Bolivians in the United Kingdom

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Bolivians in the United Kingdom
Bolivianos en el Reino Unido
Total population
Bolivian-born residents
1,143 (2001 census)
3,765 (2011 census)
Languages
Roman Catholicism · Evangelicalism [1]
Related ethnic groups
Bolivian diaspora, Latin American Britons

Bolivians in the United Kingdom (

2011 Census
.

History

Settlement

Bolivians have been migrating to London since the 1960s. Their emigration from Bolivia is driven by political and economic instability there. The United Kingdom traditionally has not been one of the more popular destinations for emigrant Bolivians; most instead headed for the United States or for other South American countries, especially Argentina and Spain. Since around 2002, there has been a sharp increase in Bolivian migration to Europe, overwhelmingly to Spain although thousands have migrated elsewhere in Europe, including the United Kingdom.[2] Spain has come to be seen as a mere stepping-stone and the United Kingdom as the final destination; despite the common language, Bolivians in Spain perceive the United Kingdom as being more tolerant and welcoming, as well as having higher-paying jobs.[3]

Demographics

Population

According to the

United Kingdom Census 2001, 1,143 people were born in Bolivia, making it the 140th most common birthplace for British residents.[4] The 2011 census recorded 3,618 Bolivian-born residents in England, 24 in Wales,[5] 113 in Scotland[6] and 10 in Northern Ireland.[7] In 2007, community leaders surveyed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that there might have been as many as 25,000 Bolivian-born people in the UK.[8]

Distribution

According to an IOM mapping exercise published in 2007, the overwhelming majority of all Bolivians in the United Kingdom reside in London. According to the report, boroughs with high concentrations of Bolivians included Southwark (mainly in Elephant and Castle, Old Kent Road and Peckham Rye), Haringey (mainly in Seven Sisters and Finsbury Park), Camden, Lewisham and Lambeth (mainly in Vauxhall and Brixton).[9] More affluent Bolivians were reported as tending to gravitate towards North London, while the less affluent lived in Southeast London.[10] Outside of London, other concentrations were identified in Newcastle and Edinburgh.[11]

Employment

Work in the cleaning industry is a common entry-level jobs for new Bolivian arrivals; others find employment as private nannies or in restaurants. Many Bolivians on student visas report working as many as 60 hours per week, or three times the legal limit.[12]

Many Bolivian migrants reside and work in the United Kingdom without authorisation.[13] However, instead of making use of the services of people smugglers or other similar means to effect illegal entry into the country, many Bolivians enter the United Kingdom visa-free as tourists, and then simply overstay their entry period and find a job.[2] Others enter on student visas which allow them to work up to 20 hours per week.[12] Long-term legal Bolivian residents of the United Kingdom do not necessarily have a negative attitude towards the recently arrived irregular migrants; in contrast, they often do what they can to help them out in finding accommodation and employment, regardless of legality.[14] False documents are said to be fairly easy to acquire, and are becoming of increasing importance as employers become less willing to knowingly hire illegal migrants.[14] A plan by the UK government to offer an amnesty to Bolivians residing in the country illegally was discarded in September 2007.[15]

Culture

Community

Long-term Bolivian residents of the United Kingdom have set up a number of community associations, such as the Anglo-Bolivian Society and the Friends of Bolivia.[16] However, most recent migrants surveyed state that they have never heard anything about those organisations.[17] However, many migrants have organised themselves into football teams which play against each other and even against Bolivian teams from Spain.[18]

The Bolivian community in the United Kingdom is divided along lines of ethnicity and social class. According to community leaders, divisions between kollas (highlanders of Aymara indigenous origin) and cambas (of Spanish or mixed descent) remain salient, although less important among youth.

usted, whereas he used the informal 2nd-person pronoun tú with his other subordinates and colleagues.[19]

Media

The United Kingdom has no publications either in Spanish or English aimed specifically at Bolivians. Bolivians, even those who do not have a good grasp of English, almost all report that they read the free English-language dailies, such as the

thelondonpaper, as well as the weekly Spanish-language daily Express News. 60% also read newspapers from Bolivia online, mainly El Deber, La Razón, and Los Tiempos.[20]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b International Organization for Migration 2007, p. 11
  2. ^ a b Sveinsson 2007, p. 3
  3. ^ International Organization for Migration 2007, p. 5
  4. ^ OECD 2004
  5. ^ "2011 Census: Country of birth (expanded), regions in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Country of birth (detailed)" (PDF). National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Country of Birth – Full Detail: QS206NI". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  8. ^ International Organization for Migration 2007, p. 5
  9. ^ International Organization for Migration 2007, p. 9
  10. ^ a b International Organization for Migration 2007, p. 6
  11. ^ International Organization for Migration 2007, p. 8
  12. ^ a b Sveinsson 2007, p. 7
  13. ^ Sveinsson 2007, p. 6
  14. ^ a b Sveinsson 2007, p. 8
  15. ^ "Inglaterra descarta amnistía para los migrantes bolivianos", La Patria, Bolivia, 2007-09-04, retrieved 2008-11-29[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Sveinsson 2007, p. 12
  17. ^ International Organization for Migration 2007, pp. 10–11
  18. ^ Cortez Becerra, Esmir (2008-01-13), "Bolivianos vibran en España e Inglaterra", El Deber, Bolivia, archived from the original on 2008-10-12, retrieved 2008-11-29
  19. ^ Sveinsson 2007, p. 13
  20. ^ International Organization for Migration 2007, pp. 14–15

Sources
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