1.3 % of Eastern Europeans Live In UK - Daily Mail

EU | November 20, 2014, Thursday // 16:51|  views

A recent research by the Migration Observatory at Oxford University reveals that 1.3 % of Eastern Europeans living anywhere in Europe, including in their native countries, are now residing in the UK.

This means that 1 in 75 of the people born in the eight former Communist countries that joined the EU in 2004 are now living in the UK, writes the Daily Mail.

It is likely that the current number of Eastern European immigrants is even higher, as the figures are based on census data from 2011.

When looking at each of the countries, the share of their citizens living in the UK is particularly high for Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

According to the data, 1 in 30 Lithuanians, 1 in 30 Latvians, and 1 in 60 Poles are now living in the UK.

Another study shows that the UK is the country granting citizenship to the highest number of migrants compared to any other country in the EU, with 193 000 foreigners having received a British passport in 2012.

Since 2000 more than 2.1 million migrants have acquired a British citizenship.

The number of Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants is continuing to increase, but their share is considerably lower than that for other Eastern European nationals, with only 1 in 210 Bulgarians and Romanians residing in the UK.

Between 2004 and 2013 the number of Eastern European immigrants in the UK has increased by 544% - from 167 000 to 1 077 000.

Dr. Carlos Vargas-Silva, Director of the Migration Observatory told the Daily Mail that Eastern European migration to the UK is not a completely new phenomenon, but it has developed at an increasing rate in the last decade.

Migration has placed a strain on the UK's social secutiy system and has led to the rise of the Eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP).

Members of the ruling Conservative party have used the numbers of immigrants in support of their claim for the UK to leave the EU.

Migration is set to continue to be a hot topic in the UK, with the forthcoming 2015 general election and the ongoing debate on the proposed 2017 referendum on UK's membership to the EU.

Some Eastern European politicians have addressed the figures with increasing concern, as these represent a serious brain drain from their countries.

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Tags: Migration Observatory, Oxford University, Eastern European, immigrants, UK, Bulgarian, Romanian

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