Immigration Rates Will Make Britain Europe’s Biggest Country by 2060
27/08/2008 by Charlotte Norman
The European Commission has released information regarding a study of EU population trends disproving the perception of immigration becoming stagnant in the UK and instead highlights that it is on a steady increase. This means that such immigration combined with birth rates will see the UK become the most populous country in Europe by 2060.
The UK is an attractive destination for people wanting a fresh start, however with tighter immigration laws and rules in recent years it has been perceived that it has now become increasingly hard to obtain visas in order to live and work in the UK.
The study by the Commission reveals that immigration is a key factor in the rising population and that that combined with a few other factors will see numbers rise by a staggering quarter to 77 million.
The UK has always benefitted from overseas nationals opting to migrate to the country and it is no surprise that such numbers are continuing to grow particularly as other less documented areas of foreign residents such as education are also growing in numbers.
The UK is regarded the world over as housing some of the most prestigious and academic universities in the world, which in turn has also bolstered the number of non-British nationals whom are choosing to study in the UK.
This has also had a knock on effect on population growth as following their academia many students are choosing to remain in the UK and gain some vital employment experience, something which is viewed as a positive by the British government as the UK gains greater numbers of talented and skilled individuals whom are in turn aiding and developing the economical standing of the country.
The news of the projected population growth has by some been viewed as controversial as although numbers are increasing of overseas workers entering the UK. The number of British citizens choosing to immigrate to other countries is also rising, prompting the question of balance. That aside, should the European Union's figures prove true the statistics will see Britain overtake Germany, whom are currently the biggest country in the union.
The issue of immigration laws is one which is sure to be questioned and re-evaluated following the news of the study. Since Labours empowerment of the British government the party has come under scrutiny with regards to their immigration practices. It is widely perceived that Britain is already densely-populated and therefore the prospect of adding another 16 million may increase pressure on the government to curb total immigration.
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