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Heading home, half of capital's migrants
Ellen Widdup, Evening Standard30 Apr 2008
Tens of thousands of eastern European immigrants who arrived in London in the last four years have gone home, population experts said today.
A new map, detailing migration patterns into the capital, reveals how many workers have moved into which boroughs since the EU's expansion in 2004.
But a report, carried out by think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, suggests these numbers are dropping and half of the migrants have now left.
Hillingdon, Ealing, Hammersmith, Westminster, Camden and Southwark have seen the largest numbers of eastern Europeans move in.
Figures released to the Evening Standard under the Freedom of Information Act support this, showing that by last year a total of 90,190 people had been granted permission to work in the capital under the Home Office Worker Registration Scheme.
Westminster had the largest number at 16,000, followed by Camden with almost 8,000 and Ealing with 5,500.
The study by the IPPR claims the capital's labour force, particularly in these areas, has been significantly augmented by workers from the countries involved.
Half of them are Polish, with Lithuania providing the next largest number. The rest are from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania.
The research team says the situation is similar nationwide with significant numbers travelling to areas such as Scotland and the South West which have not traditionally attracted newcomers.
The group examined data from the Labour Force Survey and national insurance number applications as well as the Worker Registration Scheme - on which applicants are required to register as soon as they start working in Britain. It also studied the International Passenger Survey and questioned Poles who had returned home.
The research revealed that more than a million immigrants from the 10 countries had come to Britain since 2004 with roughly 20 per cent moving to London. Some 500,000 have since departed.
The evidence serves to highlight the huge gulf between the reality and government predictions over the numbers of eastern Europeans who would move to Britain.
The Government originally predicted that between 5,000 and 13,000 migrants would arrive.
According to the latest study, there were 665,000 people from the 10 countries living in Britain in the last quarter of last year - an increase of 548,000 since the first quarter of 2004. But the research team predicted that rapid economic development in the EU states would mean fewer people coming to Britain over the next few years.
"The vast majority of Polish migrants come to the UK for economic reasons, but leave because they miss home or want to be with their friends and family in Poland," the report said. "Four in 10 of returned Polish migrants we surveyed think better employment prospects in Poland would encourage Poles living in the UK to return to Poland for good."
The pound's devaluation in relation to the Polish currency will narrow the gap between potential earnings in Britain and Poland, while the pool of possible migrants is set to shrink due to lower birth rates in the Eighties.
Reader views (16)
Why does everyone complain about East Europeans. What about the million Nigerians in the UK? Or the two million Asians?
- Cameron, London, 01/05/2008 11:55
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I find the statistics misleading as they don't include the unregistered workers and their families.
In my area Tooting in Merton the populace has change dramatically in the past two years with an enormous amount of Eastern Europeans moving here. Although I'm in favour of legal migration I am concerned as appears that when in such large numbers the need to integrate is less important.
- Amencorner, London, 01/05/2008 11:48
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Interesting to see that these figures are "registered" migrants, Kingston and Sutton have exceptionally large Eastern European populations such that the exceptionally low figures quoted above prove that most of these migrant workers aren't registered.
- Hans Orf, Worcester Park, 01/05/2008 11:41
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Where did they go? Probably to Mexico and then on up to the United States... land of the stupids.
- Nippinawassee, Conroe, USA, 01/05/2008 06:23
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The IPPR is a left-liberal propaganda machine that is often used by NuLabour when it is scrabbling around for something to bury bad news. The anecdotal and statistical evidence produced by myriad other sources suggests that this is blatant pre-election spin.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster, 01/05/2008 00:03
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Media keep witting about Eastern European migrants but actually there are much more Western Europeans in the country. There are 300 000 French in London only and that is a way much more than Polish. With Spanish, Greeks, Italians and Portuguese they definitely outnumber Eastern Europeans but no one talks about them and no one blames them for overcrowded transport or stolen jobs.
It's obvious that most of migrants from the whole Europe came because of good money but it's already a past and worst time for UK economy is still to come. So inevitably number of Europeans is going to fall dramatically.
People from third world countries won't go anywhere cause even weaker UK economy is a paradise comparing to their home countries reality.
- Simon, Canary wharf, London, 30/04/2008 21:59
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Of course, they have not returned home: with free health, education, benefits for families, higher wages - why return? This report is total propaganda. I am in total agreement with Malcolm Brown, Newcastle and Squiz, Islington and aforementioned contributors. Immigrants all seem to have mobile phones (which is why I know they are not English) so must be doing pretty well.
The European immigrants from Poland frequently do speak English but the immigrants from the Third world do not and they bring their respective cultures with them - totally alien to this country.
Migration Watch (Sir Andrew Green) is the only hope we have to quantify this unprecedented, uncontrolled, influx of people. This country can no longer continue to support mass immigration and unlimited welfare benefits. Every time a would-be illegal immigrant from France is interviewed, they all want to come to Britain having passed through several 'free' countries. Reason: welfare benefits and knowing they will never be deported, despite having nothing to offer this country.
Enough is enough - Britain is full! We are in recession (whether the Govt wants to admit or not).
Restrict and regulate the benefits, unless contributions have been made for at least 5-10 years: that will sort out the lazy Brits who do not want to work, and thereby reduce the attraction to England for would be immigrants.
- Frostie, Richmond, 30/04/2008 21:53
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Numbers can be made to be so conveniently supportive, can't they! I'm just surprised its taken them this long to start 'adjusting' their criteria enough to come up with 'encouraging' figures.
Even Mugabe's lot were quicker off the mark cooking their books!
- Rogan, DFW Texas, 30/04/2008 19:19
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The whole of North America, Australia, New Zealand, and large parts of Africa are inhabited and / or ruled by British descendants.
What is so wrong about a few people coming to Britain?
The British are see world wide as a nation that.
- Luke Mudiwa, London, England, 30/04/2008 16:50
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Forget apologising over the 10p tax caper, how about New Traitor, excuse me, New Labour apologise for the mass immigration that has destroyed the fabric of this once proud nation?
- Lb, London, 30/04/2008 16:47
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Spot on Mr Malcom Brown. I am a third world migrant and a student. However, I agree with your point. I was shocked the first time I entered this country to come across people who have been here ages, whether from third or second or first world, who portrayed no sign of adapting. Almost a decade later of my studying they are the same. What is this country doing? Now that matters less because these people have long stretched hair. It is easier to trace someone of original African hair texture.
- Daphne, Wembley, Uk, 30/04/2008 16:39
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Any connection between this report (from a Labour think tank) and London elections in which the BNP are expected to make gains? Surely not?
- Damian Hockney A.M., London, 30/04/2008 15:55
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It's not the East Europeans we have to worry about, most will return home. Three times as many third world migrants as Europeans have arrived at the same time, and they have no intention of leaving. These are the people who will not make any attempt to adapt, but will follow there own culture in ever bigger gettos.
- Malcolm Brown, Newcastle. England, 30/04/2008 14:06
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Well if they've all gone home how come one in four of primary schoolchildren are foreigners? Who are all those people filling the bus of a morning yammering away in Slavic languages? Are they using linguaphone to brush up their Polish waiting for the big economic spurt in Poland when we all go over there to work?
- Squiz, Islington, 30/04/2008 13:53
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How do they know when they admitted they didn't know how many were here in the first place. How many illegal ones are left or left then?
More BS spin for Labour just before the elections.
- Mike, Sussex, 30/04/2008 13:40
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To say that between 1,000 and 1,999 foreign workers have settled in Greenwich is absolute nonsense, there are more than that in Plumstead alone. Where do these figures come from?
- Avatart, Plumstead, UK, 30/04/2008 13:11
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