Latest news with #netmigration
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Net migration to UK down by half in 2024 compared with year before
Net migration to the UK has nearly halved over the year to 431,000, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said, publishing figures that will bring some relief to Keir Starmer. The drop from 860,000 in the year to December 2024 follows a series of policies implemented by the last Conservative government that have been continued by the present Labour government. It is the biggest calendar-year drop since the early stages of the Covid pandemic, when net migration fell from 184,000 in the year ending December 2019 to 93,000 in the year ending December 2020. It is also the largest numerical drop for any 12-month period. The ONS said the sharp decline was caused by reduced immigration from non-EU countries for work and study visas and by an increase in emigration from the UK. A large number of international students who originally came before the Covid-19 travel restrictions to the UK were eased had also left, the ONS said. In June 2023, net migration hit a record high of 906,000 and it stood at 728,000 in the year to June 2024, shortly before Labour took over from the previous Conservative government. The issue of net migration has become a key electoral battleground, with deepening concern among voters about the NHS, housing and the small boats crisis in the Channel. With the challenge from Nigel Farage's Reform UK focused on immigration, the figures will be claimed as a boost to Starmer, who has pledged to reduce them before the next election. The fall in numbers has also been caused by a series of restrictions introduced by the Conservative government in the year before July's general election. Related: Skilled visa rules, deportations and higher fees: what's in the immigration white paper These included a ban on foreign students and care workers bringing dependants with them to the UK, a doubling in the minimum salary threshold needed for work visas to £38,700 and the minimum income needed for British residents to bring family members to join them to £29,000. The figure for 2024 was calculated by taking the number of people immigrating, and subtracting the number of people emigrating. Data shows that 948,000 people came to Britain in 2024, and 517,000 left. Immigration was down by almost a third, from 1,326,000 in the previous 12 months, and below 1 million for the first time since the 12 months to March 2022. Emigration was up by about 11%, from 466,000 in the previous year. The number of people leaving the UK has returned to a similar level as in the year ending June 2017. After Reform UK's success in May's local elections and the Runcorn byelection, Labour has hardened its position on immigration. Starmer was criticised last week when he said the UK risked becoming an 'island of strangers' without tough new policies. Some politicians said his words echoed Powell's notorious 'rivers of blood' speech, which imagined a future multicultural Britain where the white population 'found themselves made strangers in their own country'. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: 'The 300,000 drop in net migration since the election is important and welcome after the figures quadrupled to nearly a million in the last parliament.' The former Conservative home secretary James Cleverly said: 'This drop is because of the visa rule changes that I put in place.' Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the record fall in net migration was made possible by unusually high migration after Brexit and predicted the economic impact of the decline would be negligible. She said: 'This record-breaking decline in net migration was possible primarily because numbers had previously been so high. UK migration patterns in 2023 were very unusual, with unexpectedly large numbers of visas for care workers, international students, and their family members. This made it easier for the government at that time to bring down the numbers. 'The economic impact of this decline is actually likely to be relatively small. That's because the groups that have driven the decline, such as study and work dependants, are neither the highest skilled, highest-paid migrants who make substantial contributions to tax revenues, nor the most disadvantaged groups that require substantial support.'
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Dire problem exposed in the UK's falling net migration figures
UK net migration nearly halved in 2024, dropping to 431,000 from 860,000 the previous year, due to decreased non-EU workers and students. While both Labour and Conservatives cite their policies as contributing factors, concerns arise regarding potential worker shortages, especially in healthcare and construction. Industry leaders warn of the negative impact on housing and care services due to limited access to overseas workers. The government defends its approach, emphasising a focus on domestic skills development and border security. Despite the drop, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced further immigration reductions, sparking criticism for echoing Nigel Farage's rhetoric.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
‘Drop' in migrant numbers is nothing to celebrate… there are still 1,180 people arriving in the UK every DAY
YIPPEE! Break out the champagne, folks, because we need to celebrate the happy news that the Government is now totally in control of our borders. After years of politicians' failed promises and even a referendum vote to 'take back control', finally we can see the fruits of our labours in the latest immigration figures published by the Office for National Statistics. 5 Hold onto your hats because this is mind-blowing stuff: net migration has FALLEN BY HALF in just a year, from 860,000 in 2023 down to 431,000 last year. This is an undeniably enormous drop in the number of people arriving on our shores to live, work and study over and above the number of people leaving to go overseas. So why, you might ask, isn't anyone popping those corks, putting out the bunting and dancing in the street? Well, the answer to that is pretty obvious. The numbers may finally be going in the right direction but they are still STAGGERINGLY big and far too HIGH. The 431,000 net population increase is the equivalent of adding the inhabitants of the city of Bristol to our country every year. That's an extra 1,180 more people coming to live here EVERY SINGLE DAY last year — a rate of almost 50 people an HOUR. And every single one of them needed somewhere to live, access to healthcare, transport and schools for their children. So if you wondered why you are struggling to afford to buy a home or pay your rent, or to get a doctor's appointment or find a good school for your child, or why the roads are jammed and the buses are crowded, the last few decades of exploding immigration statistics can provide the obvious answer. Far too little, too late Sir Keir Starmer took to social media to boast that the fall in net migration last year proves 'we're taking back control' but in truth he didn't have anything to do with it. The drop in numbers is actually due to changes made by Rishi Sunak when he was Prime Minister, when he drastically cut the number of work visas and their dependents allowed to come to Britain. Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled a sweeping immigration overhaul - vowing to -finally take back control of our borders But even Sunak doesn't get any credit from the public for that as he only acted in response to widespread anger over the 'Boris Wave' of migrants post-lockdown delivered by Boris Johnson that saw a mind-blowing 1.3million new arrivals in 2023. The latest figures published on Thursday may look better in comparison, but they still mean that 100,000 more people arrived here last year than in 2016, the year we voted for Brexit and for more control of our borders. In fact — and this won't come as a surprise to anyone who doesn't live in Westminster's ivory towers — most immigrants aren't billionaire entrepreneurs It's also 50 per cent higher than the 'tens of thousands' pledged by former Tory PM David Cameron way back in 2010. And of course it's far higher than the 20,000-30,000 net migration we had before Tony Blair decided to open up our borders. In fact — and this won't come as a surprise to anyone who doesn't live in Westminster's ivory towers — most immigrants aren't billionaire entrepreneurs. Instead they are low-wage, low-skilled workers who bring their families with them and end up costing more to the nation's coffers than they contribute. No wonder, then, that most of us will conclude this fall in net migration is far too little and far too late. And, after years of failed promises, immigration isn't anywhere close to where the British people want it to be. A recent poll by Merlin Strategy revealed that an astounding 85 per cent of Brits now want net migration levels below the 100,000 mark, while HALF of voters want zero or less than zero net migration a year. One in 20 people said they were happy with the current level of immigration — all of whom presumably work at the Home Office, the Guardian or the BBC. Labour and the Tories may be keen to talk tough on immigration but no one believes them after years of failure to put that talk into action — and, as the latest polls show, their voters are flocking to Reform UK who have promised to deliver net zero immigration if they win power. 5 5 Could they — would they — actually do that? Well, why not? After all, what the latest migration figures actually prove is that the number of people coming to our shores every day, every week, every month, every year, has been in the hands of the Government all this time. Prime Ministers and Home Secretaries have had the ability — and the voter mandate — to cut those numbers any time that they chose. And they very deliberately chose NOT to cut them, time and time again. They've used every excuse under the sun. First Tony Blair lied to us and falsely claimed that the new arrivals would be a boon to our economy when he decided to open the UK up early to migrants from eastern Europe in 2004, resulting in net migration of 200,000 the following year. That was just a fraction of the 3.6million total of legal arrivals during his time in office. Politicians kept telling us that they couldn't cut immigration because we were in the EU so the British people voted for Brexit so we COULD finally control the numbers. So what did the Tory government do then? They handed out work and student visas like confetti to migrants from further afield — mostly India, Pakistan, Nigeria and China — hoping we wouldn't notice. If our politicians can't get on top of LEGAL immigration, is it any wonder that they are also dismally failing to get a grip on ILLEGAL immigration? Then they had the cheek to pretend to be as shocked by the numbers as we all were when they were finally made public! And now Labour ministers plan to allow a youth mobility scheme for up to 100,000 young EU citizens to live and work here. What could possibly go wrong when so many young Europeans live in countries with up to 50 per cent youth unemployment? It doesn't seem to matter what voters tell the political elite, or what they promise in their manifestos at election time, the overall numbers just keep heading in the same upward direction. Our political rulers would rather listen to business chiefs and the civil servants who are religiously wedded to the belief that more immigration is the answer to everything. Can't get the staff to work on low wages as carers, pick fruit or wait tables? Don't bother training up young Brits on the dole, just bring in a never- ending supply of cheap labour from abroad! Dismally failing We don't have enough doctors or nurses? Don't fund more places for our brightest students to get medical training, just import them from overseas! Our universities are facing financial crisis? Then offer places to thousands more foreign students paying triple the tuition fees of British undergraduates! And if our politicians can't get on top of LEGAL immigration, is it any wonder that they are also dismally failing to get a grip on ILLEGAL immigration? The champagne, bunting and dancing will have to wait until politicians start listening to voters and finally deliver on their immigration promises at long last The latest forecasts predict another record year ahead of Channel boat arrivals with a possible 50,000 migrants, while the latest ONS figures show a record high of 109,000 people claimed asylum in the past year, up 17 per cent on the year before. More and more are coming every week, with some 165,000 mostly undocumented men of fighting age arriving on Channel dinghies since 2018. This number dwarfs the size of the British Army, now only 75,000-strong, with an entire infantry division of young men coming to our shores since the New Year. To add insult to injury, a flotilla of 66 'Little Ships' crossing the Channel to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation this week was forced to change course to make way for a single migrant boat. So despite the 50 per cent fall in net migration, there won't be many Brits cheering today. The champagne, bunting and dancing will have to wait until politicians start listening to voters and finally deliver on their immigration promises at long last.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Net migration to UK sees largest fall on record
UK net migration fell by almost half in 2024, down to 431,000 from 860,000 the previous year – the largest fall on record. The drop is attributed to a decrease in non-EU workers and students, and stricter measures introduced by the previous Conservative government. While both Labour and Conservatives view the figures positively, concerns have been raised about potential worker shortages, particularly in healthcare and construction. Industry leaders warn that new immigration restrictions could worsen the housing crisis and impact essential care services. Despite the decrease, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced further plans to reduce immigration in recent weeks.
