A report evaluated the family returns process, a process that was introduced to increase rates of return to country of origin following the United Kingdom government's commitment to end the detention of children for immigration purposes. The report said that the new process had a positive impact on family welfare and safeguarding children. It said that the process allowed families to take responsibility for their return, but a lack of engagement meant that assisted and voluntary return rates did not increase. Some areas for improvement were identified.
Source: Mike Lane, Daniel Murray, Terry Smith, Jon Jones, Evelyn Hichens, Victoria Richardson, Rebecca Linley, and Andrew Zurawan, Evaluation of the New Family Returns Process, Research Report 78, Home Office
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Dec
A report by a committee of MPs said that the Border Force had a key national security role in the United Kingdom, but faced a range of challenges, including insufficient and inflexible resources, and a lack of sufficiently good data to help prioritize work. It said there was little evidence of progress on legacy issues following the separation of the Border Force from the UK Border Agency.
Source: The Border Force: Securing the border, Thirty-first Report (Session 2013–14), HC 663, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined policy debates on 'honour-based' violence and forced marriage in the Netherlands, Germany, and Britain. It considered how understandings of gender equality informed distinct approaches to immigrant integration. The Dutch case showed how the idea of gender equality could sometimes be used to include Muslim communities in the larger population, by generating policy responses that were more likely to position immigrants as full members of society. Alternatively, as the German case illustrated, the idea of gender equality could inform the stigmatization of Muslim communities and lead to exclusionary immigration policies. In Britain, there was a tension between gender equality and race discourses, with some organizations accusing the government of failing women out of fear of being accused of racism.
Source: Gokce Yurdakul and Anna Korteweg, 'Gender equality and immigrant integration: honor killing and forced marriage debates in the Netherlands, Germany, and Britain', Women's Studies International Forum, Volume 41 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined the system of employment and financial support for asylum-seekers, and the balance between the United Kingdom's human rights obligations and the 'democratic desire' to exclude asylum-seekers.
Source: Katie Bales, 'Universal credit: not so universal? Deconstructing the impact of the asylum support system', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 35 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
An article sought to develop an interlocking account of the gendered and racialized logics that conditioned the possibility for contemporary border security practices.
Source: Victoria Basham and Nick Vaughan-Williams, 'Gender, race and border security practices: a profane reading of "muscular liberalism"', British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Volume 15 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
A think-tank report examined the potential impact of migration to the United Kingdom from Romania and Bulgaria when temporary restrictions on working rights were lifted in 2014. It said that patterns of migration would differ from those seen following European Union expansion in 2004, and the main likely challenges would be increased demand for housing and public services, and language needs. Recommendations included: the creation of a cabinet-level committee on the impacts of European Union migration; annual assessment of the labour market, social, and public service impacts of EEA migration; the availability of a contingency fund to respond to short-term pressures in the first six months of 2014; and the development of a strategy for Roma inclusion, in line with European Commission recommendations.
Source: Alex Glennie and Jenny Pennington, In Transition: Romanian And Bulgarian migration to the UK, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | IPPR press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Dec
The Scottish government published a strategy for the support and integration of refugees and asylum-seekers. Developed in partnership with a range of support agencies, the strategy aimed to provide a framework for co-ordinating effort and maximizing impact and resources. It discussed policy areas including: employability and welfare; housing; education; health; and communities and social connections.
Source: New Scots: Integrating refugees in Scotland's communities, Scottish Government
Links: Strategy | Summary | BBC report
Date: 2013-Dec
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that it accepted that the Immigration Bill served a legitimate aim of immigration control, but the committee was concerned that some measures might be applied in practice in a way that breached human rights. It raised serious concerns about provisions for restricting access to housing and access to legal challenges, and raised a number of other matters.
Source: Legislative Scrutiny: Immigration Bill, Eighth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 935 and HL 102, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, TSO
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined the role of social networks in the labour market, comparing immigrant and native men. Immigrants were more likely than white British-born men to rely on social networks as a main job search method, although no crucial difference was found when using personal contacts as a method of job search. However, immigrants were as likely as natives to find employment through their social network. Among both groups, the less educated were more likely to succeed in obtaining jobs through contacts. There was no systematic pattern in the effect of years in the United Kingdom on job search success among immigrant groups.
Source: Corrado Giulietti, Christian Schluter, and Jackline Wahba, 'With a lot of help from my friends: social networks and immigrants in the UK', Population, Space and Place, Volume 19 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
A government department published its response to the consultation on migrant access to, and charges for, National Health Service treatment in England. It said that some charges would be extended, and new charges introduced for accident and emergency services. There would be no exemption for charges for ante natal and maternity services, and a new system would be established for identifying and recording patients who were required to pay. The details for implementing the changes would be published in March 2014.
Source: Sustaining Services, Ensuring Fairness: Government response to the consultation on migrant access and financial contribution to NHS provision in England, Department of Health
Links: Response | Consultation document | DH press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Dec
The Prime Minister said that government policy on migration from the European Union would change. He said that migrants' benefits entitlements would be restricted, and that those who were begging or sleeping rough would be removed and barred from re-entry for 12 months unless they were able to evidence a reason for re-entry. He also announced an increase in the fine for those employing people at below the minimum wage.
Source: David Cameron, 26 November 2013, Financial Times,
Links: Article | FEANTSA press release | BBC report I | BBC report II | Civitas report | Guardian report | Independent report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Nov
The European Court of Justice ruled that homosexual applicants for asylum could constitute a particular social group who might be persecuted on account of their sexual orientation.
Source: X, Y, Z v Minister voor Immigratie en Asiel, European Court of Justice
Links: Judgement
Date: 2013-Nov
A think-tank report examined the government s approach to policy on international students. It discussed recent data and trends, and outlined the national and local impact of international students and policy. Recommendations included: that the net migration target should be abandoned; that longitudinal data should be collected to map pathways of students through the immigration system; that prospective international students should be better screened; that a levy should be charged on students for National Health Service services; and that the visitor visa system should be independently reviewed.
Source: Alice Sachrajda and Jenny Pennington, Britain Wants You! Why the UK should commit to increasing international student numbers, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | IPPR press release
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the system of employment and financial support for asylum-seekers, and the balance between the United Kingdom's human rights obligations and the 'democratic desire' to exclude asylum-seekers.
Source: Katie Bales, 'Universal credit: not so universal? Deconstructing the impact of the asylum support system', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Online first
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A paper examined the fiscal impact of immigration on the United Kingdom economy. It said that migrants, and particularly those from countries in the European Economic Area, had made an overall positive net contribution to the UK's fiscal system. The paper also said that migrants who had arrived since 2000 were less likely to receive benefits and less likely to live in social housing than people born in the UK.
Source: Christian Dustmann and Tommaso Frattini, The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (University College London)
Links: Report | CReAM press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs said that the Border Agency still had a significant backlog of cases. The report also noted concerns about some aspects of the Immigration Bill.
