European immigrants in the UK before and after the 2004 enlargement: Is there a change in immigrant self-selection?

Simonetta Longhi and Magdalena Rokicka

No 2012030, Norface Discussion Paper Series from Norface Research Programme on Migration, Department of Economics, University College London

Abstract: The 2004 accession of Eastern European countries (EU8) to the European Union has generated concerns about the influx of low-skill immigrants to the Western member states (EU15). Only three countries, namely Ireland, Sweden, and the UK, did not impose restrictions to immigration from Eastern Europe. Did the elimination of barrier to immigration have an impact on the quality of immigrants arriving to the UK? Using EU15 immigrants as a control group, we find systematic differences between EU8 immigrants arrived before and after the enlargement. The elimination of barriers to immigration seems to have changed the quantity and quality of EU8 immigrants to the UK.

Keywords: EU enlargement; East-West migration, UK labour market, self-selection. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J30 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur and nep-mig
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Related works:
Working Paper: European immigrants in the UK before and after the 2004 enlargement: Is there a change in immigrant self-selection? (2012)
Working Paper: European immigrants in the UK before and after the 2004 enlargement: is there a change in immigrant self-selection? (2012)
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