Exodus?: Some social and policy implications of return migration from the UK to the commonwealth Caribbean in the 1990s

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the process of return migration from Britain to the Commonwealth Caribbean in the 1990s. The volume of return shows that the desire of Caribbean immigrants eventually to re‐settle in the lands of their births is being partly realised. But the notion of ‘return’ must be widely understood, because the process includes offspring and spouses who were not bom in the region and are, therefore, first‐time migrants. Moreover, both the migration and return experience have made and are continuing to make a significant contribution to Caribbean integration because the British destination and the different points of return provide opportunities for the people of the region to meet and establish new family relationships and identities. Financial contributions made by returnees, particularly pensioners and early retirees, are of particular relevance to island economies such as that of Jamaica. This paper suggests that the problems and opportunities generated by this dynamic cross‐Atlantic/Caribbean silent movement of people should not be ignored amidst the general media and community celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the docking of Empire Windrush, which marked the beginning of sizeable black and brown migration and settlement in post‐imperial Britain.