The immigration magnet

One of the reasons the UK is a magnet for immigrants is our language, English is the second language of choice for most foreigners should they choose to learn it, most books and technical publications have an English language version, the vast majority of films are made in English in the USA, even the language used in international air traffic is English, thus an Italian pilot, landing in Italy under the control of the Italian air controller will do the whole process in English. Even to the extent that words from other languages will often be adapted into English if we like them or they are popular enough to enter our culture, we don't seek to defend our language as other countries do, we simply absorb new words and call them ours.
Mail.

More immigrants settle permanently in Britain than any other country in Europe, a study revealed yesterday.
The latest figures showed that 397,900 foreigners decided to live here in 2009 – second in the world only to the U.S.
The figure marked a rise of 14 per cent from the previous year. It was the largest increase in the developed world, at a time when most countries saw dramatic falls in the number of permanent settlers.
The study, from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, said the increase was largely down to family members coming to stay with those already in Britain, and the large number of foreign students living here.
The study comes just over a week after Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said a generation of Britons would be condemned to a life on benefits unless immigration rules were tightened.

Fair enough in its own way, people will come here to learn English or will travel to a country in which they already have a rudimentary knowledge of the language, after all it's easier than trying to learn a new one.

However any new immigrants should also expect to adapt to us and not simply hole up in a ghetto of their own which unfortunately has happened recently, nor do I believe that immigrants should be entitled to any sort of benefits until they have at least paid a fixed sum into the system in taxation, that includes medical treatment other than emergency stuff. That would mean people coming here to work at least would be encouraged, non working partner/spouse well they pay for them too. That would also mean the better paid/more skilled they are the quicker they would be covered by the safety blanket. Non skilled minimum wage slaves coming here would have to be working at least 10 years before they even got minimum benefits. 

That still leaves us with a problem about what to do about our own unemployed, but if we have fewer economic migrants because they have to pay their own way, perhaps our employers will look to take on some of our own.