To think 335,000 extra people coming to the UK in a year is too high

[jdoe8]

Where will they all live? What jobs will they all do? I know it may help GDP, but that is irrelevant as GDP per head is the important thing.

It does seem to be race to the bottom with more part time work , uber type work and the country is borrowing more and more and the national debt is 35k per head now.

The majority of immigrants are fit and healthy and pay more in tax and national insurance than they cost, they are net contributors, unlike the British immigrants of a more mature stature flocking to Europe in their droves to retire.

The majority of immigrants are net contributors?

Are you sure?

It seems unlikely given that the majority of workers in the UK are net beneficiaries.

How? Most of the land mass is empty

Wow...what a terrible waste hey?! Let's take all that empty land and fill it with tower blocks. As for parks, what a waste of space...we could house thousands of people on that land. Where I live, they are converting cinemas, pubs, bowling alleys into apartments... brilliant! Who needs anywhere to go for leisure activities?

This country is overpopulated. Housing, public services, roads... all strained to breaking point. Uncontrolled immigration is adding to the problem

Sobachka A sensible voice in the wilderness! The ideology of some posters here prevent them from stating the actual problem. They will go all round the bushes, not see the elephant, come back and tell you that you were imaging it.

Could you perhaps put a block of flats or two on the slopes of Hellvellyn? It'd be cold and somewhat precarious but it might work. There's all the river flood plains too, you'd end up knee deep every winter or so but we could issue free wellies.

From the UCL study I linked to below:

"The value of the education of immigrants in the UK labour market who arrived since 2000 and that has been paid for in the immigrants’ origin countries amounts to £6.8bn over the period between 2000 and 2011. By contributing to ‘pure’ public goods (such as defence or basic research), immigrants arriving since 2000 have saved the UK taxpayer an additional £8.5bn over the same period"

This country is overpopulated

How? Most of the land mass is empty.

Fruit, I'm sure most people want a house to live in.

The UK currently has insufficient housing stock.

That means we're overpopulated.

formerbabe my thoughts exactly. A lot of tourism is because of the beautiful views and landscapes we have (I live in Scotland) and when I hear that we should just build build build I think what a shame, yes we need houses but not at the cost of all our green space.

From the point of view of someone who works in the HE sector now, if you wanted your children to experience University education, you would be up shit creek without immigrants. There is seriously not the skill or expertise in this country to fill academic jobs and if we stop or restrict migration from the EU, the effects will be devastating and far-reaching.

British immigrants of a more mature stature flocking to Europe in their droves to retire.

Those old Brits flocking to Europe to retire have paid for their little house in Spain, they live on their savings. They are not going to be a large drain on Europe's benefits system.

The UK currently has insufficient housing stock

Yes, yet the government permits foreign investment companies and BTL landlords to profit hugely by buying so much housing stock and renting it at extortionate prices. Councils sell off their housing stock to those who are not in genuine hardship through the right to buy scheme. They are then forced to rent private accommodation from the BTL landlords and pay market rent. They then moan that too much is being spent on housing benefit.

The question is can we build sufficient housing stock quickly enough and cheaply enough to house all those who need it at the current level? Or free up existing? Of course some naturally will become available through people dying, but is that happening as quickly as it's needed and where it is needed? We also have to take into account the homeless who should be priority. Where does the money come from? Do we assume that the national debt is real or a fiction of the government and therefore what have they done with the money?

if we stop or restrict migration from the EU, the effects will be devastating and far-reaching

We are talking about non-skilled workers. They are non-skilled back home and are non-skilled here. In order for them to afford rents in England, food and fares it is impossible for them to support themselves. The State has to do it (taxpayers). In turn they experience a nicer standard of living, but at the expense of the public purse and what do we get out of it?

Those old Brits flocking to Europe to retire have paid for their little house in Spain, they live on their savings. They are not going to be a large drain on Europe's benefits system

They won't be using health services or other public amenities then? Funny how when Brits go abroad they are ex-pats who bring a benefit to the country they go to. When someone from another EU country comes here, they are 'immigrant scum', a drain and a scrounger, taking away housing and jobs from the locals.

FYI, a lot of benefit money from UK gets sent to ex-pats in Spain who do not work and do not contribute to society in the same way as a younger worker in the UK.

YYY to lots more public spending etc but the fact remains that the existing infrastructure cannot cope.

They are non-skilled back home and are non-skilled here

Seriously? There are qualified teachers picking vegetables in fields in this country. That is a completely incorrect assumption to make. Many of them are highly educated but will still take a menial job which pays more than in their home country.

I don't think most people object to the highly skilled academics as they tend to pay high rates of tax. There are also many British academics working in universities across the continent because they too have need of our skilled people, it's seen as beneficial for both parties and they of course pay tax where they are.

If you don't think they're taking our jobs then you must be lucky enough to not work in factories/warehouses.

Determing whether migrants are net contributors really depends on what factors you consider- tax paid, services provided, services consumed, etc. Independent analysis is hard to find as most groups who study this are alleged to have a pre-agenda . So for example the factors used by the UCL studies appear to differ from the Migrant Watch ones

This one by Migrant Observatory for Full Fact www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/election-2015-briefing-fiscal-impacts-of-migration-to-the-uk/ seems to be the most comprehensive. It indicates a net contribution particularly by EEA migrants

There are a mix fake, I know some of both. Ironically DH works also with some Brits who are also highly qualified but are working menial jobs for a variety of reasons including previous mental illness and workplace bullying. One migrant he also knows found it difficult to get a job in his field as it's a really very specialist subject and jobs in it here are like gold dust. Some however have very limited qualifications and some are even coming as their first ever job too.

If you don't think they're taking our jobs then you must be lucky enough to not work in factories/warehouses.

And that's what this ultimately comes down to - a country run by and for the wealthy is leaving its working class behind.

There are also many British academics working in universities across the continent because they too have need of our skilled people, it's seen as beneficial for both parties and they of course pay tax where they are

Really not. It is far from a reciprocal exchange. The UK trains up relatively few academics and even fewer go on to take posts in universities on the continent. We are so heavily reliant on foreign academics here that we really would be fucked if they all upped and left.

But then again, I guess this country is sick of experts so it might be a good thing.

Most of the land mass is empty

FruitCider - When you look at the countryside on TV programmes, you see hundreds of acres of land. You seem to want to extinguish that to build rabbit hutch housing for people coming to this country. If this is so, then you really do not have a soul. If you have ever watched a dystopian film we are shown street after street of high-rise buildings where people live. You cannot see the horizon, and you cannot see anything except concrete and glass.

That is what you want? My parents were refugees to this country years ago, genuine stateless refugees. Too many of the people coming in now imo have no right to even be here or expect housing to be built specially for them, because they have not contributed a penny and yet expect everything to be laid on for them.

FYI, a lot of benefit money from UK gets sent to ex-pats in Spain who do not work

They've earned it, sweetheart, 45 years of toil and paying into the system And some have basic private health insurance, but I believe once you hv a Residents card you can access basic health care as well.

So for example the factors used by the UCL studies appear to differ from the Migrant Watch ones

Just a hunch but I think I would rather rely on a study by world-leading experts at a world-leading university than a racist pressure-group with a massive agenda, but yeah I bet it's really comprehensive.

They've earned it, sweetheart, 45 years of toil and paying into the system

Not all of them have paid in 'sweetheart'. Hence claiming top-up pension credits and stuff. Would you feel equally generous if EU nationals migrated here to retire? Surely it would still affect the housing-shortage?