However, the two most recent studies estimate the number to be between ,, and , This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.
Read more about our fact-checking work here. By Reuters Staff 3 Min Read. Reuters Fact Check. Added 'Immigration statistics, year ending June ', 'Immigration statistics data tables, year ending June ', 'EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, June ', 'Fourth report on statistics being collected under the exit checks programme' and 'Home Office EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics: user guide', updated 'Home Office immigration statistics: user guide' and 'Home Office statistics on exit checks: user guide'.
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Added 'Immigration statistics, April to June ', 'Immigration statistics, April to June data tables', 'Children entering detention under Immigration Act powers' and 'Monthly asylum application tables'. This article examines the policies and trends that have shaped migration to and from the United Kingdom since World War II, with a particular focus on events since the turn of the millennium.
The number of new immigrants and size of the UK foreign-born population has grown in recent years. From March to March at the time of writing, the most recent period for which there were data , the United Kingdom received , migrants. A large majority of foreign-born UK residents live in England—90 percent in —with 6 percent in Scotland, 2 percent in Wales, and 1 percent in Northern Ireland. In , almost half were in the regions of London 35 percent, or 3. These figures suggest an overall growth of the UK population by slightly more than 3 million people in the nine-year period from March to March , and by an estimated 6.
Figure 1. Notes : UK citizens are excluded. Data for years through are for calendar years, while data for years through are for financial years that run from March to March. As of there were 9. At the same time, about 6 million residents were non-UK citizens accounting for 9 percent of the overall population , which is a tripling since the early s. Many foreign-born residents have become naturalized UK citizens. The five largest foreign-born populations were from India approximately , , Poland , , Pakistan , , Romania , , and the Republic of Ireland , Figure 2.
Note : Population estimates are based on a sample survey with a margin of error that is not shown in the chart. In addition to employment- and family-related immigration from Europe and former colonies, humanitarian migration has contributed to this trend.
For example, from to , nearly 70, grants of protection including to both asylees and resettled refugees were to nationals of Syria 31, , Iran 16, , Eritrea 12, , and Sudan 11, A second characteristic of the UK immigrant population is its short stay.
Data measurement issues prohibit a comprehensive judgment, but there is significant relatively short-term migration, although certain nationalities such as Syrians and other non-EU nationals tend to stay longer.
For example, more than one-third of non-EU nationals have been in the United Kingdom for fewer than ten years; among EU nationals, the share of recent arrivals is likely to be higher. Of all non-EU migrants who arrived in , just over one-fifth had acquired permanent residence ten years later. Migrants who arrive on family visas are more likely to stay permanently.
A third characteristic is the concentration of the foreign born in particular sectors of the economy. In , 18 percent of all employed UK workers were born abroad, twice as large as the share in Migrants are over-represented in several sectors, including hospitality where they made up 30 percent of all workers in ; transport and storage 28 percent ; information, communication, and information technology 24 percent ; and health and social work 20 percent.
Finally, a small share of immigrants lack legal status. The Pew Research Center estimated there were between , and 1. The Greater London Authority put this number at , in April , although this excludes the UK-born children of irregular migrants who under UK law are not granted citizenship ; if these children are included the figure is , As with all estimates of irregular populations, these are highly uncertain and have critical limitations.
But assuming the number is around ,, irregular migrants would make up around 9 percent of the total foreign-born population. Large-scale emigration has dominated the history of movement from the United Kingdom. However, over the last 40 years, the United Kingdom has become predominantly a country of immigration.
Two major themes dominated the development of the immigration regime. First, as the United Kingdom deepened its ties with continental Europe mostly through what is now the European Union, Europeans increasingly enjoyed free movement and exemption from UK immigration control.
The second theme, in contrast and conflict with the first, is the breakup of the British Empire and its consequences. For nationals of former colonies such as India and Jamaica, access to the United Kingdom has been progressively eroded as the idea of British citizenship changed from someone who was an equal member of the empire and subject of the queen to someone who was resident of or had direct ties to people in the four nations of the United Kingdom. These trends did not happen immediately after World War II.
Until the s, immigration policy remained embedded in the structures and systems of the British Commonwealth, with Commonwealth citizens guaranteed the right to enter the United Kingdom. The British Nationality Act was the last piece of immigration legislation that aimed to assert Britain's role as leader of the Commonwealth. It affirmed the rights of Commonwealth citizens including those of newly independent countries such as India to move freely to the United Kingdom.
After it, a new migration policy emerged based on two pillars: limitation and integration. Limitation followed the immigration of workers from Commonwealth countries in the s and early s. The three laws that make up this pillar were enacted in , , and , and together had the goal of zero net immigration. The Immigration Act, with a few minor exceptions, repealed all previous legislation on immigration. It provides the structure of current UK migration law, giving the Home Secretary significant rulemaking powers on entry and exit.
The core of the legislation was strong control procedures, including new legal distinctions between the rights of the UK born or UK citizens and people from former British colonies—notably the Caribbean, India, and Pakistan—who became subject to immigration controls. The second pillar, integration, was inspired by the U. The approach mainly took the form of antidiscrimination laws: in a limited form in the Race Relations Act, in an expanded form in the Race Relations Act, and more comprehensively in the Race Relations Act.
Policy continued on similar lines during the 18 years of Conservative leadership from to , albeit with a stronger emphasis on limitation and restriction, and with a sharper distinction on who was legally British.
In particular, the British Nationality Act of ended centuries of common-law tradition by removing the automatic right to citizenship for anyone born on British soil. The fall of the Berlin Wall in , the breakup of the Soviet Union, and earlys conflicts in the former Yugoslavia led to increased humanitarian flows to the United Kingdom and other European countries see Figure 3.
Policymakers, unused to seeing large numbers of asylum seekers arrive at their island doorstep, began to legislate change. Figure 3. Grants are an initial decision; the number of people granted some form of asylum-related leave are higher if appeals are taken into account. The United Kingdom has resettled refugees since , but pre statistics are not available.
Two major acts of Parliament encapsulated the changes on asylum. The Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act was restrictive, creating fast-track procedures for asylum applications considered to be without foundation, allowing detention of asylum seekers while their claim was decided, and reducing asylum seekers' benefit entitlements. The Asylum and Immigration Act continued in the same vein with new measures designed to reduce asylum claims, such as further welfare restrictions.
Four parliamentary acts related to Hong Kong were also enacted in this period, in , , , and The first concerned the transfer of British sovereignty over Hong Kong to China, and the latter three were reactions to changes in Hong Kong and actions by the Chinese government, including offering additional types of status to people in the territory.
When the Labour Party came to power in , immigration policy shifted course. Limiting and restricting immigration ceased to be a pillar of UK policy, and focus was on accommodation for workers and students, particularly those from the European Union. This change in approach was accepted across the political divide. While moving on from limitation, the Labour government however expanded on the second post-war pillar of integration. It reinforced antidiscrimination measures under a banner of equality and developed policies around community cohesion, which at the time meant bringing together segregated communities and fostering shared values and belonging.
The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act of and other policy changes around this time were turning points in the shift to accommodate foreign-born workers and students. The government expanded avenues for economic immigration and for the first time introduced visas for highly skilled workers without a job offer.
In addition, policies to encourage international students and new labor market programs presaged the development of a points-based system.
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