UK needs annual migration plan to end incoherent policies, says thinktank
Ministers should introduce an annual migration plan to put an end to decades of 'incoherent, disconnected and unpredictable' policies around work visas, according to a Whitehall thinktank.
The Institute for Government (IfG) said that successive governments have put forward 'reactive, kneejerk policies' formulated when politicians have been questioned by broadcasters over net migration figures.
According to a report released on Thursday, a migration plan could be launched by the prime minister and home secretary. Similar to a spending review, it could be published as a public government document, debated in parliament, and be subjected to select committee scrutiny.
The suggestion comes as the government prepares to release an immigration white paper, while facing competing demands for lower overall migration and more visas from businesses, the NHS, universities and social care.
Reports earlier this week claimed that the white paper was delayed following rows between the Home Office and education ministers over proposed student numbers.
The Home Office has tended to focus on limiting migration. For other departments – including the Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business and Trade – migration is an economic lever with which to secure workforces and promote exports.
Sachin Savur, IfG researcher and author of the report, said: 'For too long, governments have failed to set out what aims they have for migration policy and a realistic route to achieve them.
'They have been tempted to make kneejerk changes in response to net migration and labour market statistics.
'Adopting an annual migration plan would allow ministers to get on the front foot and set out a genuinely cross-government agenda for immigration that takes into account the government's wider priorities, evidence and interests.'
Net migration – the measure for the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country – hit a record high of 906,000 in June 2023, in a period covering the premierships of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
The figures prompted dismay and allegations that the Tories had failed to 'take back control' of the UK's borders following Brexit.
According to the report, an annual plan would give the government's immigration policy credibility by:
Allowing for a more honest assessment about the pros and cons of migration.
Ending the antagonistic relationship between the Home Office and other departments.
Creating a more coordinated approach that weighs up interests and evidence across government to produce a collectively agreed strategy.
Ensuring a predictable approach to developing policy which gives certainty to employers, universities and trade associations.
An arbitrary annual cap on net migration would be impractical, but more specific targets, set by route, could be more realistic if an annual plan was implemented, the IfG said.
The Home Office has been approached for a comment.
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