Latin American migration to the United Kingdom

[2] Since then, economic migration to the United Kingdom has increased, with Brazilian- and Colombian-born residents now forming the two largest Latin American groups, standing at an estimated 95,000 and 36,000, respectively, as of 2019.

[2] The earliest migrants date back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, primarily politicians and writers who settled largely in London.

One notable figure, General Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan-born political exile, spent 14 years in the British capitol.

Originally a member of the Spanish Navy, de Miranda decided to help free Latin America after witnessing the American War of Independence and French Revolution.

Notable examples include the Brazilian Hippolyto da Costa and the Colombian Juan Garcia del Rio.

[2] The first significant wave of migration from Latin America to the United Kingdom occurred in the 1970s, catalysed in part by the Immigration Act of 1971.

[6] Prior to this legislation, strict rules limited work permits or residency in mainland UK to individuals from current or former British overseas colonies and territories.

[6] The first large group of Latin American migrants consisted of approximately 2,500 Chilean exiles who settled in London in the early 1970s.

[7] Among the exiles were right-wing individuals escaping the rule of Salvador Allende and later leftists fleeing Augusto Pinochet’s regime.

Argentina's military government (the National Reorganization Process), which ruled from 1976 and 1983, was a major factor driving Latin American migration.

During Bolivia's late 20th-century political instability, many Bolivians chose to migrate to the United States or neighbouringSouth American countries.

As a result, it is challenging to determine the exact number of British citizens or residents of Latin American ethnic or national origin.

However, estimates for other Latin American countries were not provided due to insufficient sample sizes, which limited the accuracy of data for smaller groups.

[37] Eighty-five percent of the Latin American community in the UK are employed, though many work in jobs for which they are overqualified, and very few rely on state benefits.