Talent waste: when immigration fails to enhance immigrant enclave economy formation

Public opinion on migration in receiving countries is divided. For example, in the years 2013-2015 before the EU referendum in June 2016, immigration was consistently named as the most salient issue facing the United Kingdom peaking at 56 per cent in September 2016. Despite the negative perception of the issue, immigration has become a source of international business and a major contributor to national and international economy. The immigrant’s enclave theories claimed that, when immigration brings together immigrants’ cultural predispositions in a country of residence (COR), it often leads to the creation of immigrant resources, environments, infrastructures, capital (human, social and financial) and networks, elements that support immigrant enclave economic formation in their COR. However, the possible consequences of the failure of immigration into COR are yet to be fully examined. Hence, this chapter explores the possible consequences of talent waste when immigration fails to provide the country of origin (COO) cultural predisposition in a country of residence. Using a comparative narrative analysis of immigration and enclave economic formation theories, the study explores the role of immigration in enclave economic formation. Findings suggest that immigrants’ COO cultural predisposition is significant to their economic activity formation and that ceasing immigration will decrease immigrants economic activity and talents that result from immigration into a COR.