How easy/hard was it for colonial subjects to go to Europe?

vuun

This is just a general history question I'm curious about. (Mods feel free to move this to another board if you see fit.)

I'm mostly curious about the early 20th century. Was it possible for the average Indian or Nigerian, for example, to travel to Britain at the time, and what kind of paperwork/permission/documents would be required? Same question for someone from Vietnam or French West Africa going to France, or an Indonesian to the Netherlands. Was it legal for them to move permanently to Europe? I understand passport control was a fairly new concept at this time, and of course these places were technically part of the same empire, but of course with separate and unequal citizen/subject status for Europeans and non-Europeans. I'm also aware of the immigration restrictions against Asians/non-Europeans in the US, Canada, Australia at the time, but European countries weren't yet major immigration destinations, and I'm aware Britain for example had a very low nonwhite population before 1950 or so.

I'm just curious how much migration restriction there was or wasn't at this time period, and I'm aware there won't be one simple answer, but I'm wondering what people here know about the topic (couldn't find much from general internet searching).
 
SsgtC

SsgtC

Banned
I'm not sure how Europe handled it, but for the United States, the Philippines weren't originally subject to the quota restrictions on immigration. A Filipino could immigrate at will to the US (mainly). Once the US agreed to Grant the Philippines their independence though, they became subject to the quota
 

Anarch King of Dipsodes

AFAIK, there were no official restrictions on colonial subjects (or anyone else) entering Britain circa 1900. There were no mass migrations in prospect, or laws might have been enacted, as they were later.
 

L4a1

There was a small African population in London and other British ports for hundreds of years.
 
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