Source: The Work of the UK Border Agency (January March 2013), Eighth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 616, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined the ways in which the lack of immigration status was an obstacle to children and young people accessing their basic rights and entitlements, and the difficulties faced in regularizing their status. Obstacles included: lack of awareness of legal rights; complexity of the immigration rules; poor quality information; lack of access to legal advice and representation, and restricted legal aid; reluctance of legal representatives to take on certain cases; and application fees for Home Office applications. The report described children being left 'in limbo' without leave to remain or access to services, while at the same time unable to leave the United Kingdom.
Source: Kamena Dorling, Growing Up In A Hostile Environment: The rights of undocumented migrant children in the UK, Coram Children s Legal Centre
Date: 2013-Nov
A paper examined the issue of European Union border controls. It discussed the technologies that were deployed at the external borders, and how new technologies, such as those based on automation and biometrics, were transforming the principles behind the controls. It examined how this affected entry into the European Union, and the proposals for new technologies that were now emerging from European Union institutions.
Source: Elspeth Guild and Sergio Carrera, EU Borders and Their Controls: Preventing unwanted movement of people in Europe?, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Nov
A paper examined the social security rules of European Union member states and the opportunities and challenges for providing greater clarity and ease of movement between countries.
Source: Meghan Benton, Reaping the Benefits? Social security coordination for mobile EU citizens, Migration Policy Institute
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Nov
A report said that in most European Union countries, EU citizens from other member states used welfare benefits no more intensively than the host country's nationals. Economically inactive citizens accounted for a very small share of beneficiaries of special non-contributory cash benefits (funded from general taxation). Employment remained the key driver for intra-EU migration, with activity rates among such migrants having risen over the previous 7 years.
Source: ICF GHK and Milieu Ltd, A Fact Finding Analysis on the Impact on the Member States' Social Security Systems of the Entitlements of Non-Active Intra-EU Migrants to Special Non-Contributory Cash Benefits and Healthcare Granted on the Basis of Residence, European Commissionn
Links: Report | EC press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
The government published the results of its consultation on proposed new legislation to require temporary migrants to make a financial contribution towards the cost of healthcare in the United Kingdom.
Source: Controlling Immigration: Regulating migrant access to health services in the UK – results of the public consultation, Home Office
Links: Report | Home Office press release | Department of Health press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
A qualitative study examined visitor and migrant use of the National Health Service in England.
Source: Creative Research, Qualitative Assessment of Visitor and Migrant use of the NHS in England: Observations from the front line, Department of Health
Links: Full report | Diary report | Summary | DH press release (1) | DH press release (2) | Guardian report | AMRC press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A paper provided an overview of the academic literature and European Union research on the criminalization of migration in Europe.
Source: Joanna Parkin, The Criminalisation of Migration in Europe: A state-of-the-art of the academic literature and research, Paper in Liberty and Security in Europe 61, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined whether national identity could function as social 'glue' underpinning public support in Europe for the welfare state by encouraging the identification with co-nationals essential for redistribution. Evidence was found that conceptions of national identity were linked to general welfare state support, whereas civic and cultural ones were not: but all three national self-conceptions induced welfare chauvinism against immigrants, albeit to varying degrees, an effect that strengthened as immigrant diversity increased. There was therefore nothing to suggest that national identity could sustain public support for redistribution in increasingly diversified societies.
Source: Matthew Wright and Tim Reeskens, 'Of what cloth are the ties that bind? National identity and support for the welfare state across 29 European countries', Journal of European Public Policy, Volume 20 Issue 10
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined the multiple purposes of citizenship regimes in Europe. It said that previous studies had focused nearly exclusively on the access to citizenship for immigrants, leading to an incomplete perspective.
Source: Maarten Peter Vink and Rainer Baubock, 'Citizenship configurations: analysing the multiple purposes of citizenship regimes in Europe', Comparative European Politics, Volume 11 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the financial situation of refugees and asylum-seekers in Manchester (in the north of England). The report highlighted the numbers of people in destitution, with 50 per cent of those interviewed having been so for over two years. The report called on the government to provide better support for people as they moved through the asylum system.
Source: A Decade of Destitution: Time to make a change, British Red Cross
Links: Report | BRC press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A briefing paper examined the application and relevance of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in immigration cases.
Source: Melanie Gower, Article 8 of the ECHR and Immigration Cases, Standard Note SN/HA/6355, House of Commons Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2013-Oct
An inspectorate report examined the handling of asylum applications made by children. It noted the commitment of staff to the welfare of child applicants, but found inconsistencies of process and duration across location.
Source: John Vine, An Inspection into the Handling of Asylum Applications Made by Unaccompanied Children: February June 2013, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration
Links: Report | ICI press release | Home Office response | Refugee Council comment | Children's Society press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A quantitative study examined visitor and migrant use of the National Health Service in England.
Source: Prederi, Quantitative Assessment of Visitor and Migrant Use of the NHS in England: Exploring the data, Department of Health
Links: Report | Summary | DH press release (1) | DH press release (2) | Guardian report | AMRC press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a committee of MPs reviewed the asylum system. The report noted an unacceptable record of delays, concerns over the quality of some decision making, inadequate support for applicants and unsatisfactory living conditions for some asylum seekers.
Source: Asylum, Seventh Report (Session 2013-14), HC 71, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Additional written evidence | Committee press release | Guardian report | Refugee Council press release
Date: 2013-Oct
The Immigration Bill was published and given a second reading. The Bill was designed to amend the powers of the Home Secretary with regard to immigration procedures and practices. Part 1 concerned the removal of persons from the United Kingdom. Part 2 amended the rights and processes of the appeal procedure, and included provisions with regard to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Part 3 introduced new powers to regulate migrants' access to services. Part 4 introduced new powers to investigate 'sham' relationships. Part 5 concerned the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner and changed the regulatory system for advice provision. Part 6 introduced powers for embarkation checks. Part 7 concerned the statutory powers to amend legislation.
Source: Immigration Bill, Home Office, TSO | Debate 22 October 2013, columns 156-259, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC research brief | Home Office press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Unite press release | CIH press release | Refugee Council press release | New Statesman report | Children's Society press release | Liberty press release | UUK press release | Law Society press release
Date: 2013-Oct
An article said that the putative 'whiteness' of recent east European migrants had not exempted them from the effects of racism: but less attention had been focused on how they were also perpetrators of racism, wielding 'race' to assert and defend their relatively privileged position in the labour market.
Source: Jon Fox, 'The uses of racism: whitewashing new Europeans in the UK', Ethnic and Racial Studies, Volume 36 Number 11
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A government report outlined an evaluation of Operation Vaken, which was designed to encourage voluntary departures of people without leave to remain in the United Kingdom. The report said that, as of 22 October 2013, there had been 60 voluntary departures which were believed to be directly attributed to Operation Vaken.
