Net migration to the UK hits a record 900,000 in 2023

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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 far exceeds the previous estimate of 740,000.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the figures for the period before Labor took office in July were “shocking” and showed the previous Conservative government was “completely out of control”.

“This happened by design and not by accident,” Starmer said at a news conference, where he added that a white paper on measures to reduce immigration would be published “imminently.”

“Policies have been reformed to liberalize immigration. . . Brexit has been used to turn Britain into a one-nation experiment with open borders.”

the ONS attributed the surge 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 had fallen by 20% to 728,000 in the 12 months to June this year, after the previous Tory government tightened controls on international students and care workers. care as well as increasing salary thresholds to sponsor highly skilled workers.

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.

Cooper said the figures showed “a lack of proper controls and an over-reliance on huge increases in overseas recruitment”. She said the government would continue to clamp down on visas while “setting out new plans to link them to the skills and training system in the UK” and taking action to fix the asylum system.

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.

The government also announced a new security pact with Iraq aimed at strengthening border security and targeting smuggling and trafficking gangs. However, the majority of migrants entering the UK do so through legal routes.

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.

Additionally, quarterly Home Office statistics released on Thursday showed that 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