A paper provided an overview of the academic literature on European Union labour migration policies.
Source: Marie De Somer, Trends and Gaps in the Academic Literature on EU Labour Migration Policies, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined patterns and practices of marriage-related migration to the United Kingdom. It considered how varying marriage practices, social and political contexts, and policies of both receiving and sending countries might work to influence marriage-related migration streams. It highlighted the limitations and lacunae in existing research in the area, and the danger that immigration policy made on the basis of partial evidence might produce unexpected consequences.
Source: Katharine Charsley, Brooke Storer-Church, Michaela Benson, and Nicholas Van Hear, 'Marriage-related migration to the UK', International Migration Review, Volume 46 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A paper examined the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating immigrant groups in European cities.
Source: Immigrant Integration in European Cities, European Urban Knowledge Network
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Dec
An article compared trade union strategies in the United Kingdom, Norway and Germany toward migrant workers from the 'new Europe'. Trade union responses were shaped by the complex interplay of national industrial relations systems, sectoral dynamics, European Union regulation, and the agency of individual trade unions.
Source: Jane Hardy, Line Eldring, and Thorsten Schulten, 'Trade union responses to migrant workers from the "new Europe": a three sector comparison in the UK, Norway and Germany', European Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 18 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A joint inspectorate report said that an independent panel should be set up to review the cases of all individuals who have been held for lengthy periods in immigration detention pending their removal. Casework needed to improve so that people were not detained for longer than necessary.
Source: The Effectiveness and Impact of Immigration Detention Casework, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales/Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration
Links: Report | HCI Prisons press release | Detention Action press release | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Dec
A report said that people who had fled to the United Kingdom from dangerous countries were being forced into destitution and the risk of violence after being refused asylum.
Source: Philippa McIntyre and Edward Mogire, Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The dilemma facing refused asylum seekers, Refugee Council
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2012-Dec
A paper explored individual and regional characteristics as sources of anti-immigration attitudes of white United Kingdom-born respondents. Contrary to expectations, the regional unemployment rates for natives and immigrants were not statistically associated with a higher or lower probability of expressing anti-immigration attitudes. Native respondents were more likely to support immigration restriction of those from poorer countries regardless of whether they were European or not and irrespective of ethnicity.
Source: Yvonni Markaki, Sources of Anti-Immigration Attitudes in the United Kingdom: The impact of population, labour market and skills context, Working Paper 2012-24, Institute for Social and Economic Research (University of Essex)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A report highlighted categories of migrant workers, namely those with low- and medium-skill levels, that were often treated differently from the highly skilled by immigration policies in the European Union. Debate in Europe had mainly focused on the need to attract more highly skilled migrants from outside the EU to boost competitiveness by increasing the talent pool – whereas less skilled migrants had seen the few existing entry doors often being shut, and those already in the EU were portrayed as a societal burden.
Source: Anna Platonova and Giuliana Urso (eds), Labour Market Inclusion of the Less Skilled Migrants in the European Union, International Labour Organization
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined the recent expansion of immigration offences, and the reasons for relying on the criminal law in immigration enforcement. In practice, most immigration offences were rarely enforced. Instead, the criminal law often seemed to primarily work as a threat, relied on to enforce compliance with immigration rules. A criminal prosecution was reserved for those foreigners for whom the primary sanction – expulsion – could not be carried out. The criminalization of immigration breaches was in stark contrast with a number of criminal law principles.
Source: Ana Aliverti, 'Making people criminal: the role of the criminal law in immigration enforcement', Theoretical Criminology, Volume 16 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A paper examined the factors that were likely to have an impact on anti-immigration attitudes in Europe, focusing on regional characteristics. Regions with a higher percentage of immigrants born outside the European Union and a higher unemployment rate among the immigrant population showed a higher probability of native people expressing negative attitudes to immigration. Regions with a higher unemployment rate among natives, however, showed less pronounced anti-immigrant attitudes.
Source: Yvonni Markaki and Simonetta Longhi, What Determines Attitudes to Immigration in European Countries? An analysis at the regional level, Discussion Paper 33/12, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (University College London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Nov
A paper said that the enlargement of the European Union in 2004 had led to a fast increase in immigration to the United Kingdom, which had seemed to stop during the recent recession. Compared with those from the old EU, immigrants from the new member states were less likely to locate to London and were more evenly spread across UK regions. They were comparatively more likely to be active in the labour market – as opposed to students or inactive – and to be in paid employment. They were less likely to work part-time, but earned substantially lower wages.
Source: Simonetta Longhi and Magdalena Rokicka, Eastern European Immigrants in the UK before and after the 2004 European Enlargement, European Regional Science Association
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Oct
An official report said that the number of people being trafficked into the United Kingdom was rising, and that better co-ordination was needed between government departments and authorities abroad.
Source: First Annual Report of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking, Cm 8421, Home Office, TSO
Links: Report | Home Office press release | Barnardos press release | Coram press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Huffington Post report
Date: 2012-Oct
A new book examined the 'exclusionary policies, inhumane decisions and obstacles to justice' for refugees and migrants under the existing legal system.
Source: Frances Webber, Borderline Justice: The fight for refugee and migrant rights, Pluto Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Oct
A report said that hundreds of asylum-seekers in Scotland, including children and pregnant women, were being left completely destitute with no support, nowhere to live, and no way of returning home safely.
Source: Morag Gillespie, Trapped: Destitution and asylum in Scotland, Scottish Poverty Information Unit (Glasgow Caledonian University)
Links: Report | SRC press release
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined policy and practice in relation to the provision of support to children and young people seeking asylum. It said that the welfare of refugee and asylum-seeking children should be the primary focus of practice, rather than immigration policy.
Source: Rachel Hek, Nathan Hughes, and Roberto Ozman, 'Safeguarding the needs of children and young people seeking asylum in the UK: addressing past failings and meeting future challenges', Child Abuse Review, Volume 21 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article highlighted the 'dangerous, indeed poisonous, nature' of debates on immigration and multiculturalism in Europe. There was a 'crisis of values', which had been consistently overlooked or manipulated by politicians and academics alike, or reduced to an epiphenomenon bound to disappear when global financial crisis was over.
Source: Umut Ozkirimli, '"And people's concerns were genuine: why didn't we listen more?": nationalism, multiculturalism and recognition in Europe', Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Volume 20 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the way in which integration policy had been implemented. Successful initiatives adopt a 'pathways to integration' approach that maximized the potential for the interlinkages between integration dimensions, while facilitating a two-way integration process engaging refugees and wider society.
Source: Jenny Phillimore, 'Implementing integration in the UK: lessons for integration theory, policy and practice', Policy & Politics, Volume 40 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article said that there was little evidence that migration had much effect on house prices, despite the popular perception that the impact was important. The nature of housing market adjustment was more complex than price indicators alone would suggest. Adjustment also took place through changes to household formation and through the mobility of domestic residents, which mitigated the price effects.
Source: Geoffrey Meen, 'The adjustment of housing markets to migration change: lessons from modern history', Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Volume 59 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
An article said that the development of European Union asylum and migration policy had often been explained as the result of 'venue-shopping' – that is, the move by policy-makers to an European policy venue in order to avoid national constraints. It said that, contrary to what would have been expected on the basis of this widespread view, EU co-operation on asylum matters had actually led to a rise in the legal standards applicable to asylum-seekers and refugees. This outcome could be mainly explained by broader changes that had gradually affected the EU 'system of venues' and had thereby decreased the likelihood of more restrictive measures being adopted in the EU asylum policy venue. This had important implications for the EU governance of asylum and migration in general.
Source: Christian Kaunert and Sarah Leonard, 'The development of the EU asylum policy: venue-shopping in perspective', Journal of European Public Policy, Volume 19 Issue 9
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A paper estimated of the scale of uncertainty surrounding forecasts of environmental migration to the United Kingdom. Experts anticipated that environmental migration would rise over the next 50 years: but they had limited confidence in their estimates. It was likely that only a minority of environmentally driven migrants would arrive as 'displacement' movers. Mediterranean Europe was cited as a potential source of environmentally driven migrants, not because this region was most at risk from climate change in global terms but because of the relative ease of migration from there under European Union legislation.
