Immigrants cross seven million mark for first time in UK

Irish Sun (ANI) Friday 26th August, 2011

The number of immigrants living in Britain has crossed seven million for the first time.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 7,040,000 immigrants account for one in eight people in the United Kingdom.

Immigrants increased by 21 percent to 575,000 in the United Kingdom, while emigrants numbering 336,000, have dropped to a lowest figure in six years.

Net immigration figure stood at 239,000 in 2010, which was the fourth highest level on record.

Eastern Europe immigrants' net inflow was 39,000 in 2010, which marked an eight-fold increase since 2009.

The figures also showed over a quarter of babies born in 2010 were born to foreign mothers.

According to the Office for National Statistics, foreign- born mothers, especially Polish migrants, had led to a rise in the birth rate for England and Wales as they comprised a large proportion of the childbearing-age population.

The figures are a setback for British Prime Minister David Cameron's pledge to cut net immigration to the "tens of thousands" by 2015.

Council leaders and head teachers have warned that rising birth rates have contributed to an unprecedented surge in demand for places in primary schools.

"The Coalition Government will have to face down some vested interests if they are to get anywhere near their target of tens of thousands," the Telegraph quoted campaign group, Migration Watch UK chairman, Sir Andrew Green, as saying.

Green described the current immigration figures as "completely unacceptable" but said it would take time for measures to bring levels down to take effect.

"Over the period of the previous government, Britain became addicted to immigration and any programme of weaning someone off an addiction does take time and patience and persistence", he said.(ANI)