We cannot continue taking on immigrants indefinitely

[MobilityCat]

I'll probably be shot down for saying this but Immigration should be strictly controlled or we'll all become significantly disadvantaged. While international law doesn't require asylum seekers to stay in the first safe country they reach, some governments argue they should. There is a belief that the UK has a fairer asylum process, more legal protections, and better opportunities for work and education compared to other countries. While the reality may be different, word of mouth and social media often spread the idea that the UK is a good place to seek asylum. Our reputation as a desirable asylum destination is straining social services, housing, and the asylum system. The NHS and schools face increased pressure, housing shortages worsen, and asylum backlogs lead to long waits and high costs. Public frustration is growing, fueling political divisions. The system is unsustainable due to financial burdens, fairness concerns, and security risks.

Isn’t it?
Population was 52.4 million in 1964 and 68.35 million in 2023.
As you say the birth rate is falling so where is the 30% population increase coming from?

My DD’s class has 31 children in it. 23 are children for whom both parents were born abroad. 1 has a Father born abroad and 1 has a Mother born abroad. How is this sustainable?!

I see this comment a lot. No country in Europe takes in the number of 'legal immigrants' we do. Can't have it both ways.

What is our "fair share"?

Where did I say anywhere about it being as good? Just much better. Immigration always goes up inline with conflict, lack of resources and war. Would you not move your family if the alternative was to stay in a dangerous place or somewhere with no prospects?

That's what I asked, I don't know how many pages back.....

Yup. It is really tiresome.

69% do in fact stay in their neighbouring country. Iran, Turkey, Germany, Uganda and Columbia host the most refugees. These five countries host one third of the world’s refugees. Two thirds of all refugees are from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela.

@TheAmusedQuail Migrants to the UK almost inevitably work and contribute through taxes.

43% of all adults pay no income tax in Britain. That's almost half the adult population. There are an awful lot of immigrants included in that figure. How could there not be?

If an immigrant is working minimum wage and eligible for every benefit going, how can they be contributing over and above what they're costing when a native Briton isn't?

We need more immigrants. We have an aging population and can't train enough health workers. We need teachers, university lecturers, and talent in tech that we don't train here either. And we CAN'T train it if we don't have enough teachers and lecturers.
We need overseas students or universities won't survive. So we still won't have enough tech workers or teachers, or doctors for the next wave of elderly people.

As requested:

What about Jordan?

Jordan hosts the fifth largest number of refugees per capita worldwide,

Migration always comes down to the immediate need of the economy. It always wins.

I have never seen a government really invest in training and education for its own population in a way that would mean a lot of people who are not working could and have reasonable quality of life. I think the last time there was this kind of investment it was in 60s and 70s.

It is not rocket science to see that with falling living standards and pressure on housing that migration (not asylum seekers, really it's tiny) is a huge issue.

There are quite a lot of policies governments could put into place to make people's lives better. But these are perceived as anti inclusion or nationalism. But really, they are expensive and migration is simply much cheaper to do.

https://www.concern.org.uk/news/these-12-countries-hosted-most-refugees-2023

in that article countries like Turkey Pakistan and Iran take the most asylum seekers. The majority that Iran and Pakistan take in are from neighbouring Afghanistan. The west certainly had a hand in what happened there

In Europe Poland take the most a birding to that link

Nailed it!

And make obese people pay privately for their health care 🤪

Don’t worry we are losing all the wealthy people and being left with the freeloaders, due to labour govenment. So we will probably be net zero in head count but financially in crisis. I guess you get what you vote for. People who have wealth are 90% likely to invest it in the country they live in, never mind all the charitable donations they make, but that loss will be covered no problem by stealth taxing everyone who stays, probably the middle class, though who the middle class are these days I don’t know.

Are we discussing general immigration?

I don't think OP would comprehend the difference. They're stealing her job innit?

Awesome idea.

Best not to confuse hearsay with evidence, KaylaLS
Naturally those seeking asylum will have a backstory and with those genuinely escaping repression the horror stories may well be true, but with economic migrants trying to pose as asylum seekers that's not necessarily the case

I once went for an interview at our local legal centre (it was actually an immigration advice facility who openly admitted they'd lied to get the funding) and listened to the usual accounts of dads being shot, mothers abused and siblings chucked down a well ... and asking what corroboration there was for this simply brought the usual thousand yard stare

Imagine my embarrassment when they offfered me the job

Durung my recent hospital stay all the nurses were poached from other countries during the Covid era.

We should be. That is the real issue.

We do control immigration..
We take fewer asylum seekers than many other European countries and they have to prove they are genuine refugees to be allowed to stay.
And we need to attract skilled people from other countries they contribute to the economy.
Research has shown that immigrants contribute more to the UK than they take out.

Well, my life has been saved twice by non-Brit immigrant (not sure what ethnicity, too ill to ask) doctors. So bring 'em on, as far as I'm concerned.