Source: Allan Findlay, David McCollum, Guy Abel, Arek Wisniowski, and Jakub Bijak, A Delphi Survey of Immigration to the UK to 2060, with Particular Reference to Environmental Mobility, Working Paper 28, Centre for Population Change
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Oct
A paper examined the possible determinants of peoples' attitudes towards immigrants in Europe. Those groups who were generally more tolerant towards immigrants included ethnic minorities, urban people, people with higher education and higher income, and people who had work experience abroad. People whose attitudes to socio-economic risks were lower, and who evaluated the political and legal systems of a country and its police higher, were also more tolerant. Respondents' labour market status did not have a statistically significant relationship with their attitudes towards immigrants.
Source: Tiiu Paas and Vivika Halapuu, Determinants of People's Attitudes towards Immigrants in Europe, Working Paper 88, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu (Estonia)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
An article examined the experience of 'multiple exclusion homelessness' (MEH) among migrants to the United Kingdom. The MEH experiences of migrants tended to differ from those of the indigenous MEH population; the former were, in particular, far less likely to report troubled childhoods and multiple forms of deep exclusion. The more extreme problems faced by migrants tended to occur only after arrival in the UK.
Source: Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Sarah Johnsen, and Glen Bramley, 'Multiple exclusion homelessness amongst migrants in the UK', European Journal of Homelessness, Volume 6
Links: Article
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined the effect of feelings of physical insecurity on the perceived consequences of immigration and the preferred level of restriction in this policy area, based on data for 12 western European countries. It also emphasized the importance of social alienation, radical-right partisanship, and 'tough on crime' attitudes on the formation of anti-immigration opinions.
Source: Mihail Chiru and Sergiu Gherghina, Physical Insecurity and Anti-Immigration Views in Western Europe, Working Paper 12-98, Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (University of Oxford)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
A new book examined how cultural integration of immigrants in Europe related to economic integration; how European countries differed in their cultural integration process, and which models of integration worked; and the implications of the cultural integration process for civic participation and public policies.
Source: Yann Algan, Alberto Bisin, Alan Manning, and Thierry Verdier (eds), Cultural Integration of Immigrants in Europe, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined the interaction between Muslim groups and other political actors in seven European societies (including the United Kingdom). Analysis of news media suggested that the construction of Muslim groups as a politically relevant category was largely done by non-Muslim political actors. The frames used in claims about Muslims differed significantly from those used for other immigrant groups. Whereas the most common frames for immigrants more generally were instrumental, for Muslims identity-based arguments were invoked more frequently. Muslims were talked about almost exclusively in connexion with integration rather than immigration.
Source: Didier Ruedin and Joost Berkhout, Patterns of Claims-Making on Civic Integration and Migration in Europe: Are Muslims Different?, Working Paper 2012-08, Support and Opposition to Migration Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
An article drew on empirical research on migrant care work to develop links between three levels of analysis – micro, meso, and macro. The main aim was to progress analysis of the meso level by developing indicators attached to three sets of regimes – care regimes, migration regimes, and employment regimes. Variations in the ways these three regimes intersected within any one country revealed a growing convergence across Europe in the employment of migrant care labour. This convergence contributed, at the macro level, to a transnational political economy of care.
Source: Fiona Williams, 'Converging variations in migrant care work in Europe', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 22 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Sep
A report said that some children trafficked into the United Kingdom were going missing from local authority care. It raised particular concerns over a lack of secure and suitable accommodation for trafficked children.
Source: Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, Report Concerning the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the United Kingdom: First evaluation round, Council of Europe
Links: Report | BASW press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs called on the government to record overseas students under a classification that did not count against the overall limit on net migration, in order to allow the United Kingdom to continue to expand its share of the overseas student market.
Source: Overseas Students and Net Migration, Fourth Report (Session 2012-13), HC 425, House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Million+ press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined whether immigrants to the United Kingdom and Germany differed in their use of health services from native-born individuals on arrival and over time. Although immigrants to Germany (but not the UK) were more likely to self-report poor health than the native-born population, immigrants used hospital and family doctor services at broadly the same rate as the native-born populations in both countries.
Source: Jonathan Wadsworth, Musn't Grumble: Immigration, health and health service use in the UK and Germany, Discussion Paper 21/12, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (University College London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
A study examined the cost savings associated with the timely release of migrants pending removal who were currently detained for long periods only to be released back into the community. Supporting these migrants in the community would cost around £1 million per year, if they were not granted the right to work. However, these costs were dwarfed by savings of £76 million per year that would come with the reduced use of expensive detention space, as well as unlawful detention payments. These savings were equivalent to the costs of at least three detention centres.
Source: Kevin Marsh, Meena Venkatachalam, and Kunal Samanta, An Economic Analysis of Alternatives to Long-Term Detention: Final Report, Detention Action
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Sep
A chapter in the 2012 British Social Attitudes Survey report examined public attitudes to immigration. Demands for a reduction in overall immigration had increased, while views about the impact of migration had grown more negative. In 2011, 75 per cent of respondents advocated a reduction in immigration overall, compared with 63 per cent in 1995. 51 per cent wanted a large reduction.
Source: Robert Ford, Gareth Morrell, and Anthony Heath, ' Fewer but better ? Public views about immigration' (in Alison Park, Elizabeth Clery John Curtice, Miranda Phillips, and David Utting (eds), British Social Attitudes: The 29th Report), National Centre for Social Research
Links: Report | NatCen press release | Engage press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined the effect of immigration on native income inequality in western Europe. Immigration was found to be associated with a decrease in income inequality at the bottom of the distribution. However, no causal effect was found of immigration on income dispersion.
Source: Tommaso Frattini, Immigration and Inequality in Europe, Discussion Paper 44, GINI Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
A report said that children seeking asylum in the United Kingdom on their own were subjected to a culture of disbelief and suspicion, which left them feeling frightened and confused. Despite some recent improvements, many of the UK Border Agency's practices failed to take the needs of children fleeing war, turmoil, and violence into account.
Source: Into the Unknown: Children's journeys through the asylum process, Children's Society
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release | BASW press release | Community Care report
Date: 2012-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs said that it was extraordinary that the UK Border Agency had introduced its new points-based system for students before proper controls had been implemented to replace the old ones. The result of the Agency's poorly planned and ill-thought out course of action had been chaos: an immediate high level of abuse of the new system, and a surge in the number of student visas. Since then, the Agency had been playing 'catch-up', continually adjusting the rules and procedures in order to try to tackle abuse.
Source: Immigration: The Points Based System – Student Route, Seventh Report (Session 2012-13), HC 101, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2012-Sep
A report examined children's attitudes toward refugees. There was widespread confusion and misconception about the numbers of refugees, their impact on services, and the reasons for their arrival. Many children believed that asylum-seekers and refugees were illegal immigrants.
Source: The Importance of Contact: Children s attitudes towards refugees, Employability Forum
Date: 2012-Aug
An article highlighted serious problems with the citizenship test. There was a need to revise and update the test, expand it to include questions about British history and basic law, and reconsider what new citizens were expected to know more broadly. The focus should be on what future citizens should be expected to know rather than how others might be excluded.
Source: Thom Brooks, 'The British citizenship test: the case for reform', Political Quarterly, Volume 83 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A new book provided a systematic comparative analysis of immigrants' social rights across five European welfare states (including the United Kingdom) and the United States of America.
Source: Diane Sainsbury, Welfare States and Immigrant Rights: The politics of inclusion and exclusion, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Aug
A paper examined the relationship between immigration, diversity and social cohesion, drawing on research in the United States of America, United Kingdom, and other European countries.
Source: Neli Demireva, Immigration, Diversity and Social Cohesion, Migration Observatory (University of Oxford)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined access to asylum protection in the light of various legal barriers erected by European states.
Source: Cathryn Costello, 'Courting access to asylum in Europe: recent supranational jurisprudence explored', Human Rights Law Review, Volume 12 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined how citizenship policies in Europe affected naturalization rates among immigrants. Favourable citizenship policies positively affected naturalization rates, especially among first-generation immigrants with more than 5 but fewer than 20 years of residence. However, most variation was explained by other factors. Immigrants from poor, politically unstable, and non-European Union countries were more likely to be a citizen of their European country of residence.
Source: Jaap Dronkers and Maarten Peter Vink, 'Explaining access to citizenship in Europe: How citizenship policies affect naturalization rates', European Union Politics, Volume 13 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A new book examined the issue of refugees and asylum-seekers from a Marxist perspective.