Source: Operation Vaken: Evaluation report, Home Office
Links: Report | Home Office press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2013-Oct
A paper examined the link between crime and immigration, presenting new evidence from England and Wales in the 2000s. No evidence was found of a causal relationship between immigration and criminal behaviour.
Source: Laura Jaitman and Stephen Machin, Crime and Immigration: New evidence from England and Wales, DP1238, Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Sep
An audit report said that the coalition government's drive to ensure that full passport checks were carried out at borders had only been achieved at the expense of less rigorous screening for illegal migrants and fewer seizures of some types of drugs and weapons.
Source: The Border Force: Securing the Border, HC 540 (Session 2013-14), National Audit Office, TSO
Links: Report | NAO press release | Home Office press release | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Sep
A poll of more than 20,000 people found that 6 out of 10 people thought that immigration had produced more disadvantages than advantages for the country as a whole; only 17 per cent thought that the pros outweighed the cons. The biggest concerns were the idea of migrants claiming benefits or using public services without having contributed in return, and added pressure on schools and hospitals. The idea of migrants doing jobs that British people were not prepared to do, and being prepared to work harder for lower wages, were seen as the biggest advantages.
Source: Small Island: Public opinion and the politics of immigration, Lord Ashcroft Polls
Links: Report | LAP press release | British Future press release | Daily Mail report
Date: 2013-Sep
A paper examined the legal provisions for the naturalization of foreign residents of European countries. Most countries' procedures contained as many obstacles as opportunities for ordinary naturalization. Promotional measures were often missing or of poor quality. Legal exemptions for documentation rarely existed on humanitarian or vulnerability grounds. Most procedures involved potentially long processing times and some amount of bureaucracy, especially when the deciding authority was the executive or legislature.
Source: Thomas Huddleston, The Naturalisation Procedure: Measuring the ordinary obstacles and opportunities for immigrants to become citizens, Policy Paper 2013/16, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined the links between the European Union and United Kingdom labour markets, and the possible consequences of tighter immigration controls that could be imposed if the UK were to leave the EU. It said that European immigrants were more productive on average than workers born in the UK, and that tighter controls could lead to a £60 billion real-terms cost to national income over a 35-year period.
Source: Charles Davis and Colin Edwards, The Impact of the European Union on the UK Labour Market, Harvey Nash
Links: Report (registration link) | Harvey Nash press release | CEBR press release | HR Magazine report
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined the relationship between migration and social benefits in European Union member states. It analyzed controversies over whether migration constituted a disproportionate burden to member states' domestic labour markets and welfare systems; whether non-citizens should be entitled to social benefits in the state where they lived; and whether there was such a thing as 'social welfare tourism', whereby migrants were attracted to countries that provided more generous welfare.
Source: Elspeth Guild, Sergio Carrera, and Katharina Eisele (eds), Social Benefits and Migration: A contested relationship and policy challenge in the EU, Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels)
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined the political impact of extreme right parties (including the British National Party) on immigration politics in Britain, France, and Italy.
Source: Joao Carvalho, Impact of Extreme Right Parties on Immigration Policy: Comparing Britain, France and Italy, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
A report highlighted gaps in the support being given to trafficked children, which could leave them vulnerable to further exploitation. Opportunities to protect them were being missed because of a 'culture of doubt and suspicion' among professionals.
Source: Anita Franklin and Lisa Doyle, Still at Risk: A review of support for trafficked children, Children s Society/Refugee Council
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release | Refugee Council press release | CARE press release | Community Care report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the relevance of security – a sense of order, stability, routine, and predictability to life – to unaccompanied young people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. A positive sense of self, and being able to visualize a place and role in the world into the future, were integral to the young people's notion of well-being. The provision of services and support to those who had experienced trauma needed to nurture in them a sense of place, belonging, and future security. The author considered the implications for how well-being was conceptualized and operationalized more generally.
Source: Elaine Chase, 'Security and subjective wellbeing: the experiences of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum in the UK', Sociology of Health & Illness, Volume 35 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
A paper said that there was 'strong empirical evidence' in Europe that states with inclusive naturalization policies also tended to be inclusive in terms of extending rights to foreigners in diverse areas of public life, such as political participation, anti-discrimination, education, labour market access, and family reunion. Naturalization policies were one of the best predicators of a state's overall approach to integration. Exclusive naturalization policies signalled the lack of an inclusive immigrant integration agenda.
Source: Thomas Huddleston and Maarten Peter Vink, Membership and/or Rights? Analysing the link between naturalisation and integration policies for immigrants in Europe, Policy Paper 2013/15, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined the working lives of immigrant women during the post-war period.
Source: Linda McDowell, Working Lives: Gender, Migration and Employment in Britain, 1945-2007, Wiley
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the gap between the unionization rate of local and migrant workers in 14 western European countries. The lower unionization rate of migrant workers could be attributed only in part to the impact of labour market segregation. Moreover, the gap between the unionization rate of local and migrant workers varied substantially across countries. This gap was larger in those countries in which unions enjoyed organizational security in the form of either state financing or a single dominant confederation.
Source: Anastasia Gorodzeisky and Andrew Richards, 'Trade unions and migrant workers in western Europe', European Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 19 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
A study examined how European states regulated the acquisition of citizenship, and the impact of citizenship on the socio-economic and political participation of immigrants.
Source: Rainer Baubock, Iseult Honohan, Thomas Huddleston, Derek Hutcheson, Jo Shaw, and Maarten Peter Vink, Access to Citizenship and its Impact on Immigrant Integration: European summary and standards, European Commission
Links: Report | MPG press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined the experiences of refugee and asylum-seeking women who had been victims of abuse. It said that the women continued to be victims of violence and sexual abuse, and were exposed to higher risks of discrimination.
Source: Holly Challenger, Abused No More: The voices of refugee and asylum-seeking women, Independent Academic Research Studies
Links: Summary | IARS press release
Date: 2013-Aug
A paper examined research evidence on the employment effects of active labour market programmes on immigrants in Europe. It was found that only wage subsidies in the private sector could be confidently recommended to policy-makers. Most studies found that training, job-search assistance, and public-sector employment all produced 'insignificant' benefits.
Source: Sebastian Butschek and Thomas Walter, What Active Labour Market Programmes Work for Immigrants in Europe? A meta-analysis of the evaluation literature, Discussion Paper 13-056, Centre for European Economic Research (Mannheim)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Aug
A new book examined the way in which refugees and asylum-seekers had been stigmatized in political rhetoric and in media coverage.
Source: Greg Philo, Emma Briant, and Pauline Donald, Bad News for Refugees, Pluto Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Aug
A new book examined the role of criminal law in the enforcement of immigration controls. In the previous two decades, the powers to exclude and punish had been enhanced by the expansion of the catalogue of immigration offences and their more systematic enforcement.
