Franck Düvell

Documented and Undocumented Immigrant Workers in the UK: Changing Environments and Shifting Strategies

This chapter provides a ‘view from below’, through the accounts of migrants themselves. Two groups of migrants are investigated here: Polish and Indian nationals. The study compares undocumented immigrants, legitimate entrepreneurial migrants and work permit holders. The interviews conducted with migrants show how they interpret and interact with the strategies employed by enforcement agencies; and whether they see control practices as a deterrent or merely as an obstacle; and the strategies of irregular migrants with particular attention to changes in the light of new legal opportunities are studied. Furthermore, this chapter analyses how the government’s offer of ‘legal migration channels’ is perceived by would-be migrants: whether these channels suit the migrants’ aspirations and if these are appreciated or rejected.