Source: Tom Vickers, Refugees, Capitalism and the British State: Implications for social workers, volunteers and activists, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined how east European migration to the United Kingdom had been racialized in immigration policy and tabloid journalism. The state's immigration policy exhibited features of institutionalized racism that implicitly invoked shared 'whiteness' as a basis of racialized inclusion. The tabloids, in contrast, tended toward cultural racism in their coverage of these migrations by explicitly invoking cultural difference as a basis of racialized exclusion.
Source: Jon Fox, Laura Morosanu, and Eszter Szilassy, 'The racialization of the new European migration to the UK', Sociology, Volume 46 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined how macro-societal conditions determined educational inequality between migrants and natives in the western European Union member states. Majoritarian democracies were more effective than consensual democracies in equalizing educational opportunities between immigrants and natives.
Source: Raphaela Schlicht-Schmalzle and Sabrina Moller, 'Macro-political determinants of educational inequality between migrants and natives in western Europe', West European Politics, Volume 35 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
The children's watchdog for England published a review of cases that had reached the courts since a Supreme Court judgment in 2009 introduced a new age-assessment regime for unaccompanied children claiming asylum.
Source: Laura Brownlees and Zubier Yazdani, The Fact of Age, Office of the Children's Commissioner
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined whether the confidence of immigrants in European countries in criminal justice institutions could be explained by two counteracting processes: expectations formed in the country of origin and discrimination experienced in the residence country. The data strongly supported the hypothesis that the high confidence of first-generation immigrants could be explained by frames of reference formed in the country of origin. Some, but limited, support was also found for the impact of discrimination.
Source: Antje Roder and Peter Muhlau, 'What determines the trust of immigrants in criminal justice institutions in Europe?', European Journal of Criminology, Volume 9 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A paper examined processes of change and development within asylum-seeker and refugee-led associations in Glasgow (Scotland). It said that a life-cycle approach provided a more rounded understanding of the factors giving rise to such groups, as well as the processes of change within them.
Source: Teresa Piacentini, Moving beyond Refugeeness : Problematising the refugee community organisation , Working Paper 85, Third Sector Research Centre
Links: Paper | Briefing | Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A report by a committee of MPs said that it was 'totally unacceptable' that there were so many outstanding immigration cases that the Border Agency had yet to work through. It collated (for the first time) the backlog of 276,460 outstanding cases in the various areas where the Agency had responsibility. It called on the Agency to act immediately to identify ways to locate the individuals and conclude the cases.
Source: The Work of the United Kingdom Border Agency (December 2011–March 2012), Fifth Report (Session 2012–13), HC 71, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Additional written evidence | Labour Party press release | PCS press release | Refugee Action press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jul
The Supreme Court ruled that the coalition government's policies on corporate immigration were unlawful, because they had not been laid before Parliament for scrutiny as required by the Immigration Act 1971 for incorporation into the rules. As a consequence, most existing requirements for the points-based system, such as salary and skill levels, could no longer be relied upon.
Source: R (on the application of Alvi) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, UKSC 33 (2012), United Kingdom Supreme Court
Links: Judgement | Hansard | BBC report | Guardian report | Law Gazette report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jul
A think-tank briefing examined the available evidence about the scale of human trafficking; reviewed the general policy response to trafficking and the more specific measures designed for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and considered areas within the strategy that could be improved, with reference to international good practice.
Source: Myriam Cherti, Jenny Pennington, and Eliza Galos, The UK s Response to Human Trafficking: Fit for purpose?, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Briefing
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined developments in immigration policy over the previous decade. The former Labour government had liberalized the work visa regime: but the unco-ordinated nature of policy-making and implementation, and the limited involvement of state and societal institutions in the reform process, reflected the United Kingdom's historical experience with restrictionist policies, and helped to explain the subsequent reintroduction of strict visa controls. The case demonstrated that policy legacies played a significant role in defining the character of the policy-making institutions that shaped a state's immigration politics.
Source: Chris Wright, 'Policy legacies, visa reform and the resilience of immigration politics', West European Politics, Volume 35 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
A report examined labour mobility patterns in Europe and other developed (OECD) countries, and the effects on national labour markets.
Source: Free Movement of Workers and Labour Market Adjustment: Recent experiences from OECD Countries and the European Union, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jul
The border service inspectorate highlighted a backlog of 150,000 cases involving people who had been refused permission to stay in the United Kingdom but whose whereabouts were unknown to the authorities.
Source: An Inspection of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Immigration Team, Independent Chief Inspector of Border and Immigration
Links: Report | UKBA press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined patterns of residential/locational attainment among immigrants in Europe. Attainment varied considerably across ethnic and cultural groups: immigrants from Asia or Africa as well as Muslims were less likely to reside in neighbourhoods that were perceived to be inhabited mostly by Europeans.
Source: Anya Glikman and Moshe Semyonov, 'Ethnic origin and residential attainment of immigrants in European countries', City & Community, Volume 11 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
A paper examined the labour market effects of immigration in Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Wage flexibility was substantially higher in the UK compared with Germany and, in particular, Denmark. As a consequence, immigration had a much larger effect on the unemployment rate in Germany and Denmark, while the wage effects were larger in the UK. The elasticity of substitution between native and foreign workers was high in the UK and particularly low in Germany: the pre-existing foreign labour force therefore suffered more from further immigration in Germany than in the UK.
Source: Herbert Brucker, Elke Jahn, and Richard Upward, Migration and Imperfect Labor Markets: Theory and cross-country evidence from Denmark, Germany and the UK, Discussion Paper 2012-20, NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jul
A series of journal articles examined the problem of statelessness in Europe.
Source: European Journal of Migration and Law, Volume 14 Number 3
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2012-Jul
An article said that immigration had varying implications for attitudes about government redistribution in European countries, depending on the level at which immigration was experienced. Although national-level exposure to foreign-born populations tended to have little effect on support for government redistribution, occupational-level exposure to immigration tended to spur such support. These results suggested that immigration directly influenced the politics of inequality – but in more complicated ways than recent scholarship suggested.
Source: Brian Burgoon and Ferry Koster, 'Support for redistribution and the paradox of immigration', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 22 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
The coalition government announced (following consultation) more restrictive immigration rules for non-European Economic Area nationals applying to enter or remain in the United Kingdom via the family migration route. The new rules would also define the basis on which a person could enter or remain in the United Kingdom on the basis of their family or private life. Most of these changes would apply to new applicants from 9 July 2012. The changes included: introducing a new minimum income threshold of £18,600 for sponsoring the settlement of a spouse or partner, fianc (e), or proposed civil partner; extending the minimum probationary period for settlement for non-EEA spouses and partners from two years to five years, to test the genuineness of the relationship; and requiring all applicants for settlement to pass the Life in the United Kingdom Test and present an English language speaking and listening qualification.
Source: Debate 11 June 2012, columns 48-62, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jun
An article estimated the expected duration of residence of international migration in Europe, defined as the average number of years lived by migrants in the receiving country given period migration and mortality schedules.
Source: Jack DeWaard and James Raymer, 'The temporal dynamics of international migration in Europe: recent trends', Demographic Research, Volume 26
Links: Article
Date: 2012-Jun
A briefing paper examined immigration by category, distinguishing between European and non-European migrants and among four basic types: work, study, family, and asylum. An estimated 54.5 per cent of immigrants in 2010 were non-European Union nationals. Students made up the largest and fastest-growing category of immigrants. Work and family migration from outside the EU had both declined since 2005. Asylum applicants represented a declining share of migration in the previous decade, down to about 3 per cent in 2010.
Source: Scott Blinder, Immigration by Category: Workers, students, family members, asylum applicants, Migration Observatory (University of Oxford)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2012-Jun
A new book examined the interaction between European Union-level and national-level policies on the integration of migrants. At EU level, integration issues had gained extensive importance in the framework of the development of an EU migration policy. At national level, discourses about failed integration policies had put those policies under high pressure in political and legislative debates.
Source: Yves Pascouau and Tineke Strik (eds.), Which Integration Policies for Migrants? Interaction between the EU and its member states, Wolf Legal Publishers
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined aspects of housing and migration. Just as migration was undoubtedly one of the pressures on the housing market, so housing was undoubtedly one of the pressures on migrants. New migrants often entered the market via the least desirable housing, frequently in disadvantaged areas. Working migrants from the new European Union countries with jobs in farming, tourism, and other industries often had housing tied to employment, on caravan sites, or in poor-quality lettings.
