An Immigration to Britain - Report Example

REPORT ON IMMIGRATION IN BRITAIN Report on Immigration in Britain Introduction In the mid 20th century, the number of immigrants arriving in Britain, especially from Ireland and overseas colonial territories in the Caribbean, India, South Africa, Kenya, Hong Kong, and Pakistan increased considerably. Moreover, asylum seekers needing protection from member states in the European Union kept flocking the United Kingdom. It was not long before tensions between immigrants and British citizens escalated to an obvious public spat following enactment of the British Nationality Act 1948. This act allowed at least 800 million British subjects to settle permanently in the country without the need for visas. However, Increased public concern instigated a stream of legislation to discourage, if not, stop immigrants from entering the country. This paper explores the immigration debate from a political and historical perspective. Immigration debate is not a new phenomenon in Britain, and so, it continues to influence political debate today. The historical approach will expose the growth of immigrants in the country throughout the years and various legislations and policies that previous governments proposed to reduce and eliminate this issue. Moreover, the historical approach will also evaluate the effectiveness of legislations and policies about immigration in previous years and their contribution to the current immigration debate in the country. In doing so, the historical approach will evaluate the motivations and consequences of immigration in traditional society and its resultant consequences in the modern world. This debate will relate current problems such as unemployment, access to public services, and overcrowding in places with immigration. In the political approach, the paper will examine government policies regarding immigration, and their response to concerns amongst Britons regarding the aforementioned areas. Moreover, this paper will demonstrate a failure in the political system to devise effective policies to address the immigration policies in order to solve current problems in the country. Problem Statement More pledges to cut the number of immigrants to fewer than 100,000 immigrants were embedded in the Conservative Party’s manifesto in 2010 under the leadership of David Cameron. The pledges are yet to be realized, as the number of immigrants grew from 150,000 to 212, 000 in February 2014, where it remains awaiting immigration release in November 27, 20141. From Copenhagen to Madrid, the subject matter of European politics continues to be the insurgence against the establishment. Cameron is in a dilemma concerning addressing public opinion about EU migration and not ending free movement of persons in the UK2. The proponents and opponents of increased regulation of immigration are advancing their arguments in equal measure complicating the policy process. Figure 1 Migration Patterns in UK: 1997-2008 Evidence continues piling up about the numerous benefits Britain derives from continuing immigration. In a report compiled by University College London in 2014, European migrants bolster the country’s treasury.3 The immigrants are skilled and can manage work, and their presence earned the country at least 20 billion dollars more in taxes4. Moreover, these workers do not rob Native citizens the ability to earn decent wages, even though, they crowd the labor market5. To say the least, freedom of movement is a founding EU principle and can seldom be abandoned to favor the interests one a single country Britain. Evidence supports that free movement of workers across the European Union is significant in Britain and Europe6. Economically, it is an effective allocation of human capital. For instance, it is true Sweden and Britain became dynamic labor markets due to immigration. However, the natives fell otherwise. In a research this year by 31st NatCen Social Research British Social Attitudes survey, one quarter of Britons argued immigrants were rushing back to the country to claim benefits and did not positively contribute to the country’s treasury7. The number of legal immigrants has grown considerably over the years and natives argue they claim benefits and return to their countries of origin. Claiming benefits is a subject matter today because of tension between legal immigrants and natives because it allows them to claim legal rights, as British citizens8. It appears Cameron’s attempt to deny immigrant welfare benefits for three years is not working effectively. Figure 2 Employment in the UK: 2004-2011 Moreover, British citizens are concerned about the threat immigrants pose to their native culture. Today, globalization due to advances in technology, transport, and communication is threatening cultural diversity, as many nations struggle to protect their cultures. Throughout history, Britain remains a hallmark of white superiority. The country managed to spread its ideology of white superiority in the world, and it is important to sustain it today when it faces more threats than ever. Even though many claim immigrants seek job opportunities, they are blamed for altering the country’s economic structure by changing the public services and their increasing skills and expertise is a threat to native job opportunities and positions. The majority of Britons is calling for regulation of immigrants in the country, but many more are reluctant to condemn foreign students and businesspersons who are unnecessary for the economic and cultural health of the country. Britain is proud of its education system, especially