3.

Immigration from 1900

Although immigrants historically had relatively free access to Britain, they could be easily expelled, having no legal rights to protect them. But the 1871 census showed that only 157,000 people in the UK out of a population of 37 million had been born outside the British Empire. Economic immigrants and asylum seekers caused public and political concern. Demands for immigration control grew and an anti-foreigner feeling spread, fuelled by the nationalism and spy mania caused by the First World War (1914-1918). But laws (like the Aliens Act of 1905), which were designed to curtail foreign entry, proved ineffective. Bu 1911 the number of people in Britain born outside the empire had reached 428,000 (1 per cent of the population). After the Second World War, refugees such as Poles, Latvians and Ukrainians among other nationalities chose to stay in Britain. Later in the 20th century, other political refugees arrived, such as Hungarians, Czechs, Chileans, Libyans, East African Asians, Iranians, Vietnamese and other Eastern Europeans. Italian, French, German, Irish, Turkish, Cypriot, Chinese, Spanish and Commonwealth economic immigrants increasingly entered the country. These groups today from sizeable ethnic minorities and are found throughout Britain. Public and political concern in the post-war period turned to issues of race and colour. Before the Second World War, most Commonwealth immigrants to Britain had come from the largely white Old commonwealth countries of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and from South Africa. Yet all Commonwealth citizens continued to have relatively free access and were not treated as aliens. From the late 1940s, increasing numbers of people from the non-white New Commonwealth nations of India, Pakistan and the West Indies came to Britain. West Indians worked in public transport, catering the National Health Service and manual trades in London, Birmingham and other large cities. Indians and Pakistanis later arrived to work in the textile and other industries of Leeds, Bradford and Leicester. By the 1970s, non-white people had become a familiar sight in other British cities such as Glasgow, Sheffield, Huddesrfield, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Coventry and Nottingham. Non-white communities have increased and work in a broad range of occupations. Some Indian Asians and the Chinese, have been successful in economic and professional terms. Others (Bangladeshis and some West Indians and Pakistanis) have experienced problems with low-paid jobs, educational disadvantage, unemployment, decaying housing in the inner cities, isolation, alienation and discrimination. It is argued that Britain possesses a notion of racial superiority. Some young non-whites who have been born in Britain feel bitter at their experiences and at their relative lack of educational, employment and social possibilities and advancement. An opposing argument is that ethnic communities should

confront their own internal problems and integrate more with the majority population and its institutions. So many New Commonwealth immigrants were coming to Britain that from 1962 governments treated most Commonwealth newcomers as aliens and followed a twostrand policy on immigration. This consisted of Immigration Acts to restrict the number of all immigrants entering the country and of Race Relations Acts to protect the rights of those immigrants already settled in Britain. Race Relations Acts since 1976 have made it unlawful to discriminate against individuals on grounds such as race, ethnicity and national origin in areas like education, housing, employment, services and advertising. It was replaced in 2007 by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), whose role is to end discrimination and harassment of individuals because of their disability, age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs. Both bodies have been criticized for their performances, internal quarrels and bureaucratic methods. There is still criticism of immigration laws and race-relations organizations. The concerns of some white people are made worse by racialist speeches; the growth of nationalist parties like the National Front, the British National Party (BNP) and Combat 18; and racially motivated violence. Immigration and race remain problematic. They are complex matters and can be overdramatized. Many non-white immigrants and their British-born children have adapted to the larger society whilst retaining their ethnic identities. Britain does have a stable diversity of cultures and the highest rate of intermarriage and mixed-race relationships in Europe, with one in eight children under five having parents from different ethnic backgrounds. However ghettoization is a problem, violence and harassment do occur; and there are accusations that the police and the courts ignore or underplay race crimes. The non-white population was initially composed largely of single males. The structure changed as dependants joined settled immigrants, as British-born non-whites developed their own family organizations, and as more people from different ethnic groups intermarried. Apart from people who may be granted right of entry and permanent settlement in Britain, all others who wish to enter Britain fall into specific categories. Short term visitors, such as students, require visas and sometimes work permits. People from EU states have the right to seek word and live in Britain and arguably constitute the largest group of entrants. Non-EU unskilled applicants are no longer accepted, but those with relevant qualifications needed by the employment market may apply to enter under a points system. In addition, there are asylum seekers fleeing persecution in their own countries and who must apply for political asylum. A further category was created after the enlargement of the UE in 2004 to 25 members. In

2004, a record 340,000 legal migrants came to fill vacancies in the job market, covering the hospitality and catering industry, transport, the health sector and teaching. Some 130,000 people from East European UE countries registered for work, with Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia providing the largest numbers. According to the Office for National Statistics, 590,000 people arrived to live in the UK in 2008 and 505,000 of these were non-British citizens. The number of people emigrating from the UK for more than 12 months in 2008 was a record high at 427,000, an increase in the number of non-British citizens emigrating from 169,000 in 2007 to 255,000 in 2008. Half of the 86,000 increase were citizens of Eastern European countries which had joined the EU in 2004 and who were returning home. These figures men that net migration (the difference between immigration and emigration) decreased from 233,000 in 2007 to 163,000 as a result of increased emigration. But this was still more than the 90,000 average of the 1990s. it represents a continuation of high levels of immigration since 2004 and suggests that significant immigration continues. Government projections suggest that these figures indicate that immigration will fuel an estimated 7,2 million growth in the population over the next twenty-five years. However all the political parties in the 2010 general election campaign admitted that immigration and asylum must be controlled. The Conservatives argued that net immigration must be reduced to 50,000 or lower each year and the Liberal Democrats want a regional points system of control. Emigration meant that Britain had a net loss of population during the 1970s and 1980s. This trend has been reversed since the late 1990s and more immigrants have entered Britain than emigrants have left. People from India, Pakistan and Africa have traditionally made up the largest proportions of newcomers. In addition to New Commonwealth and African immigrants, more entrants have lately come from the Old Commonwealth and the EU. In recent years, there has also been controversy about the increased numbers of asylum seekers entering Britain and suspicions that many are economics migrants rather than genuinely in humanitarian need. However, it is estimated that there may be at least 600,000 illegal asylum seekers, migrant workers and immigrants in Britain. Opinion polls in the 1990s had suggested that race relations, immigrants and asylum were of less concern to Britons than they were from the 1940s to the 1980s. a 1995 MORI poll found that 78 per cent of respondents did not consider themselves to the prejudiced against people of other races. But in 2001 Guardian newspaper poll reported that 70 per cent of readers thought that race relations were not getting better. A Transatlantic Trends poll in 2009 assessing US and European opinion on immigration showed that the British were by far the most hostile to immigration. Some 53 per cent of respondents thought that legal immigrants increased crime; 48 per cent maintained that legal immigrants had

no equal rights to social benefits, and 71 per cent felt that governments were mismanaging immigration. New conditions for naturalization and redefinitions of British citizenship were contained in the Nationality Act of 1981. Acceptance for settlement does not mean automatic British citizenship. Certain requirements for naturalization have to be fulfilled, together with a period of residence. More specific requirements for the attainment of British citizenship through naturalization were made in 2002. Applicants must now demonstrate knowledge about life in Britain, reach an acceptable level of English proficiency, attend a citizenship ceremony and swear a citizenship oath and pledge to the Queen and the country. This move has been seen as an attempt to emphasize for immigrants the centrality of Britinishness and British values. In 1998 53,900 people were given UK citizenship, rising to a record 164,000 in 2007. In 2008, the number fell to 129,000. Almost 1.2 million foreigners have been given citizenship since 1997.