Social costs of mass immigration outweigh small economic gain.

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December 10, 2002

In response to a Home Office report on December 10, 2002 claiming that current levels of immigration provide economic advantage to the UK, MigrationwatchUK issued the following statement:

'The Home Office statement that "Migrants Boost the Labour Market" misses the point entirely. Of course migrants add to the labour market. But all authoritative studies (the American NRC, the Economist Magazine, and the European Commission) show that immigration adds very little indeed to wealth per head (Gross National Product per capita). This island is already heavily overcrowded (with a population density four times that of France), especially in the South East where most migrants settle. The real question, therefore, is whether this very small economic benefit is worth the social cost of what is developing into mass immigration. Most people think not.'