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This is a common argument, but I think it's only hypocritical if you're assuming a standpoint of moral universalism. If someone cares about themselves and not other people then a 'immigration for me but not for ye' argument has no hypocrisy. They simply want to get the best that they can for themselves and regard further immigration to be a detriment.
Right, self interest is an argument, but that wasn't the one being made. And while common, many people are suspicious of arguments made for selfish reasons. It's also not an argument that lends itself to much debate. If I think it is good that I can immigrate, but not other people, then other people are also free to make the same argument for their own immigration.
I disagree with your second point, I think that openly self-interested arguments are a lot less common than ones presenting themselves as high-minded or altruistic, which utterly saturate modern-day societies. Even the most brutal dictatorships, like North Korea, present their edicts in idealistic terms.
Any debate that followed from an argument of self-interest (i.e. an honest argument) would be of a technical nature on how best to achieve it. This is opposed to debate that follows from false idealism, which is a contest of deception and narcissistic self-delusion. There, the art is in the effective spin and the bald-faced lie.
Ahh to be clear, i think selfish reasons are common. But selfish arguments are not compelling, so most people will indeed hide behind some other rationale.
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