the first significant and large wave of migration from latin america to the united kingdom occurred in the 1970s; the immigration act 1971 was just one factor that acted as a catalyst for this phenomenon. prior to 1971, there were strict rules in place that only allowed residents of current or former british overseas territories and colonies to be granted work permits etc. in the mainland uk. this change in legislation made it much easier for latin americans and other such groups to gain a right to live and work in the uk. from this point onwards, the latin american community in the uk began to grow with the arrival of migrant workers and refugees escaping oppressive political regimes. some 2,500 exiles from chile were the first large group of latin american migrants to the uk when they settled in london in the early 1970s; they consisted of businessmen, professors, and students who had fled their home country due to the ongoing political instability. exiles included right wingers fleeing the rule of salvador allende and later leftists fleeing the pinochet regime. chile wasn't the only source of latin american refugees in the 1970s and late 20th century in general, many individuals from the likes of argentina, bolivia, colombia and ecuador also requested the right for asylum in the uk. argentina's military government (national reorganization process) which remained in power between 1976 and 1983 was another major push factor which contributed to large-scale latin american refugee migration to the uk. colombians are the largest hispanic latin american group in the uk and they have been arriving in the thousands since the 1970s; most moved between 1986 and 1997 after they were forced from their homes due to guerrilla and paramilitary violence in colombia. through most of the 20th century, britain was in fact the most favoured european destination for colombian migrants and refugees, even ahead of spain. bolivians are a fairly small latin american refugee group in the uk; during bolivia's spell of political instability in the late 20th century many instead chose to make a new life for themselves in the united states or other south american nations. despite this, the uk still to this day remains the second most popular destination for bolivian migrants to europe regardless of status. cubans, although relatively small in number, have been migrating to the uk since the early 1960s, fleeing the communist takeover of cuba. most migration happened during the freedom flights which started in 1965 when some cubans chose the uk as an alternative to the united states.