What is an Immigrant ?

[modeller]

We have 10% of so called immigrants but what is an immigrant ?
And what is the true value of these percentages that are published ?

I have many neighbours who we would consider immigrants but who were born here and in many cases so were their parents and even grandparents. My Jamaican neighbour is a great grandfather and all his grand children were born here and are living here.

In my 6 year grand daughter's class only 5 are white English but I believe
all the others were born here and are I assume by definition English.

[jake-the-peg]

Cultural differences are not a matter of immigration

We have had numerous religious and cultural differences in the UK going back hundreds of years

We even have more than one language (let's not forget the Welsh!)

people like to say multi-culturaism has failed


http://londonmuslims....-jack-hijab-lady.html

tell her that!

[pdq1]

Forget the past, nothing we can do about it! I'm more concerned about the 250,000 net immigrants who are coming to this country every year and we hav'nt the facilities to deal with it. Politicians have their heads in the clouds and are either unwilling or unable to tackle the problem.

[jno]

we are not all immigrants. Our ancestors may have been; but if we were born here, we are not. That's what immigration means. I was born abroad, I live in Britain, so I am an immigrant. No way am I going to share my treasured status with mere limeys.

[modeller]

That raises another couple of points. jno If someone is born abroad they are I believe given the nationality of that country but they also have the nationality of the parents . An English colleague of mine claims he was born on a Japanise ship of English parents and has dual nationality.

Another point, it seems the smaller the population of a country the more nationalistic are its inhabitants. 'Good on ya '

[Haggisdj]

So Modeller, Cliff Richard was born in India... can we PLEASE send him back!!!!

[modeller]

Congratulations !

[anotheoldgit]

Even M&Ms are finding it difficult.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpQQ7FUqP4Y

[emmie]

I was born in England of English parents, but some time back the old ancestors were Irish, so should i claim dual nationality, no, that was then, this is now. Had I been born in Ireland, with English parents would that make me Irish, no still English as far as i know. It will always be an issue, because as been pointed out your granddad may have come from Jamaica, but the children were born here, then what are they, not English, but British, but that doesn't seem right either, give up.

[Mosaic]

Lol Em - I've had a flashback of Peter Griffin discovering his 'roots'
http://familyguydirec...watch.php?episode=314

[jno]

as someone said, being born in a pantry doesn't make you a dinner plate. You're not automaticially British just because you were born here

http://www.direct.gov...ishpassport/dg_174145

[doctordb]

VHG- the welsh were here long before the english so you can't call them the 'true english'. The welsh as 'True Britons' would be more accurate.

[mushroom25]

I was born in Uxbridge, and both my parents were Londoners. But my mother's Grandfather was a Guernsey Frenchman.
Am I an "Immigrant"? Well maybe I don't deserve to live here, since I failed the government's test.
http://www.ukcitizenshiptest.co.uk/

[Mosaic]

Hmm doctordb - DNA evidence seems to imply not just the Welsh are ancient Britons
http://rspb.royalsoci...nt/275/1650/2423.full - about half way down the page. Bit longwinded but informative.

[modeller]

em.10
I suppose it depends how far back you go and whether you were in the north or the south. What do those in Northern Ireland call themselves ?
Irish ? British Irish ? and how about the Roman Catholics and the Protestants what is written in their passports ? I remember one RC saying to me ,if you are not RC you are not Irish .

My mother had second sight and it was said she inherited it from her great great great Irish Romany grandmother . Maybe she was British not of this world Irish.

[doctordb]

Completely agree Mosaic. I was just trying to point out that the welsh were not english but were Britons and here long before. In fact Arabs were living in the north before the english were.

[pdq1]

On the 100th anniversary of Enogh Powells birth a very relevent question.

[EDDIE51]

Anyone who was born here to parents who had the legal right to be here is NOT an immigrant. The 1st generaton to arrive were immigrants the children,grandchildren and on are British no matter where their parents or grandparents were born. The children of the original immigrants did not immigrate here , they were born here so can not be immigrants.

[FredPuli43]

Curiously, and exceptionally, because the USA was built on immigration their rule is that anyone born on US soil is an American citizen, whether or not their mother was there illegally or not. That has odd consequences. The country is so possessive, and so jealous of this principle, that Boris Johnson, born to British parents, a British citizen from birth, was refused entry because his British passport showed that he was born in the US.His parents had happened to be in the US at the time. His family was admitted, but he had to return to Britain to obtain an American passport before he was allowed in. As he remarked recently, he was eligible to be President !

However, as a general rule, the place of your birth is immaterial in such matters, whether that be at sea under a country's flag or in a hotel where your mother is on holiday, or anywhere else !

[EDDIE51]

Yes my first child was born while I was working in Zambia , she has a Zambian birth certificate but she is British , she is not eligable for Zambian citizenship.

[modeller]

On the basis of all the replies it appears the percentage figures for immigrants are worthless. In my road we only have 2 true immigrants but in reality there are 24 who are not English Welsh or Scottish.