Source: John Perry, Housing and Migration: A UK guide to issues and solutions, Housing and Migration Network/Chartered Institute of Housing
Links: Report | CIH press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article said that demographic projections for the European Union pointed to a growing shortage of young graduates. In theory, selective immigration could fill part of the corresponding labour needs: but there was a very heavy over-representation among immigrants of the lowest level of education. In addition, the ability of immigration to help manage demographic challenges depended more on the architecture of the host countries, in terms of integration and non-discriminatory deployment, than on the characteristics of the immigrants themselves.
Source: 'The EU workforce and future international migration', OECD Employment, Volume 2012 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A briefing paper examined mental health issues in relation to people held in immigration detention. It said that there should be a presumption against detention of people with mental health problems.
Source: Ali McGinley and Adeline Trude, Positive Duty of Care? The mental health crisis in immigration detention, Mental Health in Immigration Detention Project (Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees/Bail for Immigration Detainees)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jun
A paper said that fears about the consequences of rising immigration had been exaggerated. It was hard to find evidence of much displacement of workers or lower wages, on average. Immigrants, especially in recent years, tended to be younger and better educated than natives and were less likely to be unemployed. They certainly did not receive preferential access to housing. There had been some effects: those with fewer skills might have experienced greater downward pressure on wages and greater competition for jobs than others – but these effects still appeared to have been modest.
Source: Immigration and the UK Labour Market: The latest evidence from economic research, Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined worker inflows from the new European Union member countries, and their impact on the employment and wages of domestic workers by level of education.
Source: 'The United Kingdom experience of post-enlargement worker inflows from new EU member countries', OECD Employment, Volume 2012 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined public sentiments in Wales towards immigrants and minorities. It found that a larger proportion of people in Wales held negative views on immigration than in other parts of the United Kingdom.
Source: Robin Mann and Yvonne Tommis, Public Sentiments Towards Immigration in Wales, Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (Cardiff University)
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined human rights abuses for migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers attempting to reach Europe from north and west Africa. The desire of some European countries to prevent irregular migration had undermined safe and timely rescues at sea. Desperate people had been left for days while countries argued about where they should be taken, resulting in lost lives.
Source: S.O.S. Europe: Human rights and migration control, Amnesty International UK
Links: Report | Amnesty press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined the effect of human values on attitudes towards immigration in Europe. In order to explain cross-country and cross-time differences it used 'group threat' theory, according to which larger inflows of immigration combined with challenging economic conditions imposed a threat on the host society, resulting in more negative attitudes towards immigration.
Source: Eldad Davidov and Bart Meuleman, 'Explaining attitudes towards immigration policies in European countries: the role of human values', Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Volume 38 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined public attitudes to immigration. The British public was more negative about immigration than in other developed countries: but they were also more divided over the issue. Age, education, economic security, and migrant heritage all strongly predicted views about immigration and immigrants. There was a generational divide over immigration, with older generations much more hostile about immigration than younger cohorts.
Source: Robert Ford, Parochial and Cosmopolitan Britain: Examining the social divide in reactions to immigration, German Marshall Fund of the United States
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined the most effective models of care and support for children who arrived in the United Kingdom and were identified as trafficked.
Source: Paul Rigby, Margaret Malloch, and Niall Hamilton Smith, A Report on Child Trafficking and Care Provision: Towards better survivor care, Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jun
A new book examined the role of transnational migrant organizations in six European countries (including England), and their relationship with the state.
Source: Dirk Halm and Zeynep Sezgin (eds.), Migration and Organized Civil Society: Rethinking national policy, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined possible reasons for the phenomenon whereby immigrants exhibited higher levels of trust in public institutions than natives. It was largely the relatively lower expectations of immigrants from countries with poorer institutional performance that accounted for this difference
Source: Antje Roder and Peter Muhlau, 'Low expectations or different evaluations: what explains immigrants' high levels of trust in host-country institutions?', Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Volume 38 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A new book examined marriage in the context of European migration studies.
Source: Katharine Charsley (ed.), Transnational Marriage: New perspectives from Europe and beyond, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jun
The European Commission published a strategy designed to tackle human trafficking, bringing together a wide range of legislative and policy measures to prioritize the protection of children against sexual exploitation, forced labour, begging, criminal activities, and the removal of organs.
Source: The EU Strategy Towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings 2012-2016, European Commission
Links: Strategy | European Commission press release | European Parliament press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article said that the immigrant share in crime figures in Europe varied greatly from country to country. This suggested that the non-national contribution to crime was not associated with immigration as such, but with the contexts in which immigration occurred and features of the immigration inflow. In particular, 'culture, respect for rights and universalism' in the host countries were associated with lower immigrant crime.
Source: Luigi Solivetti, 'Looking for a fair country: features and determinants of immigrants involvement in crime in Europe', Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, Volume 51 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A paper examined the linkages between admission policies and integration policies that existed at the European Union level (the migration-integration policy nexus), and the relationship between EU and national-level policy-making in these areas. It focused on measures pertaining to the rights and status of legally-resident third-country nationals.
Source: Alex Balch and Andrew Geddes, Connections Between Admission Policies and Integration Policies at EU-Level and Given Linkages with National Policy Making, Working Paper 1, Promoting Sustainable Policies for Integration (PROSINT)/European Commission
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-May
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the work of the UK Border Agency. It denied that there was an unofficial amnesty on long-standing asylum cases.
Source: The Work of the UK Border Agency (November 2010-March 2011): Government Response to the Committee's Ninth Report of Session 2010-12, First Special Report (Session 2012-13), HC 142, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Response
Notes: MPs report (April 2012)
Date: 2012-May
A paper evaluated the impact of admission-related integration policies in Europe on the integration of newcomers; analyzed the different logics underlying integration policy-making; and investigated the main target groups of compulsory and voluntary integration measures.
Source: Claudia Lechner and Anna Lutz et al., Study on the Impacts of Admission Policies and Admission-Related Integration Policies, Working Paper 5, Promoting Sustainable Policies for Integration (PROSINT)/European Commission
Date: 2012-May
A new book said that social cohesion was achieved through people (new arrivals as well as the long-term settled) being able to resolve the conflicts and tensions within their day-to-day lives in ways that they found positive and viable. It challenged the view that social cohesion was about the assimilation of new immigrants through acceptance of shared values of 'Britishness'. It was instead achieved through people's broad acceptance of a diverse Britain, and by navigating the fine lines between separateness and commonalities/differences and unity in the places where they lived.
Source: Mary Hickman, Nicola Mai, and Helen Crowley, Migration and Social Cohesion in the UK, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
A report provided a comparative analysis of how gender-related asylum claims were handled in 9 different European Union member states (including the United Kingdom).
Source: Hana Cheikh Ali, Christel Querton, and Elodie Soulard, Gender-Related Asylum Claims in Europe: Comparative analysis of law, policies and practice focusing on women in nine EU member states, Asylum Aid
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
A paper examined the overall policy frameworks for the integration of newcomers to 9 European countries (including the United Kingdom). In particular, it investigated the introduction of post- and pre-entry integration measures.
Source: Bernhard Perchinig et al., The National Policy Frames for the Integration of Newcomers: Comparative Report, Working Paper 2, Promoting Sustainable Policies for Integration (PROSINT)/European Commission
Date: 2012-May
Researchers examined the situation of children without legal immigration status. They highlighted conflicting government policies governing the protection of children's rights and immigration, and the children's lack of access to public services such as healthcare and education.
Source: Nando Sigona and Vanessa Hughes, No Way Out, No Way In: Irregular migrant children and families in the UK, Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (University of Oxford)
Links: Report | Summary | Oxford University press release
Date: 2012-May
A report said that there were still significant numbers of child refugees being locked up in detention centres – two years after the coalition government declared that it would end the detention of children for immigration purposes.
Source: Judith Dennis, Not a Minor Offence: Unaccompanied children locked up as part of the asylum system, Refugee Council
Links: Report | Refugee Council press release
Date: 2012-May
An article presented a comparative analysis of the role of migrant workers in elderly care in Italy, the Netherlands, and England. It incorporates both private and agency-based employment. In all cases migrant workers worked longer hours and did more night shifts than their native peers. Between-country differences in the importance of migrant workers in social care could be explained primarily by differences in social care policies and care regimes, whereas the impact of immigration policies was more ambiguous. A familialistic care regime induced a 'migrant in the family' model of care – whereas a liberal care regime led to a 'migrant in the market' model of employment, and a social democratic care regime created no particular demand for migrant workers.
