Indian Migrants/Immigrants in London and the History Behind It - Report Example

College: Indian migrants/immigrants in London and the history behind it The earliest traits of people immigrating to the United Kingdom can be traced to 1645. But since this era, the first few years of the 21st century has recorded the highest number of immigrants (Sommerville and Dhudwar 38). From the 2010 World Migration Report, United Kingdom played host to 6.5 million migrants. In the 5-year period of between 2005-2010, the increase in the number of immigrants was by 610,000 (“World Migration Report” 185). Migration Walk UK in a report to analyse migration during the reign of the Labour Party, said that over the period the party was in power, three million immigrants entered Britain. Birmingham’s population is dwarfed by this figure since the immigrants are three times the city’s population. The Office for National Statistics in its 2012 quarterly migration report estimated that 566,000 immigrated to the UK in 2011 (Migration Statistics Quarterly... 2). Most of these immigrants are from former British territories and colonies like Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Kenya and the Caribbean. London, being the capital of UK is the preferred destination by many of these immigrants. London has received the largest chunk of immigrants coming into UK and the numbers have been growing at an alarming rate. For the first time, the white British in London are now the minority with 55.1 percent of the city’s population being the immigrant population (Gye par. 1). Of the immigrants entering London, Indians have been most prominent as they come in droves, mostly to study. A minority come to seek asylum in the UK. The 2011 census of London indicated that 36.7 percent of the city’s population were not born in the country. It also revealed that the Asian population in London was 19.7 percent of the total population. This made them the largest ethnic group in the city after the white British (Gye par. 3). This paper looks at the immigration of Indians to the United Kingdom, the effect this has had on the city both economically and socially and how the government has reacted to all of this. London; Welcoming the immigrants The largest city and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, London occupies and area of 1,570km square. Its appeal to other nations has led to it having wide range of people and culture, with more than 300 languages spoken within London. It is the darling of many immigrants as data from the European Union indicates that London is the most populated municipality in the EU (Resident Estimates and Projections 1). An approximate half of the immigrants to the UK live in London. This is a trend that has been seen since the immigrants started coming to the UK in 1645. Due to the country’s economic and political, the allure of migrating to London, UK has always been one that excites many a people who do not have such conditions in their country. While some will stay for a short duration, for instance as occasioned by study commitments, others will stay on for the long-term. After the Second World War in the 1940s, shortage of labour encouraged immigration across Europe. In the United Kingdom, 157,000 immigrants from Poland were among the first to settle. Other nationalities that later migrated to UK included Germany, Italy and Ukraine. Again after the establishment of communism in Eastern Europe, England received more immigrants from this region. Most of the settlement in the 1940s was not governed by any law. The need to meet the labour shortage in the country blinded the UK on the issue of instituting laws that would define how immigrants would stay in the country. However, in 1948, a new Act to determine how immigrants became British citizens. The British Nationality Act stated that if one could show by evidence that they were born within the boundaries of the British Empire, they would be granted full British nationality rights. These rights include right to settle in the country, work in the country and also bring their families along with them (Abrahámová 16). But for every positive, there is a negative lurking around the corner. With UK already taking in people from the Caribbean as soldiers, sailors and airmen, this law enabled them to enjoy rights as British citizens. It also led to more Caribbean’s coming into England in droves. There was need to curb this trend. Most of the immigrants were workers and as they continued with their stay in the country, they invited their wives and children. The British government passed into law the Commonwealth Immigrants Act of 1962. As time went by, immigration moved from becoming a blessing to the British government by providing labour, but transformed into a social problem (Abrahámová 17). The largest Asian migration was evidenced right after India was partitioned in 1947, with a great number of people from South Asia choosing to settle in UK. As more Indians left their home country for the UK, a greater number was welcomed when Indians from Uganda fled their country after a decree by dictator ruler Idi Amin to have all Asians out of the country. This was in 1972 (The History of Migration... 115). Since then, the Indian population in the United Kingdom has been growing by the day. They currently constitute a large chunk of the 19.7 percent of the Asian population in London. By mid-1950s, the population of the Indian and Black communities was not that big. Though the immigration gates were still wide open at this time, the government had moved to regulate how the immigrants were coming. Less passports were given by the colonial governments in the Caribbean, Asia and Africa and there was an increased scrutiny by the British on the people who were already in the country (Abrahámová 19). However, the African and Asian immigration was growing at a rate that was alarming and stereotypes started being formulated. The Times as quoted in (Abrahámová 22) stated that resentment towards the cloured immigrants was because they were alleged of not working but waiting for cash assistance from the Assistance Board. The 1971 Immigration Act however repealed all the previous legislation