The table below shows the figures for immigration and emigration for Scotland for the period 2003-2006.
Table 1
Immigration, Emigration and Net-migration Scotland, 2003-2006 |
|||||||
|
Immigration |
Emigration |
Net-migration |
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|
(1) |
(2) |
(3) |
(4) |
(5) |
(6) |
(7) |
Period: |
UK |
Abroad |
Total (1)+(2) |
UK |
Abroad |
Total (4)+(5) |
(3)-(6) |
Mid-2003 to mid-2004 |
61,900 |
36,300 |
98,200 |
46,40 |
24,600 |
71,000 |
+27,200 |
Mid-2004 to mid-2005 |
57,300 |
35,400 |
92,700 |
44,800 |
28,100 |
72,900 |
+19,800 |
Mid-2005 to mid-2006 |
53,300 |
42,200 |
95,500 |
44,400 |
29,500 |
73,900 |
+21,600 |
Source: GROS
A significant number of immigrants, around 15%, are British citizens who emigrated abroad and who have now returned ‘home’. Information produced by the Office of National Statistics, London suggests that the distribution of non-British immigrants is:
Statistics show that around 80% of Commonwealth immigrants come from the Indian subcontinent. Commonwealth immigrants are likely to be committed to staying long-term or permanently.
Since 2004, there has been a steep rise in the numbers of immigrants from the 10 countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004. The countries are: Cyprus; Malta; Czech Republic; Estonia; Hungary; Latvia; Lithuania; Poland; Slovakia; and Slovenia. The eight Eastern European countries are known as the Accession Eight countries (A8).
A8 nationals can work legally in the UK if they register with the Workers Registration Scheme (WRS). By the end of 2007, Scotland had 62,400 registrations. About two-thirds of applicants were Polish. Only 7% of registered workers stated that they had dependants living with them in the UK. Information from the WRS on the intended length of stay showed that in the period January-December 2007, 59% of those from A8 countries said that they expected to stay less than three months, with only 8% saying that they intended to stay more than two years. Around 25% were uncertain about how long they expected to remain in the country. Apart from the information from WRS, little is known about A8 nationals working in Scotland. Self-employed A8 nationals are not required to register with the WRS and anecdotal evidence suggests that the numbers may be substantial.