Sikh migration from India began in the 2nd half of the 19th century. This was when the British Raj preferentially recruited Sikhs into the Indian Civil Services and the British Indian Army. This led to migration of Sikhs to different parts of British India and the British Empire. It was also during this time that semiskilled Sikh artisans iv were transported from Punjab to British East Africa to help in the building of the railways.

After World War II Sikhs’ emigrated from both India and Pakistan, the main factor for this migration was economic. Most Sikhs went to the United Kingdom but many also went to other countries such as Canada, Malaysia, East Africa and others.

In the Summer of 1947, Partition of India, which is known as the ‘Largest Mass Human Migration’ in history saw many Sikh males move to the UK to seek as better life and support their families. Indian economy in late 1940-50’s was stagnated and had gone into recession.

At the end of the Second World War there were work shortages in Europe and labour shortages in Britain. The government began looking for immigrants16. Britain had reached out to the commonwealth for ‘Post-War Reconstruction’. Many Sikh males were attracted to the U.K. because of the availability of manual and skilled labour/job opportunities. Most worked in industries like foundries and textiles. These new arrivals settled in London, Birmingham and West Yorkshire.