Source: Ana Aliverti, Crimes of Mobility: Criminal law and the regulation of immigration, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Aug
An article examined the migration response of young people from new European Union member states to disparate conditions in an enlarged EU at the onset of the global economic recession. Migration intentions were high among those not married and among males with children: but both categories were also over-represented among people with only temporary as opposed to long-term or permanent migration plans. Whereas age affected migration intentions negatively, education had no effect on whether working abroad was envisaged. However, conditional on envisaging working abroad, completion of education (if after the 16th birthday) was associated with long-term (at least five years), but not permanent, migration plans. Socio-demographic variables explained about as much variation of migration intentions as self-reported 'push and pull factors' and migration constraints.
Source: Martin Kahanec and Brian Fabo, 'Migration strategies of crisis-stricken youth in an enlarged European Union', Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, Volume 19 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Aug
A report examined the experiences of poverty among survivors of torture during and after their passage through the United Kingdom's asylum system. It said that the day-to-day struggles of living without the means to meet basic living needs reinforced feelings of powerlessness, fear, and isolation – acting as a barrier to long-term recovery.
Source: Jo Pettitt, The Poverty Barrier: The right to rehabilitation for survivors of torture in the UK, Freedom from Torture
Links: Report | Summary | Freedom from Torture press release
Date: 2013-Aug
A report examined ways of monitoring the integration of immigrants in Europe, and of evaluating integration policies. It considered factors such as the characteristics of the immigrant population, the general context in the country, and national integration policies, in relation to societal integration outcomes in areas such as employment, education, social inclusion, and active citizenship.
Source: Thomas Huddleston, Jan Niessen, and Jasper Dag Tjaden, Using EU Indicators of Immigrant Integration, European Commission
Date: 2013-Aug
The government began consultation on proposals to 'reform' access by immigrants to health services. People coming to the United Kingdom would have to pay at least £200 to access hospital care and pay a charge every time they visited a family doctor.
Source: Controlling Immigration: Regulating Migrant Access to Health Services in the UK, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | Home Office press release | DH press release | UKBA press release | BMA press release | Full Fact blog post | OpenDemocracy blog post | TUC blog post | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | New Statesman report
Date: 2013-Jul
A report said that refugees and asylum-seekers were susceptible to forced labour: in particular, three groups who interacted with the asylum system at different points – asylum-seekers at entry, trafficked migrants, and undocumented migrants. Most of those affected moved between various types of precarious work across a spectrum encompassing vulnerable work, seriously exploitative work, and forced labour.
Source: Hannah Lewis, Peter Dwyer, Stuart Hodkinson, and Louise Waite, Precarious Lives: Experiences of forced labour among refugees and asylum seekers in England, University of Leeds
Links: Report | Summary | MRN press release
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined the effects of aggregate immigration flows on the subjective well-being of native-born populations in a panel of 26 European countries between 2002 and 2010. Recent immigrant flows had had a non-linear, yet overall positive, impact on the well-being of natives, with the largest effects coming from immigrant flows arriving in the previous year. The effects were small in magnitude and in practical application: only large immigrant flows would affect native well-being significantly.
Source: William Betz and Nicole Simpson, 'The effects of international migration on the well-being of native populations in Europe', IZA Journal of Migration, Volume 2
See also: William Betz and Nicole Simpson, The Effects of International Migration on the Well-Being of Native Populations in Europe, Discussion Paper 7368, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Date: 2013-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs said that official migration statistics were 'blunt instruments' for measuring, managing, and understanding migration to and from the United Kingdom. The statistical sources were not adequate for understanding the scale and complexity of modern migration flows, despite attempts to improve their accuracy and usefulness in recent years. A full and accurate account of migration required new sources of statistics.
Source: Migration Statistics, Seventh Report (Session 2013-14), HC 523, House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Additional written evidence | Committee press release | Full Fact blog post | Migration Watch press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jul
A study examined the social and public service impacts of international migration at the local level in England and Wales. Low-skilled migrant workers were regarded as bringing economic benefits to some sectors, particularly in times of economic growth: but they could also have higher impacts on health, housing, and social cohesion in a variety of ways. Illegal workers would often live in poor conditions, sometimes work illegally and therefore not contribute taxes, and integrate poorly with the community in which they lived. Asylum-seekers and refugees were likely to have the highest impact on services compared with other groups, because of their particular circumstances and levels of need.
Source: Sarah Poppleton, Kate Hitchcock, Kitty Lymperopoulou, Jon Simmons, and Rebecca Gillespie, Social and Public Service Impacts of International Migration at the Local Level, Research Report 72, Home Office
Links: Report | Summary | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jul
The government began consultation on proposals to require private landlords to inspect tenants' passports and other identity documents to establish whether or not they were illegal immigrants.
Source: Tackling Illegal Immigration in Privately Rented Accommodation, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Home Office press release | UKBA press release | NLA press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jul
A paper examined the 'welfare magnet' hypothesis (according to which migrants with a high likelihood of claiming benefits clustered in the most generous welfare systems) using data from the European Union for the period 2004-2011. In contrast to the hypothesis, it was found that welfare state variables did not significantly affect migration flows when controlling for temporary political restrictions on freedom of movement. Evidence was also found that the restrictions completely offset the incentive effects of work-related pull factors, and thereby hampered an efficient allocation of labour across national borders.
Source: Christoph Skupnik, 'Welfare Magnetism' in the EU-15? Why the EU enlargement did not start a race to the bottom of welfare states, Discussion Paper Economics 2013/8, School of Business & Economics, Freie Universitat Berlin
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jul
A report said that the official citizenship test for immigrants was impractical and inconsistent, and contained significant gender imbalance – rendering it 'unfit for purpose' and like 'a bad pub quiz'.
Source: Thom Brooks, The 'Life in the United Kingdom' Citizenship Test: Is It Unfit for Purpose?, Durham University
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jul
A paper examined the relative contributions of migrant and native households to welfare states in Europe. Most differences in welfare receipt by native and migrant households were explained by observable characteristics such as size of the household, as well as the age and education of its head. In contrast, significantly lower net contributions of migrant households to state budgets persisted in many countries even after controlling for observable factors, primarily due to lower tax payments by migrant households. Selective migration and sound integration policies, as well as policies avoiding marginalization of migrants in informal labour markets, were the most effective means to avoid the fiscal burdens of migration.
Source: Peter Huber and Doris Oberdabernig, Does Migration Threaten the Sustainability of European Welfare States?, Working Paper 21, WWWforEurope Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jul
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that unaccompanied children seeking asylum should be better cared for by the state. The system designed to identify which children had been trafficked was flawed, and many children brought to the United Kingdom to work or for sexual exploitation were not helped. As a result, the system was failing to prevent child victims of trafficking from ending up in the criminal justice system.
