UK Immigration: Romanian & Bulgarian Migration to UK Remains Steady

This week, the Migration Observatory at Oxford University, published research which demonstrated that Romanian and Bulgarian migration to Britain had remained steady over the past few years. The Migration Observatory’s research contradicts fears that the lifting of transitional controls on 1 January 2015 would bring a surge of migrants into the UK.

Romanian & Bulgarian: No Visa Restrictions

In 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became member states of the European Union giving their nationals the right to not only enter and remain in the UK without a visa but also to work freely, providing they had an accession worker card.

At the beginning of this year, EU restrictions were removed and now Romanian and Bulgarians have the same rights as people from other EU member states. At the time, this had given rise to the question of whether there will be a sudden influx of Bulgarian and Romanian nationals arriving in the UK for the purposes of living and working.

Migration Observatory: Steady Growth of Romanian & Bulgarian Population in UK

The Migration Observatory’s research shows that the overall population of Romanians and Bulgarians in the UK rose from 205,000 in September 2013 to 252,000 in September 2014, an increase of 47,000. This followed a similar rise of 45,000 in the corresponding period in 2012-13.

Madeleine Sumption, the Migration Observatory director, stated:

“The growth in the Romanian and Bulgarian population of the UK has been steady for the last seven years, despite transitional controls that limited their access to the labour market and welfare state in the UK. The end of these controls do not seem to have had a very significant effect.”

Contact us for a successful Naturalisation application

Those who are currently in UK as Romanian and Bulgarian nationals and have have completed five years of lawful residence in the UK and have held Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) for at least one year, should contact our immigration experts to discuss the possibility of applying for naturalisation.

Our team of experienced and professionally qualified solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of the law. Please always call us for a free telephone assessment and free case assessment even if you wish to consider other advisers.

Our Immigration Experts are able to give specialist legal information and advice in this area of law. To contact one of our Immigration Solicitors or Immigration Barristers please complete our legal case assessment form and we will get in touch or call us now on 0845 8622 529 for a free telephone assessment and free case assessment.

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