The UK could be home to almost 750,000 illegal immigrants, following an estimated rise in their numbers since 2001, a Home Office study for London mayor Boris Johnson has said. Mr Johnson has called an amnesty for many of them ‘morally right’, although the government has warned that it would become a ‘pull factor’ for more immigrants. The study looked at the economic impact of an amnesty for illegal immigrants and estimated that if a minimum of five years’ residence in the UK was required to qualify, 450,000 illegal immigrants could be granted amnesty.
