Laura Farkas
02 Mar 2016, 08:55 PM
Chapters 3 › For good or ill. The economic impact of refugees: SCROLL DOWN FOR INSTRUCTIONS View instructions Hide instructions

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This article from The Economist puts the finger on the painful question of the "economic cost" of hosting refugees.
Read the article and comment on the European experiences in this respect in your journal.
You can also comment on what others have done in their own journals!

An investment into the future?

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I believe that there are immediate costs and long term benefits associated with migration to Europe. I have lived in Great Britain for ten years, migrating from Hungary. I believe that I have paid more tax than I received, and I run my own business, paying both my own tax and national insurance. According to my British friends, the National Health Service in Britain would collapse if it had to rely on British doctors only.

Refugee administration, registration, support, and shelter will increase the budget of countries, and some countries are not happy to spend. However, if we think about the temporary shelters created for refugees and migrants in Greece and Turkey, it seems unfair to complain about the burden in Western Europe.

The study created by the Economist does not reflect the situation in Britain, I believe, with regards to immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe. The reason why asylum seekers cannot work in the country legally is because they need to wait for a decision for a long time. They do not receive any support from the government, and if they find illegal work to fend for themselves, they can be taken to detention centers.

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