How do you stop/control immigration?

[Mich the Tester]

You never mentioned illegal immigrants in the original spec.

Well no, but it seems that if you make it difficult to immigrate legally, people then just immigrate illegally or through the asylum system. That´s partly because selling your arse for crack on the streets of London, Paris or Amsterdam is probably a more attractive proposition than trying to eek out a living in Darfur or Chechnya or living as a gypsy in eastern Europe and getting beaten up by skinhead policemen all the time.

[expat]

Once living standards in the UK have fallen to comparable levels in the third world this problem will solve itself. You just have to give it time.

Assuming a static equilibrium. However if the thrid world keeps getting worse, it will remain a source of immigrants.

[TimberWolf]

Not really, UK has had for a very long time the highest home owner percentage in Europe so seems they pull the strings now it just looks like we are coming in to line...

Our houses are smaller and crappier than the European average though. The smallest and crappiest I think.

[sasguru]

Most youngsters can't afford to buy a house until they are in their late thirties or forties in the UK now. Are we nearly there yet?

WTF have living standards to do with buying a house?
In Germany most people do not own their own house but living standards are far higher.

[DodgyAgent]

Our houses are smaller and crappier than the European average though. The smallest and crappiest I think.

Not compared to Poland

[expat]

Well no, but it seems that if you make it difficult to immigrate legally, people then just immigrate illegally or through the asylum system. That´s partly because selling your arse for crack on the streets of London, Paris or Amsterdam is probably a more attractive proposition than trying to eek out a living in Darfur or Chechnya or living as a gypsy in eastern Europe and getting beaten up by skinhead policemen all the time.

Are you really prepared to deter those people by inflicting a punishment even worse than their life is already? As TE Lawrence said, "With the sorrow of living so great, the sorrow of punishment had to be pitiless".

[TimberWolf]

Well no, but it seems that if you make it difficult to immigrate legally, people then just immigrate illegally or through the asylum system. That´s partly because selling your arse for crack on the streets of London, Paris or Amsterdam is probably a more attractive proposition than trying to eek out a living in Darfur or Chechnya or living as a gypsy in eastern Europe and getting beaten up by skinhead policemen all the time.

Those things have to be cracked down upon, as in the past, for example by prosecuting the employers of illegal immigrants. You're never going to completely solve illegal activity, but you can try to manage it. With less legal immigration going on the problem of illegal immigrants becomes more visible and easier to tackle. The biggest problem facing us are the numbers of 'legal' immigrants.

[Mich the Tester]

Are you really prepared to deter those people by inflicting a punishment even worse than their life is already?

Not me, no.

[Mich the Tester]

Those things have to be cracked down upon, as in the past, for example by prosecuting the employers of illegal immigrants.

Already being done. Trouble is, there´s so much money to be made out of employing illegal immigrants that people still do it.

[gingerjedi]

WTF have living standards to do with buying a house?
In Germany most people do not own their own house but living standards are far higher.

So renting a 2 bed brick shoe box will increase your standard of living? I doubt Germany has such woefully inadequate housing standards/levels as the UK.

Berlin is full of decent sized but empty flats.