Immigration Matters April 05

Immigration Matters

An email to the Daily Telegraph by Charles Kelly

Immigration Adviser & Co-Author of the book HOW 2 Come to the UK

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Kelly [mailto:ckelly@recruitnurse.com]
Sent: 27 August 2005 13:17
To: 'pjohnston@telegraph.co.uk'
Subject: DON'T BLAME THE NORTH SOUTH DIVDE ON IMMIGRANTS

Dear Mr Johnston,

Your article: Immigration pushes England's population to new high in biggest rise since the 'baby boom' years.

I read your article with interest since, as Immigration Advisers and Overseas Recruitment Consultants, we actively encourage immigration to the UK. We have recruited thousands of much essential nursing and healthcare staff from countries outside the EU such as The Philippines, India and China, as well as arranging work permits and visas for many other types of skilled workers.

We have even written a new book “How to come to the UK to Live Work Study or Visit” to help people legally come to the UK.

People like Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the Migrationwatch UK think-tank, should recognise the positive benefits immigration has had on the UK economy. Home Office research has shown that legal migrants contribute £2.5 billion more in taxes than they consume in services and have little or no adverse affect on the wages or employment levels of the existing population.

You only have to compare our economy to Germany or France, with their sluggish and ageing population, to realise that the UK has benefited from what I call “immigration energy”. Look at how the UK’s economy has powered ahead against our European counterparts over the last five years.

Your story focuses on overcrowding in England, but does not point out that many parts of the country are actually under populated and desperately short of labour. We deal primarily in the healthcare sector and I can take you to at least twenty different locations where employers cannot find locally based care staff, even with the “the huge influx of people from Eastern Europe”.

Migrants, whether from Eastern Europe, South America or the north of England have always flocked to London. I have lived in and around London all my life and have always pointed out to people who complain about the number of people on the tube or amount of traffic on the road that “if you don’t like crowds, why not go and live in the West Country, Cumbria or Milton Keynes”! London is crowded. London has always been crowded even since the time Samuel Pepys wrote his famous diaries and long may London continue to be crowded! Major cities, like London, New York or Tokyo attract millions of people and would not thrive without them. I challenge you to name one major world city worth visiting that is not crowded.

Overcrowded? If you still believe we are overcrowded take a look at the number of empty rental properties there are on the market or ask the Government why they have to offer “Key Workers” like Nurses and Teachers mortgage incentives to work in places like London.

As for the thousands of new houses planned for the green field sites in the Southeast of England, do you really believe they will be built to cater for the influx Polish workers or Filipino nurses? The population “problem” is nothing more that the age old “North-South” divide syndrome, which means that more people want to live in the South East of England than in the North. To blame this problem on immigrants proves that Sir Andrew Green and other anti-immigration commentators are running out of reasoned arguments.

We should not worry about increasing population or immigration, rather we should start worrying if our population was decreasing or people no longer wished to come to these shores.

Regards,

Charles Kelly

Managing Director

Overseas Consultancy Services Ltd

2 Penta Court, Station Road,

Borehamwood, Herts WD6 1SL

Tel: 0044 (0) 208 905 1822

Fax: 0044 (0) 870 429 2701 - 24 hour service

eml: ckelly@recruitnurse.com

web: www.recruitnurse.com

Want to find out how to come to the UK?
Read our new book "HOW 2 COME TO THE UK to Live Work Study or Visit"