Notable individuals
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Mexican-born residents 9,771 (2011 UK Census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| London, South East England | |
| Languages | |
| British English, Mexican Spanish, Spanglish | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mexican diaspora • Latin American Britons • British Mexicans |
Mexicans in the United Kingdom or Mexican Britons (Spanish: Mexicanos en el Reino Unido) include Mexican-born immigrants to the United Kingdom and their British-born descendants. Although a large percentage of Mexican-born people in the UK are international students, many are also permanently settled and work in the UK as the community expands into its second generation. [1]
According to the 2001 UK Census, 5,049 Mexican-born people were living in the UK. [2] The 2011 census recorded 8,869 Mexican-born residents in England, 620 in Scotland, [3] 196 in Wales, [4] and 86 in Northern Ireland. [5]
According to the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, there is a slight gender imbalance in the population: 47% of Mexican-born people resident in the UK are male and 53% female. [1] Students make up around 40% of the population, whilst 13% are working in the UK. Spouses and children combined make up 9% of the Mexican-born population in the UK. [1] The Institute for Mexicans Abroad has identified London as having the largest Mexican community in the UK as well as the most diverse, with many not registering with the consulate. [1] There are significant numbers of Mexican students in the university towns of Sheffield, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Manchester and Liverpool. [1] There is evidence of increasing numbers of British nationals illegally employing Mexican domestic workers without valid work permits. [1]
| Year | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 52 [6] | 74 [7] | 116 [8] | 100 [9] | 105 [10] | 145 [11] | 160 [12] | 175 [13] | 145 [14] | 135 [15] | 115 [16] |
There are numerous Mexican-run associations, organisations and clubs in the UK. [17] MexSoc UK was established by Mexican postgraduate students in the UK and arranges academic, sporting and social events year-round that involve no fewer than twenty British universities. [18] Exatec UK is an alumni organisation for former students of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education living in the UK. [19] The British Mexican Society is a long-established Mexican association, formed in 1942 by Mexico's Ambassador to the UK. It remains a strong promoter of the culture of Mexico in the UK and organises many charitable events. [20] Mexico Amigo is another example of a group established by Mexicans in the UK that specialises in fund-raising events. It was set up in 1990 by a number of London-based Mexicans. [21]
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Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is an immigration status granted to a person who does not hold the right of abode in the United Kingdom (UK), but who has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on their stay and who is free to take up employment, engage in business, self-employment, or study. When indefinite leave is granted to persons outside the United Kingdom it is known as indefinite leave to enter (ILE).
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This article concerns the history of British nationality law.
Irish citizens in the United Kingdom enjoy a special status when residing there, due to the close proximity of the island of Great Britain and the island of Ireland and the historical ties between the two islands. Irish citizens from the Republic of Ireland have automatic and permanent permission to live in the United Kingdom and are eligible to vote, stand for public office, and serve in non-reserved government positions; any children born to them in the United Kingdom are British citizens.
A UK Ancestry visa is a visa issued by the United Kingdom to Commonwealth citizens with a grandparent born in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Ireland who wish to work in the United Kingdom. It is used mainly by young Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans of British descent coming to the UK to work and as a base to explore Europe.
A British Overseas Territories citizen (BOTC), formerly called British Dependent Territories citizen (BDTC), is a member of a class of British nationality granted to people connected with one or more of the populated British Overseas Territories, other than the Falkland Islands or Gibraltar.
A British protected person (BPP) is a member of a class of British nationality associated with former protectorates, protected states, and territorial mandates and trusts under British control. Individuals with this nationality are British nationals, but are neither British nor Commonwealth citizens. Nationals of this class are subject to immigration controls when entering the United Kingdom and do not have the automatic right of abode there or any other country.
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British Afghans are British citizens and non-citizen residents born in or with ancestors from, Afghanistan, part of worldwide Afghan diaspora. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that there were 79,000 people born in Afghanistan living in the UK in 2019. This has risen to 85,693 in the 2021 census for England and Wales and 116,167 who stated their ethnicity as Afghan under the Asian and Other ethnic groups.
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