Source: Franca van Hooren, 'Varieties of migrant care work: comparing patterns of migrant labour in social care', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 22 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A briefing paper examined how many foreign citizens acquired British citizenship every year, their demographic characteristics, and the various bases for granting them citizenship.
Source: Scott Blinder, Naturalisation As a British Citizen: Concepts and Trends, Migration Observatory (University of Oxford)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-May
A report examined the policy recommendations that emerged from a European Community research study into processes of social inclusion and exclusion among young adult immigrants in seven European countries (including the United Kingdom). It focused specifically on London, highlighting the consequences for young migrants of immigration and welfare policy. To make the step from welfare dependence to unlocking their potential for the whole of society required a shift in social policy and a 'leap of political imagination'.
Source: Shamser Sinha and Les Back, A Door to the Future? The consequences for young migrants of immigration and welfare policy – A summary report, Goldsmiths University of London
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
A report said that professionals who worked with refugee and migrant children were struggling to access legal advice on their behalf. 59 per cent of those surveyed said that it was becoming increasingly difficult to find legal representatives to whom they could refer children's cases.
Source: Kamena Dorling and Anita Hurrell, Navigating the System: Advice provision for young refugees and migrants, Coram Children s Legal Centre
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
A study examined the effects of refusal on women seeking asylum.
Source: Kamena Dorling, Marchu Girma, and Natasha Walter, Refused: The experiences of women denied asylum in the UK, Women for Refugee Women
Date: 2012-May
A new book examined how states in western Europe dealt with the challenges of migration for their citizenship policies.
Source: Maarten Vink (ed.), Migration and Citizenship Attribution: Politics and policies in western Europe, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
A think-tank report said that including students in net migration statistics created a 'perverse incentive' for the government to drive down foreign student numbers even though this did relatively little to cut long-term immigration.
Source: Matt Cavanagh and Alex Glennie, International Students and Net Migration in the UK, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | IPPR press release | Guardian report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2012-May
The European Union published an action plan designed to prevent and control pressures that derived from illegal immigration as well as abuse of legal migration routes.
Source: EU Action on Migratory Pressures: A Strategic Response, European Union
Links: Action plan
Date: 2012-Apr
A paper examined the unionization of migrant workers. The obstacles behind migrant workers' unionization were considered within a 'triple-challenge' model reflecting factors such as migrant workers' disproportionate location in less unionized companies.
Source: Surhan Cam, Non-Unionised Migrant Workers: Evidence from the UK Labour Force Survey for a triple-challenge model, Working Paper 149, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University
Links: Paper
>Date: 2012-Apr
An analysis showed that asylum support levels for children and families fell 'alarmingly below' mainstream benefit levels, leaving around 10,000 children in severe poverty for long periods of time.
Source: Press release 9 April 2012, Children s Society
Links: Childrens Society press release | Briefing | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Apr
A report by a committee of MPs criticized the UK Border Agency for failing to deport more than 600 foreign national prisoners who had been released between 1999 and 2006, and for failing to clear the 'controlled archive'. It called for the Home Office to act immediately to deal with the public scepticism over the effectiveness of the Agency, and to require clarity in the information it produced for both the public and Parliament.
Source: Work of the UK Border Agency (August-December 2011), Twenty-first Report (Session 2010- 12), HC 1722, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | PCS press release | Refugee Action press release | Refugee Council press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2012-Apr
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on border controls. It said that the new 'Border Force', announced subsequently in February 2012, had been constituted as a separate operational command within the Home Office in order to ensure a clearer line to Ministers on its mandate – increased management focus on border security and compliance as well as transparency.
Source: UK Border Controls: The Government Response to the Seventeenth Report from the Home Affairs Committee, Cm 8341, Home Office, TSO
Links: Response
Notes: MPs report (January 2012)
Date: 2012-Apr
A paper examined the science performance of children (aged 15) of immigrants living in 16 developed (OECD) countries of destination. It considered macro-level factors such as the impact of educational systems and political, economic, and religious features of both countries of origin and destination. Immigrants from countries with an eastern religious affiliation performed better than immigrants from Christian countries, and immigrants from Islamic countries performed worse.
Source: Jaap Dronkers and Manon de Heus, The Educational Performance of Children of Immigrants in Sixteen OECD Countries, Discussion Paper 10/12, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (University College London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined the association of social mobility with common mental disorders in migrant groups. Migrants to higher-income countries who had experienced downward mobility or underemployment appeared more likely to screen positive for common mental disorders, relative to migrants who were upwardly mobile or experienced no changes to their socio-economic position.
Source: Jayati Das-Munshi, Gerard Leavey, Stephen Stansfeld, and Martin Prince, 'Migration, social mobility and common mental disorders: critical review of the literature and meta-analysis', Ethnicity and Health, Volume 17 Issue 1-2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
A paper examined the employment conditions of east-central European ('A8') migrants in the United Kingdom, and the influence of policy and legislative issues on how this source of labour was recruited and employed.
Source: David McCollum and Allan Findlay, East-Central European Migration to the UK: Policy issues and employment circumstances from the perspective of employers and recruitment agencies, Working Paper 20, Centre for Population Change
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
A new book examined family-related migration in Europe. There was a need to better understand the diversity of family-related migration and its resulting family forms and practices – in order to question, if not counter, simplistic assumptions about migrant families in public discourses.
Source: Albert Kraler, Eleonore Kofman, Martin Kohli, and Camille Schmoll (eds.), Gender, Generations and the Family in International Migration, Amsterdam University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Apr
A report examined the practices of local and regional authorities in respect of changing attitudes towards migrants. Many authorities had doubts about the language of 'integration', with some preferred 'equality', 'community cohesion' or 'social inclusion'.
Source: Hannah Jones, Country Research Report: United Kingdom, Attitudes to Migrants, Communication and Local Leadership (European Commission programme)
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr
A new book examined migrants' experiences of, and responses to, financial exclusion in London. It highlighted the way in which migrants negotiated the complex financial landscape that they encountered, and the diverse formal and informal ways in which they managed their money.
Source: Kavita Datta, Migrants and Their Money: Surviving financial exclusion, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Apr
A paper examined the factors that determined the attractiveness of regions in Europe for migrants. Contrary to the literature on the United States of America that had increasingly focused on the role of amenities, research in Europe had tended to highlight the predominance of economic conditions as the main drivers of migration. Differentiating between economic, socio-demographic and amenity-related territorial features, the authors examined the appeal of various regional characteristics for migrants by analyzing net migration data for 133 European regions between 1990 and 2006. It was found that, in addition to economic, human capital-related, and demographic aspects, network effects and – in contrast to existing literature – different types of regional amenities exerted an important influence on the relative attractiveness of sub-national territories across the European Union. Locational choices in Europe might be much more similar to place-based preferences in the USA than originally thought.
Source: Andres Rodriguez-Pose and Tobias Ketterer, Do Local Amenities Affect the Appeal of Regions in Europe for Migrants?, Working Paper 2012/04, IMDEA Social Sciences Institute (Madrid)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
A paper explored tensions around the notion of citizenship and its effect on state inclusion or exclusion. It considered what they said about the nature of citizenship as a formal status, and about the nation as an imagined 'community of value'. It also examined naturalization processes as attempts to match formal citizenship with the community of value. It argued for an analytical approach that considered the exclusion of non-citizens (migrants and refugees) alongside the exclusion of 'failed' citizens (such as (ex)-prisoners and 'welfare dependents').
Source: Bridget Anderson, What Does The Migrant Tell Us About the (Good) Citizen?, Working Paper 12-94, Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (University of Oxford)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
A study examined the business structures, processes, and pressures that might drive or facilitate the use of forced labour in the United Kingdom; considered policies that might be used in response to these; and made recommendations to the business community, government, trade unions, and migrant community organizations designed to help reduce exploitation and forced labour.
Source: Mumtaz Lalani and Hilary Metcalf, Forced Labour in the UK: The Business Angle, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined the ways in which established communities in England experienced the impact of new migration from central and eastern Europe within their neighbourhoods. Communities' concerns should not simply be seen as an expression of xenophobic intolerance, even if migration often triggered a defensive reaction among local people.
Source: Joanne Cook, Peter Dwyer, and Louise Waite, 'Accession 8 migration and the proactive and defensive engagement of social citizenship', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 41 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the key issues that ought to be addressed by the proposed new European Union immigration code (due in 2013). The new code would be an opportunity to revise existing EU legislation in order to enhance standards and procedural rights for migrants, as well as to improve its clarity and coherence.
