Global InformationModern immigration to the United Kingdom information
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Since 1945, immigration to the United Kingdom, controlled by British immigration law and to an extent by British nationality law, has been significant, in particular from the Republic of Ireland and from the former British Empire, especially India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Hong Kong.[2] Since the accession of the UK to the European Communities in the 1970s and the creation of the EU in the early 1990s, immigrants relocated from member states of the European Union, exercising one of the European Union's Four Freedoms. In 2021, since Brexit came into effect,[a] previous EU citizenship's right to newly move to and reside in the UK on a permanent basis does not apply anymore. A smaller number have come as asylum seekers (not included in the definition of immigration) seeking protection as refugees under the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention.
About 70% of the population increase between the 2001 and 2011 censuses was due to foreign-born immigration. 7.5 million people (11.9% of the population at the time) were born overseas, although the census gives no indication of their immigration status or intended length of stay.[4]
Provisional figures show that in 2013, 526,000 people arrived to live in the UK whilst 314,000 left, meaning that net inward migration was 212,000. The number of people immigrating to the UK increased between 2012 and 2013 by 28,000, whereas the number emigrating fell by 7,000.[5]
From April 2013 to April 2014, a total of 560,000 immigrants were estimated to have arrived in the UK, including 81,000 British citizens and 214,000 from other parts of the EU. An estimated 317,000 people left, including 131,000 British citizens and 83,000 other EU citizens. The top countries represented in terms of arrivals were: China, India, Poland, the United States, and Australia.[6]
In 2014, approximately 125,800 foreign citizens were naturalised as British citizens. This figure fell from around 208,000 in 2013, which was the highest figure recorded since 1962, when records began. Between 2009 and 2013, the average number of people granted British citizenship per year was 195,800. The main countries of previous nationality of those naturalised in 2014 were: India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, South Africa, Poland and Somalia.[7] The UK Government can also grant settlement to foreign nationals, which confers on them indefinite leave to remain in the UK, without granting them British citizenship. Grants of settlement are made on the basis of various factors, including employment, family formation and reunification, and asylum (including to deal with backlogs of asylum cases).[8] The total number of grants of settlement was approximately 154,700 in 2013, compared to 241,200 in 2010 and 129,800 in 2012.[7]
In comparison, migration to and from Central and Eastern Europe has increased since 2004 with the accession to the European Union of eight Central and Eastern European states, since there is free movement of labour within the EU.[9] In 2008, the UK Government began phasing in a new points-based immigration system for people from outside of the European Economic Area.
Net migration into the UK during 2022 is reported to have reached a record high of 606,000, with immigration estimated at 1.2m and emigration at 557,000. Around 114,000 people came from Ukraine and 52,000 from Hong Kong.[10]
- ^ "Migrants in the UK: An Overview". Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ^ Randall Hansen (2000). Citizenship and Immigration in Postwar Britain. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191583018.
- ^ "EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement: Council adopts decision on conclusion". www.consilium.europa.eu. 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Immigration Patterns of Non-UK Born Populations in England and Wales in 2011" (PDF). Office for National Statistics. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ "Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, May 201". Office for National Statistics. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ "BBC News – Immigration points-based systems compared". BBC News. June 2016.
- ^ a b Blinder, Scott (27 March 2015). "Naturalisation as a British Citizen: Concepts and Trends" (PDF). The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ Blinder, Scott (11 June 2014). "Settlement in the UK". The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ See Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
- ^ "UK net migration hits record high of 606,000". BBC News. BBC. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
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