East: Migrant Population Up 70%

9 September 2013, 06:00 | Updated: 9 September 2013, 06:17

Figures released by Oxford University's Migration Observatory showed that the East of England now has the third largest migrant population of the ten regions of England and Wales - after London and South East England - rising from fourth place in 2001.

This follows a 70% increase in the migrant population of the region between 2001 and 2011.

Fenland district has seen the fourth biggest percentage increase in its migrant population of all districts and unitary authorities in England and Wales (211%) and areas like Peterborough and Cambridge have all seen large increases in their migrant populations, while many other districts in the East on England saw comparatively smaller changes.

The biggest percentage increase in the region's non-UK born population occurred in Fenland (211% increase), this was the third largest increase in England between 2001-2011.

The Luton had the highest number (62,872) of non-UK born residents in the region in 2011, followed by Peterborough (37,892) and Cambridge (36,381).

Residents born in Poland represent the most numerous non-UK born group in the East of England (62,100 residents) followed by residents born in India, Ireland, and USA and Pakistan.

Among those for whom English was not the main language, the most commonly spoken main language was Polish (19%), followed by Urdu (5.7%) and Chinese languages (5.3%).

Sylvwester Iwaniec rund a business in Cambridge. "Cambridge is a very nice place to be honest, it's very multi-cultural, people from all over the world, open-minded, so Cambridge is really nice. I was in London for seven months, but to be honest, I wouldn't go back.

"This country gave me an opportunity which I took. We run our own place here, it's probably more easy to do a business here than it is in Poland, because I run my own company as well in Poland."