Many migrants to Britain do not integrate -report

LONDON, May 29 (Reuters) A quarter of migrants who had moved to Britain from central and eastern Europe spent no time with British people finding them ''polite but distant'', according to a report released today.

However, the study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) also found that increasing numbers of migrants had changed their minds and wanted to remain in Britain permanently after arriving for a short-term stay.

Long working hours and problems speaking English were seen as the main reasons for integration problems.

Only a third of migrants had taken English classes, with those with poor English skills the least likely to have done so, with many saying a lack of time and cost was to blame.

As a result, the majority of migrants spent most of their time with people from their home country or with other migrants.

During the first six months in Britain, a half of migrants spent none of their leisure time with Britons, and after two years one in four still did not mix with British people socially.

Part of the problem, however, was resentment from locals.

Although almost 40 percent thought British people treated them as equals, three in 10 said they did not and less than half of those who had been in Britain for three years were confident Britons were interested in friendship.

A Ukrainian waitress, 25, told the researchers that locals ''do not let you into their circles''.

Despite this, many migrants had decided they wanted to stay in Britain long-term. The report found that just under a quarter of those interviewed intended to remain permanently while only 6 per cent had planned to when they had arrived.

Researchers, who interviewed 600 migrants from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Bulgaria, found that many had faced difficult challenges when arriving in the country.

Many had a lack of information with only 17 per cent knowing where to get advice and just a third aware of how to register with a doctor.

Julia Unwin, director of the JRF, said the government should value migrants as more than an ''economic resource''.

She said it needed to ''continue to place importance on ensuring their integration into wider British society, even when their stay is expected to be temporary''.

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