Is immigration a problem?

Yes – Haralambos Dayantis

“It often leads to ghettoisation”

Immigration to the UK is increasingly being recognised as a problem, and not just within the Daily Mail’s typical demographic. Research by Ipsos MORI has shown that 71% of people aged 16-24 are concerned about immigration. This should come as no surprise, since figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that if immigration levels are not reduced, the UK population will hit 70 million within 20 years. The strain which this will put on the UK’s infrastructure simply cannot be ignored.

Net foreign immigration currently lies at around 200,000 people a year, and ONS figures predict that immigration will account for 68% of population growth within the next two decades. The consequences of increased population should not be lost on London-dwelling students. Overcrowding on public transport will be the least of our worries as the population booms. Increasing demand for housing, healthcare, education and employment will continue to put a strain on both the government and the individual. Competition for places at the most prestigious universities, for places to live and for well-paid jobs can only increase. The implications for current and prospective students are truly dire. Likewise, the pressure on the already overstretched NHS will continue to rise, increasing the burden on doctors, nurses and taxpayers alike.

The implications of mass immigration are not simply practical; they are also cultural. Government projections show that immigration will account for 39% of new households in the next 20 years. Already there are over 300 primary schools in the UK where over 70% of students only speak English as a second language, many of them in London. These schools are usually found in areas dominated by one particular ethnic group, such as Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets, who make up 33% of the borough’s population. It is only natural that immigrants choose to live in areas where many of their neighbours are their countrymen, however, this often leads to ghettoisation and cultural divides. This can be seen on a smaller scale at Imperial itself, with international societies encouraging students of the same nationality to group together socially. Whilst it is perfectly understandable from the individual students’ point of view, it can lead to disharmony within the student body. Of course, the majority of international students integrate perfectly well into the wider community. However, a significant minority rarely venture outside their own ethnic communities, in which English is seldom spoken.

The issue is clearly a controversial one, since many who take a stance against mass immigration are often branded racist by the liberal media. The likes of Nick Griffin and, to a lesser extent, Nigel Farage do the debate no favours with their strong anti-immigration views. Too often, the opinions of sensible individuals with legitimate concerns are tarnished by association with the extreme views of such far-right figures. To accept that immigration is a problem in the UK is not racism; it is simply pragmatism.

No – Tagore Nakornchai

"A lot of Britons’ fears about immigration come from the media”

Immigration is a difficult issue to tackle, with little rational debate in the media. The UK, compared to others in Europe, has a lower proportion of recent migrants, yet people are more likely to list it as one of the top concerns facing the country, up there with the economy and crime. The UK has seen, in the last 10 years, the largest wave of net inward migration in its history.

A lot of Britons’ fears about immigration come from the media. The tabloids and Tory right love a good scare and Britons seem to perceive immigration more negatively than continental Europe, even though most countries have a higher foreign born population. The Mail, Express, and Sun compete to splash scare stories about immigrants clogging up NHS wards, causing crime and needing social housing. Most of it is either deliberately misleading, or just completely bollocks – some numbers about the “cost of immigration” trumpeted by The Mail include £1.8 billion for processing asylum seeker applications – something which the UK is obliged to do under international law.

There are good economic reasons for immigration. Migrants tend to be young and productive. Having one of the youngest populations in Western Europe, means the UK is not heading for a demographic calamity where decreasing numbers of young people are supporting increasing numbers of old people. Recent EU migrants pay around a third more tax than they receive in benefits, helping to balance books and contribute to the economy. Migrants are also much more willing to take jobs that most Britons shun – hard labour is not very popular with a generation of young British workers raised on Xboxes.

Migrants are also needed in some tertiary industries – many postdoctoral researchers are born outside the UK, and the city needs its traders. In most industries in the highly globalized world today, companies don’t want someone who can do the job. They want the best person for the job and that person might not be UK born. There’s a reason why Cameron has been reluctant to fulfil his election pledge to cap immigration – it’s a bad policy, given how much immigrants contribute.

Migrants also enrich Britain’s culture and heritage. Migrant groups have all added their own distinct part to British culture. Curry, dim sum, kebabs have all been brought into the UK via successive groups of immigrants, and are now significant parts of British cuisine. Salman Rushdie is a prolific, though often controversial writer. Given the relatively short time most immigrant communities have been here, they have already left their mark on society in a positive way.

Culturally and economically, immigration has made the UK a richer place. While there are still things to iron out with regards to multiculturalism and integration of new arrivals, continued immigration is a good thing, and much of the debate arises more from tabloid scaremongering rather than genuine negative effects.