Source: Human Rights of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Young People in the UK, First Report (Session 2013-14), HC 196 and HL 9, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, TSO
Links: Report | Asylum Aid press release | OCC press release | Childrens Society press release | Coram press release | Refugee Council press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Jun
An article said that European migrants were more likely (according to practitioners in the criminal justice system) to be victims, rather than perpetrators, of crime. Much of the predominantly 'low-level' crime associated with European migrant offending was reported to be largely a function of cultural difference and based on misunderstanding of United Kingdom law and criminal justice processes.
Source: Sally-Ann Baker, Iolo Madoc-Jones, Odette Parry, Emily Warren, Kirsty Perry, Karen Roscoe, and Richard Mottershead, 'More sinned against than sinning? Perceptions about European migrants and crime', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 13 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
A report called for an end to the practice of detaining pregnant women in immigration removal centres. It highlighted problems of stillbirth, miscarriage, and acute psychosis.
Source: Natasha Tsangarides and Jane Grant, Expecting Change: The case for ending the detention of pregnant women, Medical Justice
Links: Report | Medical Justice press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report by an all-party group of MPs said that the coalition government should commission an independent review of minimum income rules in relation to family migration by a non-European spouse (introduced in July 2012). Some children, including British children, had been indefinitely separated from a parent as a result of the income requirement.
Source: Report of the Inquiry into New Family Migration Rules, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration
Links: Report | OCC briefing | Coram press release | BBC report | Guardian report | New Statesman report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report called for a strategic approach to tackling forced labour. The number of people experiencing forced labour might run into thousands, including many who were entitled to work in the United Kingdom, being European Union migrants and UK citizens. Forced labour and trafficking formed part of more general labour exploitation, requiring effective criminal justice and workplace rights interventions: it should not be seen as an immigration issue. A linked report examined media reporting of the issue.
Source: Alistair Geddes, Gary Craig, and Sam Scott (with Louise Ackers, Olivia Robinson, and Dianne Scullion), Forced Labour in the UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Emily Dugan), Forced Labour and Human Trafficking: Media Coverage in 2012, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report (1) | Summary | Report (2) | JRF blog post | Durham University press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report called for action to address the poverty and social exclusion faced by children in Europe who had, or whose parents had, an irregular migration status.
Source: Child Poverty and Well-Being: Spotlight on the situation of migrant children in Cyprus and the EU, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
Links: Report | PICUM press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A paper examined the relationship between migrants' destination choices and the formal labour market access accorded by multiple potential host countries in the context of the European Union's eastward enlargement. Migrants were found to be attracted to destinations that gave them greater formal labour market access, and migration flows to any given destination were influenced by the labour market policies of competing destinations.
Source: John Palmer and Mariola Pytlikova, Labor Market Laws and Intra-European Migration: The role of the state in shaping destination choices, Discussion Paper 11/13, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (University College London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-May
An article examined why levels of 'welfare chauvinism' differed among welfare regimes in Europe. Native populations in liberal and conservative welfare regimes were more reluctant to distribute welfare services to immigrants than those in social-democratic ones. Neither differences in the selectivity nor differences in employment protection and unemployment levels could explain this. Instead, regime differences in welfare chauvinism could be fully attributed to their differences in income inequality.
Source: Jeroen Van Der Waal, Willem De Koster, and Wim Van Oorschot, 'Three worlds of welfare chauvinism? How welfare regimes affect support for distributing welfare to immigrants in Europe', Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, Volume 15 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
A paper examined changing European welfare states and their incorporation of migrants in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. It considered the contexts through which migrants' entitlement to, or exclusion from, key welfare state provisions could be explained. It also provided a broad overview of migrants' social rights within a wider analysis of the processes of reform that, it said, European welfare states needed to tackle.
Source: Anton Hemerijck, Trineke Palm, Eva Entenmann, and Franca van Hooren, Changing European Welfare States and the Evolution of Migrant Incorporation Regimes, The Impact of Restrictions and Entitlements on the Integration of Family Migrants (European Union project)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-May
A study found that discrepancies between European Union free movement law and United Kingdom immigration legislation were having an effect on freedom of movement. In some cases there were significant differences between the way the law had been applied by UK authorities, particularly the UK Border Agency and the Home Office, and the European Commission and Court of Justice. There were still 'major difficulties' with the effective implementation of EU free movement law. The report proposed the creation of a new office of EU free movement, or citizenship 'champion', to act like an ombudsman and support the effective implementation of EU law on freedom of movement.
Source: Jo Shaw, Nina Miller, and Maria Fletcher, Getting to Grips with EU Citizenship: Understanding the friction between UK immigration law and EU free movement law, Edinburgh Law School Citizenship Studies (University of Edinburgh)
Links: Report | Summary | Nuffield Foundation press release
Date: 2013-May
The coalition government announced (in the Queen's Speech) plans for an Immigration Bill, designed to make it easier to deport people who did not have the right to stay in the United Kingdom, and to prevent immigrants accessing services to which they were not entitled. Businesses that used illegal labour would face increased fines, and private landlords would be required to check the immigration status of their tenants. The right of appeal against immigration decisions would be restricted, and immigration officers would be given more powers. Foreign nationals who committed serious crimes would be deported except in extraordinary circumstances.
Source: Queen's Speech 8 May 2013, columns 3-4, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release | Cabinet Office briefing | Childrens Society press release | CIH press release | Liberty press release | Labour Party press release | RCGP press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-May
A think-tank report examined how the BBC had covered the topic of immigration since 1997. It said that the BBC had given overwhelmingly greater weight to pro-migration voices, even though they represented a 'minority – even elitist – viewpoint'.
Source: Dennis Sewell, A Question of Attitude: The BBC and bias beyond news, New Culture Forum
Links: Report | NCF press release
Date: 2013-May
A new book examined recent developments in European migration politics. It highlighted the role of political parties as key societal actors; the multiple institutional levels on which migration policy-making played itself out; and how political ideas and societal discourse, economic interests, and public attitudes figured prominently in shaping the adoption, implementation, and public perception of immigration and integration policy measures.
Source: Umut Korkut, Gregg Bucken-Knapp, Aidan McGarry, Jonas Hinnfors, and Helen Drake (eds), The Discourses and Politics of Migration in Europe, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-May
A paper examined how immigration flows affected the happiness, or subjective well-being, of the native-born population in Europe. Recent inflows were found to have had a non-linear, yet overall positive, impact on the well-being of natives – although the effects were very small in magnitude.
Source: William Betz and Nicole Simpson, The Effects of International Migration on the Well-Being of Native Populations in Europe, Discussion Paper 7368, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-May
A think-tank briefing examined the impacts of immigration on population growth and diversity in western European and other high-income countries. Migration had became the primary driver of demographic change in most high-income countries and might remain so. On existing trends European populations would become more ethnically diverse, with the possibility that the existing majority ethnic groups would no longer comprise a numerical majority in some countries. However, it could not be assumed that existing trends would continue, as migration was the most volatile element in demographic change.