Source: Steve Peers, 'An EU immigration code: towards a common immigration policy', European Journal of Migration and Law, Volume 14 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined the relationship between migration and social integration in Europe. Immigrants were less likely than native populations to get involved in social activities and to trust other people: but this differential became smaller over time. There were significant cross-country differences in immigrants' speed of social integration: integration was more rapidly achieved in 'fair' countries where the levels of income inequality and perceived corruption were lower.
Source: Caroline Berchet and Nicolas Sirven, Cross-Country Performance in Social Integration of Older Migrants: A European perspective, Working Paper 46, Institute for Research and Information in Health Economics (Paris)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined employer demand for migrant labour. The growing reliance on migrant workers could not simply be explained by lax immigration controls or migrants' superior 'work ethic'. It arose from the complex interactions between institutions, public policies, and social relations. A wide range of public policies had contributed to a growing demand for migrant workers.
Source: Bridget Anderson and Martin Ruhs, 'Reliance on migrant labour: inevitability or policy choice?', Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Volume 20 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the key features of migration governance in the European Union, and the diversity of forms of governance among its member states that shaped migrants' rights and experiences – focusing on the labour market. It explained how EU and member state policies worked to jointly construct particular categories of migrant status and pathways for migrants' 'differential integration' across Europe.
Source: Emma Carmel, 'Migration governance in the European Union: a theme and its variations', Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Volume 20 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the initial location of recent pupil immigrants in England and their subsequent internal migration and emigration. Pupil immigrants were highly geographically mobile in the short period following their arrival.
Source: Stephen Jivraj, Ludi Simpson, and Naomi Marquis, 'Local distribution and subsequent mobility of immigrants measured from the school census in England', Environment and Planning A, Volume 44 Number 2
Links: Abstract
See also: Ludi Simpson, Naomi Marquis and Stephen Jivraj, 'International and internal migration measured from the school census in England', Population Trends 140, Summer 2010, Office for National Statistics
Date: 2012-Mar
An article reported a study of the working and living conditions of migrant workers. It described the results as an 'indictment of British government indifference' to the exploitation of the migrant workforce.
Source: Mick Wilkinson, 'Out of sight, out of mind: the exploitation of migrant workers in 21st-century Britain', Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Volume 20 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined whether generous welfare states in developed (OECD) countries acted as 'magnets' for labour migrants and asylum-seekers. Social democratic welfare states pulled refugees and deterred economic migrants. Corporatist regimes pulled both categories. Liberal welfare states deterred refugees, but did not pull labour migrants. These results challenged the widely held assumption that labour migrants were strongly attracted to liberal welfare states and their business-friendly economies.
Source: Nina Schulzek, The Impact of Welfare Systems on Immigration: An analysis of welfare magnets as a pull-factor for asylum seekers and labour migrants, Working Paper 2012/02, Migration Studies Unit (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined the relationship between immigration and religiosity, comparing Europe and the United States. Immigrants were more religious than the populations in the receiving countries: this, combined with higher fertility rates and also a continued inflow of immigrants, would lead to major changes in the religious landscape on both continents.
Source: Teresa Garcia-Munoz and Shoshana Neuman, Is Religiosity of Immigrants a Bridge or a Buffer in the Process of Integration? A comparative study of Europe and the United States, Discussion Paper 6384, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the factors influencing the health of first- and second-generation immigrants in Europe. Political suppression in the origin country, and living in countries with large numbers of immigrant peers, had a detrimental influence: but originating from predominantly Islamic countries, and good average health among natives in the destination country, appeared to be beneficial. Additionally, the results pointed to health selection mechanisms in migration.
Source: Tim Huijts and Gerbert Kraaykamp, 'Immigrants health in Europe: a cross-classified multilevel approach to examine origin country, destination country, and community effects', International Migration Review, Volume 46 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined major theories and empirical studies in Europe and the United States relating to the 'welfare magnet' hypothesis – that is, that immigrants were more likely to move to countries with generous welfare systems. Although economic theory predicted that welfare generosity affected the number, composition, and location of immigrants, the empirical evidence was rather mixed. The literature had thus far overlooked the presence of different migration regimes, as well as the possibility of reverse causality between welfare spending and immigration.
Source: Corrado Giulietti and Jackline Wahba, Welfare Migration, Working Paper 18, Centre for Population Change
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An audit report said that a series of 'predictable flaws' in the immigration system for students had allowed as many as 50,000 people from outside Europe to enter the United Kingdom to work rather than study.
Source: Immigration: The Points Based System – Student Route, HC 1827 (Session 2010-2012), National Audit Office, TSO
Links: Report | NAO press release | Migration Watch UK press release | Universities UK press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the system for determining which European Union member state was responsible for examining an application for asylum lodged in the EU by a third-country national, and the impact on the system of the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case of M.S.S. v Belgium and Greece.
Source: Violeta Moreno-Lax, 'Dismantling the Dublin system: M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece', European Journal of Migration and Law, Volume 14 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the role of labour market competition as a determinant of attitudes toward immigration, drawing on the 2004-05 European Social Survey. Natives who disliked immigrants tended to work in low-immigration jobs. Working in jobs that required high levels of specific human capital led to relatively more pro-immigration attitudes, although this effect was only found for respondents with more than 12 years of schooling. The degree of manual intensity of workers' occupations had a negative effect on pro-immigration views.
Source: Javier Polavieja and Francesc Ortega, 'Labor-market exposure as a determinant of attitudes toward immigration', Labour Economics, Volume 19 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
See also: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined immigrant integration policies in 10 west European states. European Union influence on integration policy was marginal: states granted citizenship rights primarily following national interests and traditions. Governments' political orientation was less important than the influence of populist right-wing parties in combination with the number of voters of immigrant background.
Source: Ruud Koopmans, Ines Michalowski, and Stine Waibel, 'Citizenship rights for immigrants: national political processes and cross-national convergence in western Europe, 1980-2008', American Journal of Sociology, Volume 117 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined how the regulatory character of market institutions shaped government responses to labour shortages, with particular reference to immigration policy in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Source: Chris Wright, 'Immigration policy and market institutions in liberal market economies', Industrial Relations Journal, Volume 43 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined trafficking for labour exploitation in Europe. It considered the practical and conceptual implications of the expansion of initiatives to trafficking outside the sex sector, especially for service providers and for those seeking assistance.
Source: Nerea Bilbatua Thomas and Xenia Commandeur, More Trafficking Less Trafficked : Trafficking for exploitation outside the sex sector in Europe, Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the implications of conceptions of citizenship for immigrant populations in Europe. The dominant citizenship model privileged individuality: although it expanded the boundaries and forms of participation in society, it also burdened the individual, rather than the state, with the obligation of ensuring social cohesion and solidarity – disadvantaging not only non-European migrants but also the 'lesser' Europeans.
Source: Yasemin Nuhoglu Soysal, 'Citizenship, immigration, and the European social project: rights and obligations of individuality', British Journal of Sociology, Volume 63 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined spatial, sectoral, and temporal trends in labour immigration from eastern Europe. The volume of labour migration flows had been substantial, with over 1.1 million registrations during 2004-2011. These flows had been concentrated in particular segments of the labour market, with most migrants engaging with the hospitality and agricultural sectors and often working through recruitment agencies as opposed to directly for employers. This pointed to migrants serving distinct 'functions' in the labour market.
Source: David McCollum, Lorraine Cook, Canford Chiroro, Alison Platts, Franca MacLeod, and Allan Findlay, Spatial, Sectoral and Temporal Trends in A8 Migration to the UK 2004-2011: Evidence from the Worker Registration Scheme, Working Paper 17, Centre for Population Change
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the needs and expectations of older people and their carers from eight different migrant communities, and of the white majority. Whether and how older migrants knowledge systems informed their expectations of care and support should be objects of investigation rather than taken for granted, as implied in some literature on culturally sensitive practices.
Source: Gianfranco Giuntoli and Mima Cattan, 'The experiences and expectations of care and support among older migrants in the UK', European Journal of Social Work, Volume 15 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined the basis upon which a joint European Union policy on asylum could be justified, and whether superior outcomes could be achieved by harmonization alone or if more centralized policy-making was necessary.
