Migrant Britain

Britain has largely been in denial of its migrant past - it is often suggested that the arrivals after 1945 represent a new phenomenon and not the continuation of a much longer and deeper trend. There is also an assumption that Britain is a tolerant country towards minorities that distinguishes itself from the rest of Europe and beyond. The historian who was the first and most important to challenge this dominant view is Colin Holmes, who, from the early 1970s onwards, provided a framework for a different interpretation based on extensive research. This challenge came not only through his own work but also that of a 'new school' of students who studied under him and the creation of the journal Immigrants and Minorities in 1982. This volume not only celebrates this remarkable achievement, but also explores the state of migrant historiography (including responses to migrants) in the twenty-first century.

Award-winning reporter Emily Dugan's Finding Home follows the tumultuous lives of a group of immigrants, all facing intense challenges in their quest to live in the UK. Syrian refugee Emad set up the Free Syrian League and worked illegally in the UK to pay for his mother to be smuggled across the Mediterranean on a perilous trip from Turkey. Even if she survives the journey, Emad knows it will be an uphill struggle to get her into Britain. Australian therapist Harley risks deportation despite serving the NHS for ten years and being told by the Home Office she could stay. Teaching assistant Klaudia is one of thousands of Polish people now living in Boston, Lincolnshire - a microcosm of poorly managed migration. Aderonke, a leading Manchester LGBT activist, lives in a tiny B&B room in Salford with her girlfriend, Happiness, and faces deportation and persecution. Dugan's timely and acutely observed book reveals the intense personal dramas of ordinary men and women as they struggle to find somewhere to call home. It shows that migration is not about numbers, votes or opinions: it is about people.

Immigration, ethnicity, multiculturalism and racism have become part of daily discourse in Britain in recent decades – yet, far from being new, these phenomena have characterised British life since the 19th century. While the numbers of immigrants increased after the Second World War, groups such as the Irish, Germans and East European Jews have been arriving, settling and impacting on British society from the Victorian period onwards. In this comprehensive and fascinating account, Panikos Panayi examines immigration as an ongoing process in which ethnic communities evolve as individuals choose whether to retain their ethnic identities and customs or to integrate and assimilate into wider British norms. Consequently, he tackles the contradictions in the history of immigration over the past two centuries: migration versus government control; migrant poverty versus social mobility; ethnic identity versus increasing Anglicisation; and, above all, racism versus multiculturalism. Providing an important historical context to contemporary debates, and taking into account the complexity and variety of individual experiences over time, this book demonstrates that no simple approach or theory can summarise the migrant experience in Britain.

How has the Brexit vote affected EU migrants to the UK? This book presents a female Polish perspective, using findings from research carried out with migrants interviewed before and after the Brexit vote – voices of real people who made their home in the UK. It looks at how migrants view Brexit and what it means for them, how their experiences compare pre and post the Brexit vote, their future plans, as well as considering the wider implications of the migrant experience in relation to precarity and the British paid labour market.

Around 5.6 million British nationals live outside the United Kingdom: the equivalent of one in every ten Britons. However, social science research, as well as public interest, has tended to focus more on the numbers of migrants entering the UK, rather than those leaving. This book provides an important counterbalance, drawing on the latest empirical research and theoretical developments to offer a fascinating account of the lives, experiences and identities of British migrants living in a wide range of geographic locations across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. This collection asks: What is the shape and significance of contemporary British migration? Who are today’s British migrants and how might we understand their everyday lives? Contributions uncover important questions in the context of global and national debates about the nature of citizenships, the ‘Brexit’ vote, deliberations surrounding mobility and freedom of movement, as well as national, racial and ethnic boundaries. This book challenges conventional wisdoms about migration and enables new understandings about British migrants, their relations to historical privileges, international relations and sense of national identity. It will be valuable core reading to researchers and students across disciplines such as Geography, Sociology, Politics and International Relations.

The increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe has placed the issue of migration high on the policy agendas of national governments and the European Union. This book analyzes the impact of policy on the social and economic settlement of refugees in Britain in that context. The issues explored include: current UK and EU migration policy; the history of migration to Britain and policy responses; theories of migration and migrant settlement; social and economic settlement of refugees in Britain - including language, employment, social networks, the migratory process, community, development and policy recommendations.

"A must-read" – Maya Goodfellow "Highly readable" – Joshua Rozenberg QC "Brilliant and urgently necessary" – Amelia Gentleman "Incisive and compelling" – The Secret Barrister *** How would we treat Paddington Bear if he came to the UK today? Perhaps he would be a casualty of extortionate visa application fees; perhaps he would experience a cruel term of imprisonment in a detention centre; or perhaps his entire identity would be torn apart at the hands of a hostile environment that delights in the humiliation of its victims. Britain thinks of itself as a welcoming country, but the reality is very different. This is a system in which people born in Britain are told in uncompromising terms that they are not British, in which those who have lived their entire lives on these shores are threatened with deportation, and in which falling in love with anyone other than a British national can result in families being ripped apart. Now fully updated to include the Nationality and Borders Bill, in this vital and alarming book, campaigner and immigration barrister Colin Yeo tackles the subject with dexterity and rigour, offering a roadmap of where we should go from here as he exposes the injustice of an immigration system that is unforgiving, unfeeling and, ultimately, failing.

This document sets out the Governments proposals for a new points-based approach to managing the flow of migrants coming to the UK to work or study. Whilst it is generally agreed that migration makes a substantial contribution to economic growth, fills gaps in the labour market, and increases investment, innovation and entrepreneurship, and enriches cultural diversity, it needs to be managed. The Government proposes a five-tier framework, to help people understand how the system works and to direct applicants to the category that is most appropriate for them. The tiers are: (1) highly skilled individuals to contribute to growth and productivity; (2) skilled workers with a job offer to fill gaps in the UK labour force; (3) limited numbers of low skilled workers needed to fill specific temporary labour shortages; (4) students; (5) youth mobility and temporary workers, people allowed to work in the UK for a limited period of time to satisfy primarily non-economic objectives. For each tier applicants will need sufficient points to obtain entry clearance or leave to remain in the UK. Points will be awarded according to objective and transparent criteria, giving a structured decision-making process. Applicants in tiers 2 to 5 will need a certificate of sponsorship. The Government aims for a system that better identifies and attracts migrants who have most to offer the UK; is more efficient, transparent and objective; and that improves compliance and reduces the scope for abuse.