They came, they worried us – now they’re leaving
By Alex Stevenson
An exodus of high-skilled immigrants leaving Britain should have us more worried than the current debate allows, a thinktank has claimed.
Research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests the number of ‘re-migrants’ – those who come to work in Britain but return to their country of origin soon afterwards – is set to remain on the increase for several years to come.
In the year to September 2008 the number of non-British nationals leaving the country rose by 30 per cent. Immigration of non-British citizens to Britain remained virtually unchanged.
It recommends that, as well as attracting these higher-skilled workers to come to Britain, ministers should consider doing more to dissuade them from returning home. At present, the report found, these ‘super-mobile’ migrants come to Britain for economic reasons but leave for personal ones.
The government said its new points-based system gave it greater control over who could stay, but declined to offer clearer comment on the issues raised by the report.
Shall We Stay Or Shall We Go? claimed European countries and the old Commonwealth countries were entering a new era of ‘super-mobility’ in which short-stay migration is increasingly important.
“There is a limit to the policy interventions that government can introduce to retain migrants if they want to move on.
“However, it makes sense for government at all levels, as well as employers, to encourage the most in-demand migrants to stay longer in the UK.”
It recommends innovative retention initiatives, simplifying visa arrangements and incentives to take up citizenship as steps which the government could take.
Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch, was appalled by the idea and said the government’s focus should be on upskilling British workers.
“Every skilled immigrant is filling a job that a British worker would fill if they’d been trained,” he told politics.co.uk on the eve of the report’s publication.
“The real problem is the lack of any limits and the intense public concern about the scale of immigration. Until those concerns are tackled, reports like this will fall on stony ground.”
The IPPR said the government felt under pressure to be seen taking tough action against immigration, because the “unbalanced debate” focused too heavily on “inflows”.
Its report warned: “There is a risk that this could be against the UK’s longer-term economic interests, particularly the need to attract migrants with high-level skills or skills that are in short supply, so there is an urgent need for all those in positions of power and influence to ensure that remigration is central to discussions about migration.”
Sir Andrew was less than impressed, however. He added: “Re-migration to the extent that it exists is not a problem.
“The real problem lies in those who stay and those who come from countries where wages are a fraction of those in Britain are very likely to stay.”
Early figures suggest some migrants are leaving Britain because of the recession, although it is too early to tell if the downturn will lead to a larger exodus.
Immigration minister Phil Woolas said: “This report further demonstrates that migrants come to the UK for a short period of time, work, contribute to the economy and then return home. Our new flexible points based system gives us greater control on those coming to work or study from outside Europe, ensuring that only those that Britain need can come.
“This week I announced proposals which will break the link between temporary settlement and permanent residence. Only those that who earn the right to stay should be allowed a British passport.”