Source: Timothy Hatton, Asylum Policy in the EU: The Case for Deeper Integration, Discussion Paper 2012-16, NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
A report examined the prevailing views on immigrant integration in 17 European countries, how those views were translated into national policy, and what efforts countries were making to monitor the integration processes of migrants and track them over time.
Source: Rob Bijl and Arjen Verweij (eds.), Measuring and Monitoring Immigrant Integration in Europe: Integration policies and monitoring efforts in 17 European countries, Netherlands Institute for Social Research
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Mar
A study examined the needs and experiences of new migrants living in the private rented sector – often in the poorest areas. Existing policies and services often ignored them or were inappropriate.
Source: John Perry, UK Migrants and the Private Rented Sector: A policy and practice report from the Housing and Migration Network, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2012-Feb
The coalition government set out a long-term vision for a 'sustainable and selective' immigration system. The points-based system should ultimately be replaced by a 'contribution-based' system where migrants were checked to ensure that they would add to quality of life in the United Kingdom.
Source: Speech by Damian Green MP (Immigration Minister), 2 February 2012
Links: Speech | Home Office press release | Balanced Migration press release | REC press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Feb
A think-tank report examined immigration and integration policies in countries across the European Union. It said that the EU should work with member states to increase the employment rate of legal immigrants. Member states should increase efforts to implement EU legislation on preventing racial discrimination in the workplace and providing equal access to services. Education for immigrants needed to be tackled, including the issues of educational attainment, leaving school early, and language proficiency.
Source: Vit Novotny (ed.), Opening the Door? Immigration and integration in the European Union, Centre for European Studies (Brussels)
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper examined the extent to which European governments could restrict immigrants' rights to engage in cultural or religious practices deemed incompatible with the host society's values without undermining civil liberties. It cast doubt on whether such policies could even be workable: the core cause of European integration problems lay in socio-economic, rather than religious, factors – in particular, poverty and exclusion.
Source: Christian Joppke, The Role of the State in Cultural Integration: Trends, challenges, and ways ahead, Migration Policy Institute
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A briefing provided an overview of attitudes toward immigration. Approximately 3 out of 4 of people favoured reducing immigration. Large majorities had been opposed to immigration since at least the 1960s.
Source: Scott Blinder, UK Public Opinion Toward Immigration: Overall attitudes and level of concern, Migration Observatory (University of Oxford)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2012-Feb
A report said that skilled migrants made positive contributions to innovation and business operations through their advanced technical knowledge and 'niche' skills.
Source: Anitha George, Mumtaz Lalani, Geoff Mason, Heather Rolfe, and Chiara Rosazza Bondibene, Skilled Immigration and Strategically Important Skills in the UK Economy, Migration Advisory Committee
Links: Report | NIESR press release
Date: 2012-Feb
An inspectorate report said that the UK Border Agency's 'Detained Fast Track' system was removing the majority of people with no right to be in the United Kingdom: but it was not working as quickly as intended and had insufficient safeguards to prevent people being incorrectly allocated to it
Source: Asylum: A Thematic Inspection of the Detained Fast Track, Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency
Links: Report | Inspectorate press release | Detention Action press release | JCWI press release | MRN press release | Refugee Council press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper summarized the literature on the evaluation of immigration policies in European and other developed countries.
Source: Ulf Rinne, The Evaluation of Immigration Policies, Discussion Paper 6369, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A report examined the experiences of migrants and refugees as they sought to become integrated with their host communities in London, and the effectiveness of organizations that delivered integration support.
Source: Zrinka Bralo, Kristina Hemon, Beth Crosland, and Nick Micinski, Operation Integration: The making of new citizens, Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper said that the failure of European immigration policies had been their inability to ensure that immigrants acquired and retained work. If immigration was going to work, new immigrants would have to be fully incorporated into society, and most importantly into the economy. Employment, not culture, needed to be the basis of immigration policy, and policy should be designed to get new (and old) immigrants into jobs as soon as possible.
Source: Randall Hansen, The Centrality of Employment in Immigrant Integration in Europe, Migration Policy Institute
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined the relative importance of economic and 'compositional' concerns in driving opinions about immigration policy in European countries. Compositional concerns (changes in the composition of the local population that threatened the amenities that natives derived from their neighbourhoods, schools, and workplaces) were 2-5 times more important in explaining variation in individual attitudes toward immigration policy than concerns over wages and taxes.
Source: David Card, Christian Dustmann, and Ian Preston, 'Immigration, wages, and compositional amenities', Journal of European Economic Association, Volume 10 Issue 1
Links: Abstract | UCL press release
Date: 2012-Feb
The report of an independent investigation into the performance of the UK Border Agency found evidence of poor communication, poor managerial oversight, and a lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities. There was an urgent need to establish a new framework of border security checks, which should unambiguously specify the checks that needed to be carried out at all times and those where there was discretion to suspend checks based on risk or health and safety. The Border Agency's operational autonomy from the Home Office needed to be explicit, with a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities. The coalition government said that it accepted all the report's recommendations: the Border Agency would be split in two, with the UK Border Force becoming a separate law-enforcement body.
Source: John Vine, An Investigation Into Border Security Checks, Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, TSO
Links: Report | Inspectorate press release | Hansard | Labour Party press release | PCS press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper examined the contribution 'game' resulting from the vagueness of the Lisbon Treaty over how European Union member states should share the financial cost of enforcing the European border against immigration.
Source: Giuseppe Russo and Luigi Senatore, Who Contributes? A strategic approach to a European immigration policy, Working Paper 306, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (Naples)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper examined the immigrant-native earnings gap at entry and over time between 1978 and 2006. Immigrants from more recent cohorts fared better than earlier ones at entry. Furthermore, the earnings of immigrants from more recent cohorts had caught up more quickly with natives' earnings.
Source: Sara Lemos, Immigrant Economic Assimilation: Evidence from UK longitudinal data between 1978 and 2006, Working Paper 11/39, Department of Economics, University of Leicester
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined the impact of immigration on the wages of native-born workers. Immigration had primarily reduced the wages of immigrants – and in particular of university-educated immigrants – with little discernible effect on the wages of native-born workers: this was because native- and foreign-born workers were imperfect substitutes.
Source: Marco Manacorda, Alan Manning, and Jonathan Wadsworth, 'The impact of immigration on the structure of wages: theory and evidence from Britain', Journal of European Economic Association, Volume 10 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
A report highlighted 'alarming' levels of destitution among refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant children and young people. Highly vulnerable young people were being left homeless, hungry, and forced to resort to increasingly desperate means in order to survive – this could result in exploitation and abuse in many forms.
Source: I Don t Feel Human : Experiences of destitution among young refugees and migrants, Children s Society
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release | Community Care report
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined the effect of concern about immigration on political trust.
Source: Lauren McLaren, 'Immigration and trust in politics in Britain', British Journal of Political Science, Volume 42 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan
An article examined the extent to which European Union member states were using common standards in recognizing asylum-seekers; and the extent to which the responsibilities for asylum applications, acceptances, and refugee populations were equally shared among the member states, taking into account population size and gross domestic product.
Source: Luc Bovens, Chlump Chatkupt, and Laura Smead, 'Measuring common standards and equal responsibility-sharing in EU asylum outcome data', European Union Politics, Volume 13 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan
A report by a committee of MPs said that a 'highly troubling' breakdown of communication between officials had led to border controls being relaxed too often during 2011. Nonetheless a pilot scheme using 'lighter touch' targeted passport checks should not be scrapped.
Source: UK Border Controls, Seventeenth Report (Session 2010-12), HC 1647, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Labour Party press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
>Date: 2012-Jan
An analysis found that in February 2011 an estimated 371,000 people had been claiming working-age benefits (6.4 per cent of the total) who had been non-United Kingdom nationals when they first registered for a national insurance number.
Source: Nationality at Point of National Insurance Number Registration of DWP Benefit Claimants: February 2011 working age benefits, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report | DWP press release | IPPR press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jan
An article examined the ways in which immigration controls shaped the exercising of choice and control by migrant care workers over their labour. The differential rights accorded to migrants on the basis of citizenship and immigration status shaped entry into particular types of care work, powers of 'exit' within work, and 'voice' regarding the conditions under which care labour was provided.
Source: Isabel Shutes, 'The employment of migrant workers in long-term care: dynamics of choice and control', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 41 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan
A new book examined the issues and problems faced by children from abroad who were alone in the United Kingdom (often unaccompanied asylum-seekers, refugees, or victims of trafficking). It considered what their needs were, and how these needs should be met in order to ensure their effective safeguarding. The children concerned often received a different level of service to children who were UK citizens.
