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According to official figures released on Thursday, net migration to the UK exceeded 900,000 people in the year to June 2023, the highest annual total on record and far more than thought. think before.
The Office for National Statistics’ revised figure of 906,000 for the period, following the pandemic, far exceeds the previous estimate of 740,000.
the ONS attributed this growth to more information about people arriving from Ukraine and those already in the UK being granted new long-term visas.
However, it added that net migration fell by 20% to 728,000 in the 12 months to June this year, after the previous Conservative government tightened controls on international students and care workers. care as well as increasing salary thresholds to sponsor highly skilled workers.
Figures showing migration is occurring at much higher levels than previously thought have sparked sharp criticism of the Conservatives’ performance in government.
Labor said it had shown “the Conservatives have broken the immigration system” and that the party had “begun a difficult effort” to reduce numbers.
Nigel Farage, leader of the UK right-wing Reform party, said the figures were “appalling” and added that voters would not forgive the Conservatives “at any point in the next few years for what they did.”
However, the amendments will also increase pressure on Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who has pledged to cut immigration further and keep the Conservative Party’s changes in place.
ONS figures show that around 1 million of the 1.2 million people who came to live in the UK in the year to June were non-EU nationals. Of these, 845,000 people are of working age and 179,000 are children. The top countries of origin are India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Zimbabwe.
Marley Morris, deputy director of the IPPR think tank, said the new government faced “a series of difficult choices on immigration” as further cuts in numbers “could be challenging for with recruitment in key areas such as social care, as well as university finance.” ”.
On Thursday, the Home Office announced new measures that will ban employers from recruiting migrants if they repeatedly breach visa regulations – including if they treat workers unfairly. immigration officer.
In comments Wednesday anticipating the release of the data, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged how net migration had increased during her party’s 14 years in power, saying the Conservatives was “wrong”.
However, separate data on visa applications on Thursday showed that the recent decline in net migration to the UK is accelerating.
Home Office figures up to September show applications for health and care workers are down 65%, students are down 19% and student dependents are down 84%.
The ONS said the fall in net migration in the year to June was mainly due to fewer family members traveling with students and students who had arrived in previous years returning to their home countries.
Some 295,000 non-EU nationals came to study, similar to the previous year’s intake, but they brought fewer family members, reflecting new immigration rules banning students from taking long master’s courses one year cannot bring dependents.
Some 184,000 non-EU nationals were granted work visas, down from 219,000 in the year to December 2023. The number of family members joining them increased to 233,000, from 166,000 in the year to June 2023.
However, this may reflect a rush to secure visas before the ban on care workers bringing their families to the UK came into force. The ONS said the most recent figures showed signs of decline.
Asylum seekers make up 84,000 or 8% of people arriving in the UK from outside the EU, including those arriving by regular and irregular routes, such as small boats.
Separate quarterly Home Office statistics published on Thursday showed the number of migrants arriving through illegal channels fell by 18% in the year ended September. Of these, nearly 30,000 or 81 percent cross the strait by small boats, slightly lower than a year ago.
This story has been amended to clarify that the previous estimate for net migration in the 12 months to June 2023 was 740,000