passed on immigration. The Act still provides the structure the current laws on immigration in the United Kingdom. The law gives the Home Secretary significant powers to make new rules on the entry and exit (Sommerville et al 3). Policies on limitation and integration continued from 1979 to 1997, where for instance the 1981 British Nationality Act removed the automatic right of citizenship to people born on British soil, which was already a common-law tradition. Indians in London Within the Indian subcontinent, migration was not to be that important. At the onset of their increasing numbers in the 1950s, most of Indian immigration was as a result of family re-unification (Khadria 5). When workers were taken from India to the UK, with majority of them being male for them to be involved in the low-wage kind of jobs, they left their wives and children in India. Therefore, after finally settling in the UK, they would call their families into the UK for some extended period and later return back to India. The workers would also take some extended holidays to go back to India. All this was easy until the UK government introduced tough and restrictive immigration rules. Coming in and going out was not as easy as it was previously. For the family to be together, it resulted to permanent settlement by the immigrants (Somerville and Dhudwar 39). Before embarking on getting the population of Indians living in London, it is good to know how as a foreigner one can attain British citizenship. By marrying a UK national, one attains citizenship, others are granted refugee status and after working and living in London for some time, one also gets the chance to apply for British citizenship (Sommerville and Dhudwar 39). The working age of the Indian immigrants has been growing at great numbers. In the period between 1991 and 2001, this population grew from 28% to 37%. In 2001, by overtaking the United States of America, India produced the most work permit holders and by 2007, they had constituted over 40 percent of the total work permits. The Indian population growth in London has therefore been fuelled by the increasing number of Indians taking up work or work related visas. In the year 2005/06, the second largest group of foreign students came from India, with the total number of Indian students being 19, 205. The following year, this increased to 23, 835. Estimates from the British Council places the number of Indian students in the country over the next five years at 60,000 (Verbik & Lasanowski 40). All cross London, you will now find Indians, but with some areas recording higher concentration. Most of the Indians will be found overlapping the south-west and north-west, Hounslow, Hillington, Brent, Barnet, Ealing, Harrow districts. These are the districts where the Indians migrated first and some of the antic centres of Indian culture can be found in this area. The Western part of the city however is the most famous and hosts the representative temples from the Indian culture (Baciu 157). Other districts in London where Indian immigrants have settled include Kingston Upon Thames, Croydon, Merton districts in the South and South-West of London. The Eastern part of the city is also popular with the Indian immigrants where they mostly occupy the districts of Newham and Redbridge. The Indians have created an imposing presence in the capital city, owing to the fact that they started immigrating to the UK long ago. According to Baciu (158), Indians have populated the streets and/or neighbourhoods of the London Metropolitan area. The census conducted in 2001 showed that there were 437,000 Indian immigrant habitants in London. Majority of the immigrants are the third generation of Indian immigrants. The majority of Indians who migrated to UK in the yester years came majorly from the geographical regions of Gujarat, Punjab and the East African nations of Uganda and Kenya. Ballard (44) reveals that a large portion of the immigrants came from the Punjab region, followed by Gujarati. The Gujarati’s had moved from India and headed to East Africa, only to be sent packing as Kenya and Uganda gained their independence. London was therefore their choice of destination as they sought refugee status. The presence of Indians in London is quite visible in the film industry, where Bollywood movies, India’s film industry, are screened across London in more than eight theatres. Bhangra music, from the Punjab state, also dominates parts of London (Winter 2004). Policy challenges on immigration There are no definite policies on immigration in London. However, with the increasing number of immigrants, there are growing concerns with the migration policy and an attempt to handle this has been coming up with regional initiatives to deal with migration into the capital. Most vocal in these reforms have been former London mayors Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson (Gidley 2011). Majority of the regional migration policy relied mostly on the London Asylum Seeker Consortium that was established in 2000. The Consortium later became the Board for Refugee Integration in London (BRIL). To expand its role to deal also with immigrants, the Board became the London Strategic Migration Partnership (LSMP), with the Deputy Mayor of London being its chair. After several surveys and researches done on immigration to London, more people have become aware of the social costs of the migration to the capital city. Around 2010, the mayor of London was in a war path with the Central government on how to deal with the immigrants. Whereas Mayor Johnson advocated for the regularisation of the many undocumented workers in the capital, the central government had proposed the introduction of caps on labour immigrants (Gidley 2011). In London you will find some of the most deprived immigrants and in the same breath find some of the most privileged. In the low-waged sectors of labour market, the capital city is quite dependant on the migrant labour, in industries and markets that are key to the sustainability of London’s economy, and including the service industry too (Wills et al 2009). Londoners have also been shown to have less hostile attitudes to the immigrants