Universities that rank high in the world. The country receives top international students, who enrich the educational experience and bring invaluable global knowledge, innovation, and technology. The businesspersons earn the economy revenue to run its operations, and a majority of the public is not worried about the presence of these immigrants because they are often on short-term stay in the UK. Methodology Survey Structure The research employed a survey as the primary method of data collection. An open-ended question format assessed respondent attitudes about various issues relating to immigration, according to the following criteria. The survey divided British immigrants into immigrants originating from Europe and immigrants originating outside Europe to establish public attitude about migrants from these two areas. Moreover, it was necessary to establish immigrant attitude about Britons, so the survey was structured to ask questions about their experience living in the country, and reception in various institutional settings. Finally, the survey established public awareness about government efforts to tackle the immigration problem. The questions sought both native and immigrant awareness about govern policies that have improved the immigration situation in the country. The sample population consisted of students from the Richmond American University in London, and this sample population influenced the survey structure. The questions focused on seeking the opinion of immigrants outside Europe about the immigration situation in Britain. The survey was conducted on 80 students from the university, and the majority was immigrants from Outside the European Union. Results The survey, conducted on 80 students from RIAUL revealed various results that remain invaluable to policy makers in the country and immigrant countries. From the results, it was clear Britons harbored more negative attitudes against immigrants outside the EU than immigrants within the European Union. The citizens were not only concerned with a spike in number of immigrants; they remained irritated by increased presence of non-EU immigrants in the country. However, the high number of immigrants caused panic because many students were uncertain about future employment opportunities incase immigrants continued encroaching reserved job opportunities due to advanced skills and expertise. Moreover, the school remained crowded due to increased number of non-EU students, especially students from America. Other than doing business and arriving for further education, the students expressed negative attitudes about the growing number of EU immigrants. The population in the country was increasing, but few British citizens were contributing to increase in population, In essence, immigrants would soon increase their opportunities in the country, especially in accessing public services like housing, education, and public spaces. Moreover, the survey revealed many students were not aware of initiatives by the government to rectify the immigration situation, but this was apparent since the university has many foreign students. However, minority natives in the University were aware of government policy, which confirms increased public debate about immigration day. Figure 3 UK Population Forecasts: 1970-2030 Recommendations With elections scheduled in 2015, addressing the immigration issue in Britain is becoming complex and prolonged. However, various initiatives can salvage this situation with considerable political will to quell the increasing tensions between Natives and immigrants in the country. The government should avoid a one-size fits approach in dealing with immigration issues and policing. Government policies focus on fixing the problems of the growing number of immigrants, but not all immigrants pose a threat to the country. Separating foreign students, businesspersons, and workers are important in creating successful immigration policies. Nonetheless, the government should not only implement policies, but also increase public awareness about proposed policies and others that improve the immigration situation in the country. For instance, the changes made by Cameron in 2013 to increase the time immigrants wait for welfare benefits to three did not receive much-anticipated public attention. Immigration is a subject matter characterized by politics throughout Europe and improvements should be publicized. Bibliography Migration Watch UK. Latest Migration Statistics-Released August 2014. Migration Watch UK. Retrieved from Persson, M & Burgess, R. (2014). A Just Way to Mange Inflation. The Telegraph. Retrieved from Financial Times. (2014). Sanctity Must Be Restored To the Debate on UK Migration. FT View, Financial Times. Retrieved from Pendakur, Ravi. 2000. Immigrants and the Labour Force: Policy, Regulation, and Impact. Montreal: McGill-Queens Univ. Press. Hansen, Randall. 2000. Citizenship and Immigration in Post-War Britain the Institutional Origins of a Multicultural Nation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bleich, Erik. 2003. Race Politics in Britain and France: Ideas and Policymaking Since The 1960s. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Appendices Figure.1 Migration Patterns in UK: 199-2008. Retrieved from http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article21565.html Figure.2 Employment in the UK: 2004-2011. Retrieved from https://fullfact.org/factchecks/does_immigration_cost_UK_workers_jobs-27257 Figure.3 UK Population Forecasts: 1970-2030. Retrieved from https://fullfact.org/factchecks/does_immigration_cost_UK_workers_jobs-27257 Read More