A key rationale for more restrictive immigration policy, with stringent educational attainment or language skill requirements, is to “select” for immigrants who are expected to “integrate” well, in terms being net fiscal contributors and “good” future citizens. However, there has not yet been an empirical assessment of this rationale for the increasingly restrictive migration policy in the United Kingdom. Combining information on the economic and socio-cultural characteristics of the foreign born in the UK with aggregate data from non-migrants in immigrant sending countries, this paper examines changes in selectivity of immigrants in the UK by time of arrival and national origin, using relative educational attainment as an indicator of economic selection. We then assess whether economic or non-economic selectivity is associated with better labour market outcomes or higher levels of political engagement among the foreign born.
Read the blog by Renee Luthra: Are there ethnic differences in adherence to recommended health behaviours related to Covid-19? here