Source: Emma Kelly and Farhat Bokhari (eds.), Safeguarding Children from Abroad: Refugee, asylum seeking and trafficked children in the UK, Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined the labour market effects of net immigration and emigration during the 1990s in all developed (OECD) countries. Immigration was found to have had a positive effect on the wages of less-educated natives. It also increased (or left unchanged) average native wages and had a positive (or no effect) on native employment. By contrast, emigration had a negative effect on the wages of less-educated native workers and it contributed to an increase in within-country inequality in all OECD countries. These results also held true when considering preliminary measures of more recent immigration flows for the period 2000-2007.
Source: Frederic Docquier, Caglar Ozden, and Giovanni Peri, The Labor Market Effects of Immigration and Emigration in OECD Countries, Discussion Paper 6258, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
A report examined the situation of foreign national women in prison in England and Wales. It criticized legal representatives who failed to identify evidence of exploitation or persecution, or of women acting under duress.
Source: No Way Out, Prison Reform Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined immigrants' demand for social assistance and services in the European Union, and identified the key barriers to social and labour market inclusion. Barriers included: language and human capital gaps, a lack of recognition of foreign qualifications, discrimination, non-transparent labour markets, and institutional barriers such as legal restrictions for foreign citizens. Exclusion from higher education, housing, and financial services aggravated these barriers. Changes in the areas of salaried employment, education, social insurance, mobility, and attitudes were seen as most desired by members of ethnic minorities.
Source: Martin Kahanec, Anna Myunghee Kim, and Klaus Zimmermann, Pitfalls of Immigrant Inclusion into the European Welfare State, Discussion Paper 6260, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined the likely consequences of extended jurisdiction for the European Court of Justice in relation to European Union migration policies.
Source: Marie De Somer, Enhanced Competences for the European Court of Justice: 'Re-shuffling' the dynamics of EU migration policy-making?, Working Paper 2012/01, Migration Studies Unit (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
A new book examined the accommodation of migrant organizations in European cities, and the factors that affected this process. It looked at the interplay of immigration regime, national integration policy, and local responses.
Source: Margit Fauser, Migrants and Cities: The accommodation of migrant organizations in Europe, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined the impact of migration inflows on unemployment using previously unused data on national insurance number registrations by foreign nationals. There was no evidence of any impact of migration on unemployment in aggregate, and no association between migrant inflows and claimant unemployment. There was also no evidence of more adverse effects during periods of low growth or the recent global recession.
Source: Paolo Lucchino, Chiara Rosazza-Bondibene, and Jonathan Portes, Examining the Relationship Between Immigration and Unemployment Using National Insurance Number Registration Data, Discussion Paper 386, National Institute for Economic and Social Research
Links: Discussion paper | NIESR press release | Guardian report | Personnel Today report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jan
A think-tank briefing reviewed migration trends and related policy changes. Immigration was expected to fall in 2012, due largely to economic factors: but the coalition government would still fail to honour its pledge to reduce net immigration to 'tens of thousands'.
Source: Matt Cavanagh, Migration Review 2011/2012, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Briefing | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jan
A report (by an official advisory body) said that there was no association between working-age migrants and native employment in buoyant economic times; in respect of European Union migrants; and for the period 1975-1994. By contrast, there was a negative association in depressed economic times; for non-EU migrants; and for the period 1995-2010. A 'ballpark estimate' was that an extra 100 non-EU working-age migrants were initially associated with 23 fewer native people employed.
Source: Analysis of the Impacts of Migration, Migration Advisory Committee
Links: Report | Migration Watch press release | British Future press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Personnel Today report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper presented an empirical, econometric analysis of the impact of migration on European Union regions in the period 2000-2007. Although migration had no statistical impact on regional unemployment, it did have a significant impact on both per capita national income and productivity.
Source: Peter Huber and Gabriele Tondl, Migration and Regional Convergence in the European Union, Working Paper 419/2012, Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined the incidence and the nature of integration conditions (such as citizenship tests) applied to immigrants throughout the European Union. Liberal concepts of integration were being widely transformed in a restrictive direction and into instruments of migration control.
Source: Daniel Bagameri, Changing Integration Policy Towards Third-Country Nationals in the European Union: Language and knowledge of society tests in the member states, Working Paper 2011/13, Migration Studies Unit (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined the macroeconomic consequences of the diversion of migration flows away from Germany towards the United Kingdom in the course of the European Union's eastern enlargement. Enlargement had increased the national income per capita in the UK substantially: but the diversion of migration flows towards the UK had reduced wage gains and the decline in unemployment there.
Source: Timo Baas and Herbert Brucker, The Macroeconomic Consequences of Migration Diversion: Evidence for Germany and the UK, Discussion Paper 2012-10, NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
A report examined the legislation and practices in 31 European countries for returning children to their own countries if they were found not to need protection in Europe. Contacts with the countries of return were very scarce and often limited to issuing travel documents. The general absence of clear transnational procedures between returning countries and countries of origin and return needed to be addressed.
Source: Comparative Study on Practices in the Field of Return of Minors, European Commission
Links: Report | Refugee Council press release
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper said that the effectiveness of European Union policies in regulating migration should not be overestimated. Migration flows were often shaped by 'push factors' that were often beyond the direct control of policy-makers in receiving countries.
Source: Eiko Thielemann, How Effective Are Migration and Non-Migration Policies that Affect Forced Migration?, Working Paper 2011/14, Migration Studies Unit (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
A briefing paper examined the impact of migration on recent and future demographic trends. Half of the increase of the United Kingdom population between 1991 and 2010 (2.4 million in absolute terms) was due to the direct contribution of net migration.
Source: Alessio Cangiano, The Impact of Migration on UK Population Growth, Migration Observatory (University of Oxford)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2012-Jan
A new book examined the security threats, both new and traditional, confronting Europe – including new forms of nationalism; ethnic conflict and civil war; information technology; biological and chemical warfare; resource conflicts; pandemics; mass migrations; transnational terrorism; and environmental dangers.
Source: Peter Burgess and Serge Gutwirth, A Threat Against Europe: Security, migration and integration , Institute for European Studies
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jan
A report examined the law, policy, and practice regarding refugee status, asylum procedures, and detention conditions from a gender perspective.
Source: Christel Querton, 'I Feel Like As a Woman I'm Not Welcome': A gender analysis of UK asylum law, policy and practice, Asylum Aid
Date: 2012-Jan
Two linked papers described the development of a model designed to overcome the limitations of the various data sources on migration in Europe.
Source: James Raymer, Jonathan Forster, Peter Smith, Jakub Bijak, and Arkadiusz Wisniowski, Integrated Modelling of European Migration: Background, specification and results, Discussion Paper 2012-04, NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe) | Arkadiusz Wisniowski, Nico Keilman, Jakub Bijak, Solveig Christiansen, Jonathan Forster, Peter Smith, and James Raymer, Augmenting Migration Statistics with Expert Knowledge, Discussion Paper 2012-05, NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe)
Date: 2012-Jan
A study examined the main trends in the situation of migrants in the European Union with regard to social assistance and access to social services; the main determinants of these trends; and the mutual interaction of migration policies and broadly defined social assistance policies.
Source: Klaus Zimmermann, Martin Kahanec, Corrado Giulietti, Martin Guzi, Alan Barrett, and Bertrand Maitre, Study on Active Inclusion of Migrants: Final Report, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jan
A report by a committee of MPs criticized the UK Border Agency's management of the enforced removal of those who were being deported from the United Kingdom. There was evidence of inappropriate use of physical restraint, unauthorized and potentially dangerous restraint techniques, and the use of racist language by contractors.
Source: Rules Governing Enforced Removals from the UK, Eighteenth Report (Session 2010-12), HC 563, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | INQUEST press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Jan
The children's watchdog for England said that there was an unofficial agreement between the United Kingdom and France concerning the treatment of unaccompanied child asylum-seekers arriving in Dover (the main channel port), which conflicted with the duty to safeguard children and promote their welfare. There were also excessive periods of detention prior to release into local authority care due to the number and length of immigration interviews undertaken at the point of arrival.
Source: Adrian Matthews, Landing in Dover: The immigration process undergone by unaccompanied children arriving in Kent, Office of the Children's Commissioner
Links: Report | OCC press release | Refugee Council press release
Date: 2012-Jan