Will the Brexit add a new value to Britain’s Diaspora?
The Diaspora of Britain is the biggest of any wealthy country, counting up to 5 million members. This is not a surprise because Britain with its colonial history and the establishment of the Commonwealth offered opportunities to emigrate. For those who are not familiar with the term it basically defines a group of people and their decedents living outside the country, but who have and keep a connection to their home country.
Even though the rate of emigrants from England declines (19%), among the 15- to 24-year-olds it rates 8% which in comparison is pretty high. Most young man leave for India or Africa. Among these emigrants we find trained and skilled graduates who find better opportunities abroad than in their home country considering the high costs and highly competitive labor market.
Compared to other countries, Britain does not attend to its Diaspora. Other countries, especially African countries, see an advantage in keeping a tight connection to their Diaspora, particularly in terms of trade, remittances, passing on traditions and culture, and significantly investments and trade of skills and technology. Of course one can argue that the African countries are developing countries and have a higher interest in keeping a close connection to their Diaspora, but cannot every country then profit from its Diaspora?
However, Britain with its tighter immigration rules makes it hard for 2nd, 3rd generation people living in the Diaspora to return to Britain or even for the 1st generation members to come back with a family. With a Brexit Britain will isolate itself and may become even more unattractive for skilled professionals who want to work in a globalized network. One consequence could be that Britain will consider its cooperation with its Diaspora to keep up its trade and investments and to keep its skilled professionals or Britain remains in its current position towards the Diaspora and overlook its values.
