The Area Determinants of the Location Choices of New Immigrants in England

The author examines the determinants of the location choices of recent immigrants in England, using aggregate Department for Work and Pensions National Insurance Number registration data matched to ward and local authority district contextual data. Separate models are estimated for four recent immigrant groups, according to world area of origin, using a tobit regression modelling strategy. The results suggest that higher neighbourhood co-ethnic density and ethnic diversity levels, and higher deprivation levels, are associated with increased immigrant settlement. Most immigrants are more likely to settle in neighbourhoods with a higher availability of rented housing and lower access to employment. Compared with the other groups, EU Accession nationals and Africans are more likely to settle in deprived areas and African settlement is also more pronounced in areas with a higher availability of social housing. EU Accession nationals, unlike immigrants from more established immigrant groups, are found to be less likely to settle in large urban districts and more likely to settle in districts with lower unemployment levels.