Dr. Seb Rumsby, a researcher at the University of Birmingham, has urged the United Kingdom’s government to provide more visa programs for Vietnamese migrants in order to decrease illegal boat crossings.

Rumsby’s current research analyses the political economy of irregular Vietnam workers in the UK, VisaGuide.World reports.

According to him, the government’s efforts to limit or prevent economic migration would result in more risky journeys and higher fees that migrants must pay smugglers to facilitate their passage.

He further explained that Vietnamese migrants often borrow a lot of money from loan sharks in their home country to pay for their journeys, which makes them even more eager to find employment.

If the UK Government wants to reduce boat crossings, it should focus on providing more accessible and appropriate work visa schemes so that migrants from places like Vietnam can travel safely and contribute to the economy instead of being forced under the radar.

‘Global Economic Disparities Push Vietnamese Irregular Migration to UK’

In a recent statement, Rumsby further said that economic disparities worldwide push Vietnamese people to migrate irregularly to the UK.

According to him, Vietnam’s economy has grown “unevenly”, particularly affecting recent migrants from less developed provinces who are experiencing high rates of youth unemployment.

Meanwhile, the UK faces serious labour shortages since Brexit and subsequent government immigration policies have been inadequate and failed to replace previous EU labour in several sectors. A cash-in-hand job in the UK, even one below minimum wage, can earn more than ten times what jobs are available to them in Vietnam.

He noted that the law of “supply and demand” shows that individuals dealing with poverty and unemployment will look for job opportunities in countries that are facing labour shortages.

Number of Vietnamese Migrants Arriving in UK Increased Tenfold

Since the beginning of 2024, over 6,200 migrants have arrived in the UK by small boats, according to the Home Office. Such a figure represents an increase of 24 percent compared to the same period in 2023, as reported by Daily Mail newspaper.

Of those, Vietnamese migrants accounted for 1,266, a significant surge from just three percent (125) the previous year.

This represents a ten-fold year-on-year increase in Vietnamese arrivals.

After the Vietnamese, Afghans accounted for 1,216 arrivals. Meanwhile, the rest of the 3,783 were migrants from other countries in the world.