Source: David Coleman, Immigration, Population and Ethnicity: The UK in international perspective, Migration Observatory (University of Oxford)
Links: Briefing | Daily Mail report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-May
An article examined whether and how changes in countries' unemployment benefit spending affect immigration to the European Union. One method of analysis suggested the existence of a moderate within-country welfare magnet effect for inflows of non-EU immigrants: but another approach suggested that the impact was substantially smaller and statistically insignificant.
Source: Corrado Giulietti, Martin Guzi, Martin Kahanec, and Klaus Zimmermann, 'Unemployment benefits and immigration: evidence from the EU', International Journal of Manpower, Volume 34 Issue 1
Links: Abstract | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Apr
A study found that women refugees living in the United Kingdom experienced worse physical and emotional health than men. It also found that, despite relatively high levels of pre-migration employment, women fared much worse than men in all types of employment: they were more likely to be found in 'feminized roles' such as personal service, sales, and customer service.
Source: Sin Yi Cheung and Jenny Phillimore, Social Networks, Social Capital and Refugee Integration, Nuffield Foundation
Links: Report | Nuffield Foundation press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A report said that failing to recognize the contribution made by migrants and ethnic minorities to Europe s economic, social, political, and cultural life had a damaging impact on resilience to the economic crisis, and on the well-being of Europeans.
Source: Catherine Lynch and Shannon Pfohman, Hidden Talents, Wasted Talents? The real cost of neglecting the positive contribution of migrants and ethnic minorities, European Network Against Racism
Links: Report | ENAR press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A report said that between 2009 and 2012 the UK Border Agency had separated 200 children from their parents, causing serious emotional and physical problems for the children concerned. The 111 parents were detained for an average of 270 days, with 92 parents eventually being released and 15 being deported without their children. 85 children had been taken into care as a result of their parents' detention.
Source: Sarah Campbell, Antigoni Boulougari, and Youngeun Koo, Fractured Childhoods: The separation of families by immigration detention, Bail for Immigration Detainees
Links: Report | BID press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A report said that the number of decisions overturned on appeal was testament to continuing problems with the asylum decision-making process.
Source: Jan Shaw and Mike Kaye, A Question of Credibility: Why so many initial asylum decisions are overturned on appeal in the UK, Amnesty International UK
Links: Report | Amnesty press release | Refugee Council press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A think-tank report examined the competence of the institutions that made policy on immigration. It highlighted a tension between evidence-based policy-making and political demands, which undermined the ability of researchers and policy-makers to make effective use of evidence to inform and support their decisions.
Source: Erica Consterdine, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Evaluating the institutions of British immigration policymaking, Institute for Public Policy Research
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the impact of European Union policy on asylum outcomes in the member states. The increasing Europeanization of asylum policy had not resulted in a 'race to the bottom' in which asylum recognition rates and the numbers of admitted refugees had eroded. Contrary to existing literature, there was some evidence for convergence of the overall asylum recognition rates: but important national differences in the recognition of applicants from the same country of origin persisted. Europeanization had not led to more equal distribution of the applications and recognitions of asylum status in Europe. Overall, the EU had had only a limited impact on changes in asylum policy outcomes.
Source: Dimiter Toshkov and Laura de Haan, 'The Europeanization of asylum policy: an assessment of the EU impact on asylum applications and recognitions rates', Journal of European Public Policy, Volume 20 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined whether immigrants were more likely to receive welfare payments relative to natives across a range of European countries. It also assessed relative rates of poverty across immigrants and natives. 'Very little evidence' was found that immigrants were more likely to receive welfare payments when all payments were considered together. There was evidence, however, of higher rates of poverty among immigrants.
Source: Alan Barrett and Bertrand Maitre, 'Immigrant welfare receipt across Europe', International Journal of Manpower, Volume 34 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A report said that newly arrived migrant children in Europe were more likely to face segregation and end up in schools with fewer resources. This led to under-performance and a high probability that the children would drop out of school early. European Union member states should provide targeted educational support for migrant children, such as specialist teachers and systematic involvement of parents and communities, in order to improve their integration.
Source: Rimantas Dumeius, Hanna Siarova, Idesbald Nicaise, Jana Huttova, and Indre Baleaite, Study on Educational Support for Newly Arrived Migrant Children, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the labour market experiences and strategies of young undocumented migrants living in England. It highlighted the role of narrow, usually co-ethnic and often undocumented, social networks in finding work.
Source: Alice Bloch, 'The labour market experiences and strategies of young undocumented migrants', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 27 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined variations in migrants' declared motivations to work in the care sector in England, within the context of European Union enlargement. It highlighted the importance of taking into account the role of immigration policies, and consequently immigration status, when investigating the policy framework and delivery of care services for older people.
Source: Shereen Hussein, Martin Stevens, and Jill Manthorpe, 'Migrants' motivations to work in the care sector: experiences from England within the context of EU enlargement', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 10 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A new book examined the dynamics of contemporary immigrant inflows and integration in Europe. It analyzed the long-term transition that countries underwent from net emigration to net immigration, as well as developments in their migrant inflows, integration, and policy.
Source: Marek Okolski (ed.), European Immigrations: Trends, structures and policy implications, Amsterdam University Press
Links: Text of book
Date: 2013-Apr
A government-commissioned study said that it was not possible to put an accurate or reliable figure on how many Bulgarian or Romanian migrants would come to the United Kingdom when restrictions were removed on 1 January 2014: but that Spain, Italy, and to a lesser extent Germany were more likely as preferred destinations. Those who did come to the UK were not expected to exploit the benefits system and public services.
Source: Heather Rolfe, Tatiana Fic, Mumtaz Lalani, Monica Roman, Maria Prohaska, and Liliana Doudeva, Potential Impacts on the UK of Future Migration from Bulgaria and Romania, National Institute for Economic and Social Research
Links: Report | NIESR press release | FCO press release | Migration Watch press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the effect of immigration on the wages of native workers. It was found that immigrants 'downgraded' considerably upon arrival. Immigration depressed native wages below the 20th percentile of the wage distribution, but led to slight wage increases in the upper part of the wage distribution. This pattern mirrored the evidence on the location of immigrants in the wage distribution. Possible explanations for the overall slightly positive effect on native wages, besides standard immigration surplus arguments, could involve deviations of immigrant remuneration from contribution to production because of either initial mismatch or immigrant downgrading.
Source: Christian Dustmann, Tommaso Frattini, and Ian Preston, 'The effect of immigration along the distribution of wages', Review of Economic Studies, Volume 80 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A paper examined the factors that were related to attitudes towards immigrants in Europe, with a particular focus on the role of institutional trust. It considered separately two different groups of people – members of the ethnic majority, and minority-ethnic populations. Social trust was found to be important for both groups, whereas trust in institutions was more strongly related to attitudes among ethnic majorities. Other differences were related to type of area where people lived, human capital, and economic factors. The first two were more strongly related to the attitudes towards immigrants for the majority populations, whereas economic factors (especially labour market status) were more important for minority populations.
