The UK National Archives in Kew have now placed online more than 1,000 registration cards of immigrants who arrived in London and environs from 1914-1991.
The surviving Alien Registration Cards (MEPO 35 record series) contain immigrants' full name, date of birth, date of arrival in the UK, marital status, childrens' details, address, employment history and date of naturalisation, if applicable. Most include a head-and-shoulders photo of the individual.
Immigrants were required to register with the police and pay a registration fee.
This small collection of cards includes some interesting individuals, such as pioneer in Hebrew journalism Nahum Sokolow and architect Ernst Freud. They also demonstrate concentrated periods of immigration from certain countries. There are a large number of cards for Germans and Eastern Europeans as they fled the Nazis in the 1930s, Polish immigrants after WWII, and Hungarians entering following the 1956 uprising.
Search the cards for free by name, birth date or nationality. There is a nominal fee to download a card.
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