Migration the UK

• the uk government defines an immigrant as someone who declares an intention to stay in the uk for at least a year
• nowadays the flow of so-called commonwealth-immigrants to the uk has stopped. more and more people who try to enter the country are asylum-seekers.
• new, strict legislation passed over the last decade makes it increasingly difficult for asylum-seekers to prove that they are genuinely prosecuted and not just economic migrants.
• reasons for migration: better living conditions, freedom of speech and religion, flee war poverty or famine, better welfare system, gender equality, to climb up the career ladder
• In the distant past, Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians inaded different parts of british isles and made their homes there. All these people contributed to the costums and languages of the country.
• Then, in the 11th century, the Normans conquered most of modern England. (Battle of Hastings)
• Before the Romans came, celtic tribes had settled in Britain.
• The Normans were the last people who invaded britain, but the were not the last newcomers who had an important influence on the country. Jews, Lombards, Flemings and Huguenots all came from Europe and brought valuable skills to its adopted country.
• As England gained more colonies, sucesssful merchants brought African and Indian servants back to England.
• Meanwhile, conditions in Ireland were hard because of the irish Famine. Countless Irish people migrated to England.
• At the beginning of the 20th century, poor migrants from Eastern Europe arrived. Somewhat later refugees from Spain, Russia, Germany came.
• Then the Winrush genration came.
• The Asian population is very diverse. Many Pakistani, for example came to Britain. Increasingy, British Asian people are going into professions such as law or medicine.
• There are still many problems to be tackled in Britain.