Source: Vivika Halapuu, Tiiu Paas, and Tiit Tammaru, Is Institutional Trust Related to the Attitudes Towards Immigrants in Europe? A study of majority and minority population, Discussion Paper 2013-14, NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Apr
A new book examined the distinction between migrant and citizen, using the concept of 'the community of value'. The community of value comprised 'good citizens': it was defined from the outside by the non-citizen and from the inside by the 'failed' citizen (figures such as the benefit scrounger, the criminal, and the teenage mother). Although 'failed' citizens and non-citizens were often strongly differentiated, it was better to consider them together. Judgements about who counted as skilled, what was a good marriage, who was suitable for citizenship, and what sort of enforcement was acceptable against 'illegals', affected citizens as well as migrants. Rather than simple competitors for the privileges of membership, citizens and migrants defined each other through sets of relations that shifted and were not straightforward binaries.
Source: Bridget Anderson, Us and Them? The dangerous politics of immigration control, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary | Compas press release
Date: 2013-Mar
The coalition government announced that the Border Agency would be abolished because of its poor performance and 'secretive culture'. Its work would be split into two parts, focusing on the visa system and on immigration law enforcement, under the direct control of ministers.
Source: Debate 26 March 2013, columns 1500-1510, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release | Labour Party press release | PCS press release | Refugee Council press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Mar
A report said that decisions about migration were very often influenced by consideration of the best options for the whole family, in terms of raising children, education, and options for improving life chances. The dynamics of family life therefore ought to be a consideration for authorities responsible for immigration policy in Europe. People considering migration should be presented with accurate accounts of the conditions of the host countries to allow informed decisions to be made. Funding should also be available to family welfare organizations to facilitate their engagement with issues concerning migrant communities.
Source: Transnational Families and the Impact of Economic Migration on Families, Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Mar
The Prime Minister announced plans by the coalition government to restrict migrants' rights to council housing and social security benefits. Under the plans, only people who had lived in the United Kingdom for at least two years would qualify for council housing. Migrants from the European Union and the wider European Economic Area would have their benefits halted from 2014 if they had not found a job within 6 months of arriving in the UK and did not have a 'genuine chance of finding work'.
Source: Speech by David Cameron MP (Prime Minister), 25 March 2013
Links: Speech | Downing Street press release | Citizens Advice press release | JCWI press release | Migration Watch press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | New Statesman report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Mar
A new book examined the social effects of post-war immigration. It said that an 'overzealous multiculturalism' had exacerbated social fragmentation by reinforcing difference instead of promoting a common life. Immigration should be reduced to 'more moderate and sustainable' levels. In addition, a progressive 'national story' was needed about openness and opportunity – one that captured how people of different traditions were coming together to make the 'British dream'.
Source: David Goodhart, The British Dream: Successes and failures of post-war immigration, Atlantic Books
Links: Summary | NCF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined whether permissive immigrant integration policies promoted or impeded majority group members' subsequent negative attitudes in European countries. Permissive policies were found to be associated with decreased perceptions of group threat from immigrants, suggesting that integration policies were of key importance in improving majority members' attitudes regarding immigrants.
Source: Elmar Schlueter, Bart Meuleman, and Eldad Davidov, 'Immigrant integration policies and perceived group threat: a multilevel study of 27 western and eastern European countries', Social Science Research, Volume 42 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
A paper examined the migration response of young people from new European Union member states in the wake of the global economic recession. Migration intentions were high among single people and among males with children: but both categories were also overrepresented among people with only temporary as opposed to long-term or permanent migration plans. Education had no effect on whether working abroad was envisaged.
Source: Martin Kahanec and Brian Fabo, Migration Strategies of the Crisis-Stricken Youth in an Enlarged European Union, Discussion Paper 7285, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Mar
A report said that a 'complex mix of largely unintentional factors' meant that some employers offering low-skilled work saw migrants from elsewhere in the European Union as more suitable for this type of employment than United Kingdom-born workers.
Source: The State of Migration: Employing migrant workers, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Links: Report | CIPD press release
Date: 2013-Mar
A special issue of a journal examined migration, mobility, and rights regulation in the European Union.
Source: Policy Studies, Volume 34 Number 2
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2013-Mar
A paper examined the effect of inflows of immigrants on the careers, employment, location, and wages of native Europeans. Native Europeans were more likely to upgrade their occupation to one associated with higher skills and better pay when a large number of immigrants entered their labour market. They were also more likely to start a self-employed activity. As a consequence of this upward mobility their income increased or stayed the same in response to immigration. No evidence was found of an increased likelihood to leave employment or to leave the region of residence.
Source: Cristina Cattaneo, Carlo Fiorio, and Giovanni Peri, What Happens to the Careers of European Workers When Immigrants 'Take Their Jobs'?, Discussion Paper 7282, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Mar
A paper presented an overview of the key trends in the European Union with respect to labour market integration outcomes for immigrants, and the relevant areas for public policy engagement.
Source: Anna Platonova, Labour Market Integration of Immigrants in the EU: Key trends and policy issues, Itinera Institute
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Mar
A special issue of a journal examined the gendered aspects of migration and the labour market in Europe.
Source: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Volume 39 Number 4
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2013-Feb
A report provided a detailed assessment of free movement, motivations for migration, and the challenges countries might need to address as intra-European Union mobility entered its latest phase.
Source: Meghan Benton and Milica Petrovic, How Free Is Free Movement? Dynamics and drivers of mobility within the European Union, Migration Policy Institute
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Feb
A study examined the impact of nationality law on families and vice versa across Europe, and how acquiring nationality affected the family. It proposed a new instrument to harmonize best practices and develop commonly accepted rules on residence criteria for the acquisition of nationality.
Source: Alenka Prvinsek Persoglio, Study for the Feasibility of a Legal Instrument in the Field of Nationality Law and Families (Including the Promotion of Acquisition of Citizenship), Council of Europe
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Feb
A report said that the Border Agency was endangering the health of some pregnant women seeking asylum and their babies by relocating them against medical advice.
Source: When Maternity Doesn t Matter: Dispersing pregnant women seeking asylum, Refugee Council/Maternity Action
Links: Report | Summary | Refugee Council press release | NCT press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Feb
A new book provided an evidence-based assessment of the impact of migration and labour force participation on population and labour markets dynamics in Europe, and a comparative analysis of possible population developments in 27 European countries.
Source: Marek Kupiszewski (ed.), International Migration and the Future of Populations and Labour in Europe, Springer
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Feb
A new book examined how work, welfare, and immigration policies in Europe could be developed in a more integrated fashion.
Source: Elena Juradid and Grete Brochmann (eds), Europe's Immigration Challenge: Reconciling work, welfare and mobility, IB Tauris
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Feb
A think-tank report examined the European Union's response to irregular migration and the role played by its return strategy.
