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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Immigration

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Immigration is the movement through which an individual permanently moves from their place of residence from one country to another. Immigration is a topic which divides political parties and general debate. Whilst some people see the positives of immigration, such as the filling of skill gaps in low and highly skilled jobs, others see the negatives of immigration, such as the strain on services such as the NHS, schools and housing.
Firstly, there are clear benefits to immigration. Different communities have moved to Great Britain from as early as 250AD, such as the Indian, Irish, African and Jewish communities. Immigration has a long history. However, high levels of immigration started during the period of 1946-1948. This was around the end of the second world war, when there were labour shortages in Britain and the rest of Europe. The government had to look for immigrants to fill these shortage gaps. In particular157,000 Polish citizens allowed to settle in the UK partly because of ties and connections made during the war years.
The government was unable to recruit enough people from Europe to fill these labour shortages and so turned towards west India. Many men from the West Indies had fought for the ‘mother country’ and had moved back to civilian life in their home country where there were few work opportunities. Their sense of patriotism, coupled with the need of work, steered them back towards the UK. On the 22nd of June 1948, the ship Windrush docked at Tilbury in

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