[lurcio]

Not really, when you see the data http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&l...

UK is not a particularly attractive destination for either economic/humanitarian reasons compared to Germany/Italy etc.

[growlist]

You are the one making that comparison, not me, and that's only for asylum seekers. Net migration to the UK is still near historic highs, with migration from outside the EU actually increasing, and the predicted exodus of EU migrants far smaller than was forecast. The UK is still a dream destination for many migrants.

[dalore]

Yeah but aren't they the right kind of immigrants? /s

[growlist]

For some reason a points based system is deemed OK for Australia etc, but when the UK looks at the same it's not long before the accusations of racism start flying.

[walshemj]

So why the camps at Calais then? given that the UK isn't welcoming to asylum seekers it makes you wonder how bad it is in other European countries.

[ben_w]

Most of those (1) couldn’t speak French, (2) had contacts in the UK and a desperate human need for strong social connection, (3) believed, rightly or wrongly, that any contact with French authorities would result in their applications being rejected and them being forcibly returned to Syria/Afghanistan/wherever.

Source: Girlfriend did supply runs to The Jungle. She also found the place shocking in comparison to a literal slum in Nairobi.

But also: compare the size of that camp (~6500) to the ~million (at peak) who had asylum in Germany.