Immigration Solicitors

England has become the most crowded country in Europe according to new government data – and over the next 30 years the population of England is predicted to continue growing as a result of immigration and migrant births among the UK population.

The figures coincide with a new report which also predicts the UK economy will grow faster than that of any other country in the EU, including Germany.

In the fourth quarter of 2013 the economy in Britain is predicted to have grown by 1.3%. Recent research has shown that the UK economy has benefited from immigration since 2000, with migrant workers to Britain contributing £25 billion to the UK economy.

The research also shows that migrants are less likely to claim benefits than UK nationals – and put more into the UK economy than they take out in services.

The population in England is expected to grow to be four times that of France and twice the size of Germany. Statistics show that England has already overtaken the Netherlands, with a predicted 419 people per square kilometre in England by 2015, compared with 408 in Holland, 226 in Germany – and just 40 people living per square kilometre in Scotland by 2015.

When New Labour came to power in 1997, the population in England was 374 per square kilometre, but many of the migrants who have come to work in the UK since then have filled gaps in the NHS – and in job sectors such as retail and hospitality, where traditionally long hours are worked and pay is relatively low.

However, by 2046, an estimated 494 people will live per square kilometre in England – and by 2030, it is predicted the UK economy will overtake all other EU economies to be to strongest in Europe.

Analysts predict that the population of other leading EU countries such as Germany, Holland and France will grow much more slowly – or even decline.

Businesses in the UK have also said they are experiencing increased employment growth, with an anticipated 1.7% growth in headcount in 2014.

Recently business bosses have called for more immigration to help boost UK companies, saying that migrant workers have a stronger work ethic and are prepared to work longer hours for less pay.

Unskilled migrant workers also often fill vacancies in sectors such as agriculture and packing, which can be seasonal and traditionally involve low pay and long hours. Jobs in agriculture have become increasingly difficult to fill as a result – and jobs such as fruit picking which in the past might have been taken by students or other seasonal workers are now going to workers from Eastern Europe.

Think tank Migration Watch says that New Labour’s immigration policy has resulted in four million migrants coming to the UK to live and work – and 90% of migrants head for the UK. An estimated one million workers have arrived from Poland – and by 2015, England’s population will be three times that of Poland.

Independent accounting and consultancy firm Grant Thornton LLP says, however, that UK business confidence is growing, especially across the three main industry sectors construction, production industries and services.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of immigration solicitors and can advise on a wide range of immigration issues, including asylum, right to work in the UK, citizenship, marriage in the UK, detention and illegal entry to the UK and student visas.

Duncan Lewis is also a leading Legal Aid solicitor.

For expert advice on UK immigration and asylum law, contact Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.