Legal News

Figures from Eurostat show that unless the UK continues to allow freedom of movement across borders and immigration to the UK, the economy in Britain will suffer as the population continues to age.

International Business Times (IBT) reports that the economic benefits enjoyed by the post-war “baby boomer” generation will be eroded as that generation ages and the UK’s pension bill rises.

David Cameron’s pledge to reduce net migration to Britain to tens of thousands per year is now unattainable – last year, net migration to the UK increased by 78,000 to 260,000, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Net migration is the difference between those who leave the UK and new migrants to the UK. More migration has taken place from EU member states in the last year, as Britain’s economy continues to grow after the 2008 credit crunch.

Other economies both in the EU and globally are starting to slow down and even show signs of slipping back into recession.

Chancellor George Osborne has recently announced that after the May 2015 General Election, another round of savage cuts to public services in Britain will have to take place, with an estimated £60bn being cut from the public purse to enable the UK’s economic recovery to continue by paying down the deficit. The UK’s financial deficit has actually grown since the Coalition government took over and now stands at £1.5 trillion.

Many critics of government policy are claiming that the UK recovery has been one result of low wages – which some attribute to migrants being willing to work for less than British nationals.

The government has said that more cuts are needed because revenue from taxes has been lower than anticipated – which critics of the government claim is because of lower wages across all sectors, as well as some companies not paying their fair share of corporation tax.

Figures from the EU data agency Eurostat show, however, that if the UK remains in the European Union, it will overtake Germany as the EU’s most populated nation as a result of freedom of movement within the union.

The UK’s population has not only increased as a result of migrants coming to Britain to work and settle, but also as a result of the birth rate among newcomers to Britain – and because of the UK’s indigenous population continuing to age, the economy will need migrants to maintain its working age population able to pay taxes and reduce the number of those retiring and claiming the state pension every year.

By 2080, it is estimated there will be 85.1 million people living in the UK, making it the largest population in the EU.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can advise migrants to the UK on issues such as right to work in the UK, student visas and spouse and partner visas.

Duncan Lewis is also a leading provider of Legal Aid immigration services and can advise on:

• Asylum and asylum appeals
• British citizenship
• Fast-track detention process
• Human Rights Act
• Illegal entry to the UK
• Marriage in the UK
• Visa overstays.

For expert legal advice on UK immigration law, call Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.