as opposed to the rest of the UK citizenry. This has been helped greatly by London’s diversity and in playing out the theme of being one of the global brands. This has led to the two elected mayors of London embracing some controversial immigration policy positions. They have appended their signatures to the Citizen’s Charter that was largely drawn up by the London Citizens movement. Some of the commitments in the charter include having a wage rate that is above UKs national minimum wage. This commitment largely affects the immigrants who constitute a majority of London’s lowest paid workers. The charter also looks at trying to regularise the city’s undocumented workers. (Gidley 2011). London is cosmopolitan, having the largest share of the country’s migration population. It is therefore largely governed by the UKs national migration policies, even though power in London is devolved to the form of directly electing their mayor. Despite this, powers held by London are seen to be limited. Once the cap on labour migration is put in place, it will have great impact on London’s economy that has relied heavily on low-waged labour from the immigrants. Indians post greater rates of self-employment in London. The barriers encountered by immigrants in acquiring employment in London leads them to enterprise. Majority of the immigrants that came from East Africa were entrepreneurs in Uganda and Kenya and would have otherwise wanted to continue with that they had been accustomed to before moving into Britain ( (Drs) Gidley and Jayaweera 2010). In the regions dominated by the Asian community, the availability of a niche market that has been distinguished by ethnic or linguistic characteristics pushes Indians to move into entrepreneurship as this is seen as a ready market. Conclusion Since immigrants started coming into the United Kingdom, the government has instituted laws all way. Prior to 1962, UK immigration was somewhat open door. The country treated the Commonwealth citizens as British subjects. The British Nationality Act of 1948 actually had the two terms to be synonymous. Due to this treatment, it meant that UK had given the world’s quarter population had by law been entitled to enter the UK (Sked 26). But as the immigrants continued to come into Britain, the population expressed its displeasure in all this. Public opinion leaned towards the introduction of strict immigration measures. However, as years pass, the immigration numbers have been decreasing as the government implements tougher measures that try to discourage immigrants staying behind after their studies. Most recently, the government introduced a regulation that will ensure that Indians who come to England for further studied will not be able to stay on to work after completion of their studies (Ray 16). Due to this, there has been a decrease in the number of native Indians applying to join UK universities. In periods when the economy is doing well, migration has been one of the important avenues of filling the gaps in the labour market. The recent economic recession and the Euro Zone crisis has rendered some economies in Europe to be in tatters. Some quarters may see the restrictions by the UK government on immigration as a way to try and protect British nationals from high rates of high unemployment (Dustmann et al F333). Foreign students studying in the UK have also been slapped with strict employment policies with the government insisting that work permits will only be issued to exceptional talents. Migration trends in the future will depend on the economic performance of the United Kingdom. At the same time, due to their engagement in entrepreneurship, British Indians might on a large scale play a big role in UK’s economy. As global businesses see a decline in sales, the economy will receive a great boost from entrepreneurs within the United Kingdom. Works Cited Abrahámová, Natálie. “Immigration Policy in Britain Since 1962.” Master’s Diploma Thesis, Masaryk University. (2007). Baciu, Mihaela. “Changes in the Geographical Space of London Due To Population Migration. Migration Spatial Structures Created By Location, Distribution, Dynamics.” Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics. 7.13-14 (2012): 155-166. Ballard, Roger (ed). “Desh Pardesh: The South Asian Presence in Britain.” Hurst and Company: London, 1994. Dustmann ,Christian, Fabbri, Francesca and Preston, Ian. “The Impact of Immigration on The British Labour Market.” The Economic Journal. 115 (2005): F324–F341 Gidley, Ben (Dr). “Migrants in London: Policy Challenges.” The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford. 29 March 2011. Gidley, Ben (Dr) and Jayaweera, Hiranthi (Dr). “An Evidence Base On Migration And Integration In London.” ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, University Of Oxford. 2010 Gye, Hugo. “British whites are the minority in London for the first time as census shows number of UK immigrants has jumped by 3million in 10 years.” Daily Mail. 11 December 2011. Khadria, Binod. “Migration between India and The UK.” Public Policy Research. 13.3 (2006): 172-184 “Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, August 2012.” Office of National Statistics. 30 August 2012 Ray, Ashis. “Anti-immigration drive: Now, Indians cant work in UK after studies.” The Times of India. 5 April 2012. Sked, Alan, and Chris Cook. Post-War Britain. A Political History. New edition 1945-1992. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1993. Somerville, Will and Dhudwar, Amar. “Indian Immigration to the United Kingdom.” Working Paper 21, Jawaharlal Nehru University. (2008). Sommerville, Will and Sriskandarajah, Dhananjayan. “United Kingdom: A Reluctant Country of Immigration.” Migration Information Source. 2009. “The Future of Migration: Building Capacities for Change.” World Migration Report 2010. International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2010. “The history of migration to the UK.” Migration Health – A baseline report 2006. 114-115. “The Impact of Recent Immigration on the London Economy.” The London School of Economics and Political Science. Houghton St: London, 2007. Winter, Heike. Multiethnic London. GRIN Verlag, 2004. Read More