International migration has been an important phenomenon in Britain. During the last fifty years migration in general, and immigration in particular, has become a key policy issue. Economic considerations have always been a part of the debate, but they have been subordinated to the more overtly social and political questions. For this and other reasons, the economic analysis of international migration, the experience of migrants and their impact on the wider economy is less advanced than is the case for some other countries in Europe and North America. The purpose of this paper is to draw together a number of somewhat disparate threads embracing the history of migratory movements, public policy towards immigration and race, the economic experience of immigrants and the overall impact on the economy. The first section charts the changing historical pattern of migration to and from Britain. This is followed by a sketch of the development of immigration policy linking it with developments in domestic race relations. This highlights the important distinction between migrants and ethnic minorities.
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Hatton et al. (2005) studied this question.