Then, with the decline of the empire and with recent economic crises, the movement has often been in the reverse direction as Commonwealth citizens travel to Britain, not necessarily to become rich, but to make sufficient money to support their families.

Even within today’s more affluent nations, people are on the move to make money. This is true in Britain. More and more people are working in the south and keeping their homes in the north. To illustrate why, a residence in central London (in the south), described as a “broom-cupboard flat [apartment],” having only 61 square feet [5.6 sq m], recently came on the market for a staggering £36,000 [$54,000, U.S.]. Yet, this sum of money buys a three-bedroom house within 80 miles [130 km] of London.

There are some 60,000 Asian inhabitants of Bradford, a city in northern England. Many of these immigrants came to this industrial center to work in its woolen mills. But as automation cut the labor force, the unemployed now rely on government social security payments for their livelihood. Thus, many find that their quest for money ends in despair.