Basic assumptions

• It’s assumed that immigration will have a significant impact on population growth (as seen in countries such as The UK or The Netherlands), as long as there’s an imbalance between immigrants and emigrants. An imbalance would require bigger contributions through taxes to be able to cover not only the costs of running current services but also the expansion of this services.

• Population growths will rapidly require the expansion and adaption of the existing infrastructure.

    
What would this mean for national health services?

Immigrants are often on working age, and therefore healthier than other population groups (children, elderly…), which in such case, would mean that once established in the country, they would contribute through their taxes to pay for national health services that most likely they will not need. 

At the same time, migrants have statistically higher fertility rates, and that could create a strain within the maternity care system that would need higher supplies and also with the pediatric care. 

These imbalances can lead to pressures from nationals to avoid migrants to enter into the system, thus pressuring for inequality measures on migrants access to health care. One of this examples is the measure from UK’s government in 2015 to surcharge 150GBP per year for students and temporary migrants from outside the EU; which was also cause of critic by the British National Audit Office as debts from non-EEA were inefficiently collected and was claimed that an imbalance of 200 million GBP was left as a result.  

On the other hand, migrants can also contribute to the health services, not only through taxes but also as a working force after proper preparation. Being a working force of the health services means not only doctors and nurses; but other professions that are required, such as social assistance for elderly that can help alleviate the pressures in elder patients in health centres and hospitals.

 

What would this mean for educational services?

As mentioned above, immigrants have statistically higher fertility rates than nationals; which means that within 3 or 5 years after mass immigration weaves happen, primary schools will have shortfalls of places for students. 

Additionally to the necessity to asset and evaluate the need of new school facilities; support for children and parents should be provided; in order to help them reach language requirements; as often, immigrant families might use the new country’s official language as an additional after their own home country’s language. Thus, translating devices should be provided in schools to facilitate the communication between teachers and parents; and special programs should be developed to help the students assimilate the new language quicker; which will as a side effect improve their overall learning skills.  

What would this mean for translation and interpretation services?

Mass immigration will lead to higher costs in the use of translation devices in the public sector; not only in schools but the overall system. This can have two different consequences, higher costs for hiring interpreters, but also a focus on modernizing the existing system, to include new technologies which can contribute considerably to expand the I+D projects in the country.

What would this mean for roads, transport and infrastructure?

Unexpected massive population growth can lead to overcrowding of the public transport network, and impact negatively fueled traffic.  Thus creating the need to improve the facilities, and open a new field for innovation.

 

What would this mean for the environment?

In the study case of Gdansk and the metropolitan area of Tricity, a massive wave of immigrants would lead to pressures on the Trojmiejski Park Krajobrazowy. As an example, we can use the UK’s case, in which The Times already reported for building on the green belt in order to help the supplies of extra 250000 homes per year. By building in protected areas, immigration could be seen as a threat to the local’s environment and biodiversity.

 

What would this mean for governments?

The economic challenges associated to an increasing population, but also the basic need for new population policies; that can help regulate the flow of population in cases of extreme massive immigration where the net migration would be such that could risk the country’s own balance.