London immigration lawyers – Playing an indispensable role in the economy.

London Immigration lawyers have a major role to play in resolving the conflict between narrow-minded territorialism and a global world of ideas advancing at fast speed.

Global wealth is greater now than at any previous time in history. While total wealth in the United States and Europe has grown since 2000, the wealth of emerging economies has grown much faster. In fact, the proportion of the world’s wealth that comes from emerging economies has doubled since 2000. Not only that, the total wealth growth in emerging economies comes mostly from new wealth creation, whereas wealth growth in mature economies comes mostly from appreciation of existing assets. Technology has not only connected economies, it has contributed directly to tremendous global wealth production. The technology industry drives the growth of emerging markets, since technology companies can be started with a relatively small initial investment in labor, materials and cash.

If current trends continue, the Asia-Pacific region will surpass North America as the wealthiest region in the world in the next five years, with total wealth of $48.1 trillion (North America’s total wealth is projected to rise to just $48 trillion in the same period). It is reported that China alone presently has 1.3 million millionaires, although since China still appears to be primarily a cash economy, the actual number may be double that. It is no surprise, then, that the American EB-5 Immigrant Investor Programme witnessed a whopping 94 percent increase in petitions filed in 2011 and a 58 percent increase in petitions filed in 2012.

The challenges faced by the United States in formulating immigration policies that will enable it to continue to be a strong player in the global economy are paralleled in Europe, confirming the need for reform. The American tendency toward protectionism is paralleled in the notion of “fortress Europe” among the general public, policymakers and potential immigrants to Europe. As in the United States, Europe’s labour market faces a shortage of skilled workers. Empirical studies find that in Europe as in the United States, the effects of economic immigration, especially of skilled workers, are positive, not negative. Although attracting skilled immigrant workers will be essential for Europe as the economy becomes ever more globally interconnected, public discourse and public policy on immigration in Europe lacks a coherent direction.

The enlargement of the European Union and ongoing economic turmoil in Europe has wafted anti-immigrant rhetoric, and even violence against immigrants in Europe. Though Europe has a clear economic need for skilled immigrants, the competing voices at national and London immigration lawyers make the formation and implementation of a coherent policy difficult. Recently, there have been a few positive developments in European policies toward skilled immigrants, such as the 2009 introduction of the Blue Card, which enables high-skilled non-EU citizens admitted to work in one EU country to live and work in other EU countries as well. But highly skilled immigrants to Europe face a patchwork of national policies, requiring temporary permits granted at the discretion of immigration officials, and thus an uncertain future in their would-be adopted homes.