The National
22-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Net migration to UK halves under tougher rules on work and study
Net migration to Britain halved in 2024, official data showed on Thursday, driven by fewer people coming to work and study in the UK. Conservative politicians attributed the drop in numbers to the reforms they introduced on visa rules and the rights of migrants to bring their families into the country, while Labour sought to clamp down on the exploitation of care workers after coming to power last summer. The figure stood at an estimated 431,000 in the year ending December 2024, down 49.9 per cent from 860,000 a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said. Net migration – an estimate of the number of people migrating to Britain minus those – reached a record high of 906,000 in the year to June 2023. This is the biggest calendar-year drop since the early stages of the pandemic and the largest numerical drop for any 12-month period. Long-term immigration fell below one million for the first time in around three years under the impact of visa rule changes intended to cut the number of arrivals. That was estimated to be 948,000 in the year ending December 2024, down by almost a third from 1,326,000 in the previous 12 months and below a million for the first time since the 12 months to March 2022. The data will offer some relief to Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who earlier this month promised to reduce migration significantly over the next four years. He is under pressure from Nigel Farage's right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party. In August, weeks after the Labour government took office, the country was convulsed by anti-immigration riots in which mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers were attacked. This month, Mr Starmer said the country risks becoming an 'island of strangers' without better integration, and said he wanted net migration to have fallen 'significantly' by the next general election, but without giving a specific target. His plan includes reforming work and study visas and requiring a higher level of English across all immigration routes. Experts think that could reduce the number by a further 100,000 a year. In 2023, the Conservative government raised the minimum salary threshold for foreign skilled workers and made it harder for workers and students to bring their families with them. Thursday's number showed an 81 per cent drop in the number of dependents brought to the UK by students, and a 35 per cent drop in the number brought by workers. The ONS noted that international students who came to Britain in large numbers when Covid-19 travel restrictions were lifted were now leaving the country as their visas had expired. It said the change was driven by lower immigration from countries outside the European Union, which in recent years has included high numbers of people from India, Nigeria and Pakistan. A rise in the number of people leaving the country also helped to lower the net migration figure, as 517,000 emigrated, up 11 per cent on a year earlier. Mary Gregory, director of population statistics at the ONS, said this trend was driven by people who had originally come on study visas when pandemic travel restrictions were eased. The figures released on Thursday do not include those arriving in the UK by unauthorised means to seek asylum, many in flimsy, small boats across the English Channel. Although that number is far lower – some 37,000 people crossed the English Channel on small boats last year – it has amplified the debate. Marley Morris, associate director for migration, trade and communities at the Institute for Public Policy and Research think tank, warned the government needed to be careful to 'balance managing overall levels of migration with its ambitions to grow the economy and repair public services'. Economists at Pantheon Macroeconomcs said Mr Starmer's new immigration controls, forecast by the government to reduce net migration by a further 98,000 each year, would slice 0.1 per cent off the UK's potential growth. 'With the fall in numbers in part driven by a sharp drop in social care visas, it will have to be particularly cautious that further restrictions to this route do not exacerbate the current workforce crisis in the care sector,' Mr Morris said. But Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the economic impact of this decline would be 'relatively small'. 'That's because the groups that have driven the decline, such as study and work dependants, are neither the highest skilled, highest-paid migrants who make substantial contributions to tax revenue, nor the most disadvantaged groups that require substantial support,' she said.
