Inmigration in the U.K

Inmigration in the U.K

1. The UK is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which means that it has a responsibility under international law not to return (or refoule) refugees to the place where they would face persecution.

2. According to Eurostat 47.3 million people lived in the European Union in 2010 who were born outside their resident country. This corresponds to 9.4% of the total EU population. Of these, 31.4 million (6.3%) were born outside the EU and 16.0 million (3.2%) were born in another EU member state. The largest absolute numbers of people born outside the EU were in Germany (6.4 million), France (5.1 million), the United Kingdom (4.7 million), Spain (4.1 million), Italy (3.2 million), and the Netherlands (1.4 million).

3. According to the UKBA, all individuals wanting to settle in the UK should demonstrate their commitment by learning English and by having an understanding of British history, culture and traditions. Any individual seeking to apply for naturalization or infinite leave to remain must pass the official Life in the UK test. See "Life in the UK practice test"

4. Nonetheless the issue of immigration has been a controversial political issue since the late 1990s. Both the Labour Party and the Conservatives have suggested policies perceived as being "tough on asylum" (although the Conservatives have dropped a previous pledge to limit the number of people who could claim asylum in the UK, which would likely have breached the UN Refugee Convention) and the tabloid media frequently print headlines about an "immigration crisis"

5. The points-based system is composed of five tiers, described by the UK Border Agency as follows: Tier 1 – for highly skilled individuals, who can contribute to growth and productivity; Tier 2 – for skilled workers with a job offer, to fill gaps in the United Kingdom workforce; Tier 3 – for limited numbers of low-skilled workers needed to fill temporary labour shortages; Tier 4 – for students; Tier 5 – for temporary workers and young people covered by the Youth Mobility Scheme, who are allowed to work in the United Kingdom for a limited time to satisfy primarily non-economic objectives

6. During the 1980s and 1990s, the civil war in Somalia lead to a large number of Somali immigrants, comprising the majority of the current Somali population in the UK. In the late 1980s, most of these early migrants were granted asylum, while those arriving later in the 1990s more often obtained temporary status. There has also been some secondary migration of Somalis to the UK from the Netherlands and Scandinavia. The main driving forces behind this secondary migration included a desire to reunite with family and friends and for better employment opportunities

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