The 1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act, the 1968 Commonwealth immigration Act, the 1971 Immigration Act, the 1981 British Nationality Act and the 1988 Immigration Act were all attempts at strengthening border controls. Migration from European countries kept increasing as more number of Southern Europe and Eastern European states joined the union. Migration as an economic threat post EU membershipOver the years, the happy attitude towards migration from the Commonwealth countries could not be retained. One of the biggest threats posed by EU membership for Britain was the likelihood of larger number of European migrants replacing migrants from the Commonwealth countries. The campaign for Brexit saw Eurosceptics like Nigel Farage blaming migrants, in particular those from East Europe for problems like unemployment and crime.

Source: Indian Express June 27, 2016 10:30 UTC