Source: Myriam Cherti and Miklos Szilard, Returning Irregular Migrants: How effective is the EU s response?, Institute for Public Policy Research
Date: 2013-Feb
A paper examined the challenges facing European Union immigration policy. The central policy tool upon which the EU had based policy development had became limiting: the successive five-year plans since 1999 were no longer up to the challenge. The EU was also battling deep Euroscepticism, even as public confidence in governments' ability to manage migration was at an all-time low. European governments needed to articulate a new vision for immigration that reflected a rapidly changing global environment, not least in demographic and economic terms. Policymakers had yet to fully absorb the changes both within and outside Europe, instead 'fixating' on annual arrival numbers.
Source: Elizabeth Collett, Facing 2020: Developing a new European agenda for immigration and asylum policy, Migration Policy Institute
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Feb
A paper examined the changed environment facing the European Union as it sought to develop a new European agenda for immigration and asylum policy.
Source: Elizabeth Collett, Facing 2020: Developing a new European agenda for immigration and asylum policy, Migration Policy Institute
Links: Briefing
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the intergenerational earnings mobility of immigrants and ethnic minorities. Earnings of members of the native population tended to have a strong correlation with that of their fathers. However, for immigrants as well as ethnic minorities, fathers' earnings had a smaller impact on children's earnings.
Source: Sayema Bidisha, Anupam Das, and Adian McFarlane, 'Microeconometric analysis of earnings mobility of immigrants and ethnic minorities: evidence from the UK', Journal for Labour Market Research, Volume 46 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A paper examined the situation of the migrant population in Europe in terms of their risk of poverty and social exclusion, as well as their wealth, and compared these with those of the non-migrant majority population (focusing on young people with migrant parents).
Source: Orsolya Lelkes, Eva Sierminska, and Eszter Zolyomi, Inclusion of Young Migrants, Research Note 6, European Social Observatory (Brussels)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Feb
A new book examined efforts to make immigration policy in European countries more selective, such as the United Kingdom's points-based system. Apart from efforts to regulate the flow and rights of immigrants, governments across Europe also needed to devise labour market, welfare, and immigration policies in a more integrated fashion.
Source: Grete Brochmann and Elena Jurado (eds), Europe's Immigration Challenge: Reconciling work, welfare and mobility, I B Tauris
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
A report said that some refugees and asylum-seekers were being denied the post-16 education they were entitled to, because learning providers were confused about their entitlements and often did not have adequate processes in place to support them.
Source: Lisa Doyle and Gill O Toole, A Lot to Learn: Refugees, asylum seekers and post-16 learning, Refugee Council
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jan
A briefing reviewed the statistical and research evidence on migrants' experiences in, and impacts on, the housing system. The foreign-born population had significantly lower ownership rates than the United Kingdom-born population, and was three times as likely to be in the private rental sector.
Source: Carlos Vargas-Silva, Migrants and Housing in the UK: Experiences and impacts, Migration Observatory (University of Oxford)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
A new book examined recent developments in the areas of migration, human rights, and health from a range of countries (with a particular focus on the United Kingdom).
Source: Felicity Thomas and Jasmine Gideon (eds), Migration, Health and Inequality, Zed Books
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
A new book examined patterns of residential mobility of minorities in Europe.
Source: Nissa Finney and Gemma Catney (eds), Minority Internal Migration in Europe, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
A paper examined the incidence of worklessness among recent immigrants in England. The labour market disadvantage of non-white immigrants persisted, with recent immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan having higher odds of worklessness than other immigrants. Non-white immigrants originating in countries outside the Commonwealth were found to be nearly as disadvantaged in the labour market. Conversely, immigrants from new European Union countries were found to be less likely to be workless compared with other immigrant groups. Contextual factors influenced worklessness, with those living in the most deprived and ethically dense areas generally facing a higher risk of worklessness.
Source: Kitty Lymperopoulou, The Incidence of Worklessness among New Immigrants in England, Working Paper 2013-01, Centre for Census and Survey Research (University of Manchester)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
A report said that immigration to the United Kingdom from Romania and Bulgaria could amount to 50,000 per year in the first five years following the opening of European Union labour markets to those countries' citizens in January 2014.
Source: Immigration from Romania and Bulgaria, MigrationwatchUK
Links: Report | MigrationwatchUK press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jan
A new book examined the problems faced by children and young people who had been trafficked, and the way in which child care practitioners responded to them.
Source: Jenny Pearce, Patricia Hynes, and Silvie Bovarnick, Trafficked Young People: Breaking the wall of silence, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
A think-tank report set out ten broad principles for a migration policy that was fair, democratic, progressive, and effective. The policy should aim to increase net economic and fiscal benefits, as well as taking account of what was less easily measured but still crucial – cultural and social costs and benefits. Policies should be avoided that exacerbated inequality, and there was a need to manage the impacts of migration on vulnerable groups and communities. It should also accept that numbers mattered – the pace and pattern of migration flows were important.
Source: Matt Cavanagh and Sarah Mulley, Fair and Democratic Migration Policy: A principled framework for the UK, Institute for Public Policy Research
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined the wage assimilation of foreign-born male workers over the period 1993 to 2009. Although immigrants earned more on average than natives, mean results masked the fact that immigrants at the bottom/top of the distribution earned less/more than natives.
Source: Priscillia Hunt, 'From the bottom to the top: a more complete picture of the immigrant-native wage gap in Britain', IZA Journal of Migration, Volume 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
A report by a cross-party parliamentary inquiry said that alarmingly low levels of asylum support were forcing thousands of children and their families seeking safety in the United Kingdom into severe poverty, putting babies' and mothers' lives at risk.
Source: Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Asylum Support for Children and Young People, Parliamentary Inquiry into Asylum Support for Children and Young People
Links: Report | OCC press release | Childrens Society press release | Refugee Council press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined the European Union Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims. The EU seemed to have adopted a victim-centric focus to combat this phenomenon – contrasted with its previous approach.
Source: Carolina Villacampa Estiarte, 'The European Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and the victim-centric treatment of this criminal phenomenon', European Criminal Law Review, Volume 2 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
A report outlined the options for Scottish policy on refugee issues under each of the potential outcomes of the 2014 referendum on independence for Scotland.
Source: Mariya Shisheva, Gary Christie, and Gareth Mulvey, Improving the Lives of Refugees in Scotland after the Referendum: An appraisal of the options, Scottish Refugee Council
Links: Report | Summary | SRC press release
Date: 2013-Jan
A new book examined the real-life place and position of the European second generation – children born of immigrant parentage – in education, labour, social relations, religion, and identity formation.
Source: Maurice Crul, Jens Schneider, and Frans Lelie (eds), The European Second Generation Compared: Does the integration context matter?, Amsterdam University Press
Date: 2013-Jan