
May 20, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
By Alan Travis
The number of foreign-born workers leaving Britain rose by nearly 30% as the economic recession started to bite last year, according to statistics published today.
The latest official figures confirm that immigration to Britain has stalled, with the number of Polish and other east European migrants registering to work in Britain falling by 50% in January to March this year compared with the same period in 2008.
The number of Polish and other east European workers going home to live doubled in the 12 months to September 2008 as the British economy began to contract.
Overall, estimates from the international passenger survey published today show that net migration to Britain – the number coming to stay for more than a year minus those who are relocating abroad – has fallen from 207,000 to 147,000 over the 12 months to September 2008, compared with the previous year.
Further evidence that the rise in immigration in recent years to Britain has stalled is provided by new national insurance numbers allocated to foreign-born workers in Britain, which are down 7% to 720,000 over the same period.
But the latest Home Office figures show a surge of 27% in asylum applications from those coming to Britain to flee the world’s troublespots, with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the top of the list.
The number of new asylum seekers coming to Britain rose by 700 to 5,145 between January and March this year, with 41% given permission to stay on initial decision and a further 26% on appeal.
The figures show that the continued drive to deport foreign prisoners continues to take its toll on the removal figures of failed asylum seekers and other illegal migrants. A total of 15,840 people were removed from Britain between January and March this year. This included 2,805 failed asylum seekers – down 7% – and 13,035 non-asylum cases – down 5%.
The 27% rise in asylum applications to Britain compares with an average increase of just 2% across the whole of the European Union.
The Office of National Statistics said the international passenger survey showed that the fall in emigration during the second half of 2007 was driven by a decline in emigration of British citizens, whereas the more recent increase in emigration was being driven predominantly by non-British citizens going home in their hundreds of thousands.
The recession is deterring new workers from leaving eastern Europe for Britain. The number of migrants from Poland and seven other new EU members who applied under the workers’ registration scheme between January and March this year fell to 23,000 compared with 49,000 over the same period in 2008 and 52,000 in the first months of 2007.
New figures on citizenship published today show that applications for British passports fell by 1% last year to 156,015, with the number being granted British citizenship down 21% to 129,375.
A total of 91,450 citizenship ceremonies were held in 2008, down by 24% on the figure for 2007, which was the first year in which the ceremonies were held. – Guardian
Also see:
Immigration and Asylum Statistics Released (UKBA Press Office)
