Article Summary
- Net migration to the UK rose to an all-time high of 606,000 in 2022
- Net immigration figure of 488,000, was driven by people coming to the UK from outside the EU
- Sunak insisted that measures announced this week to prevent international students from bringing family members with them would reduce levels over time
Net migration to the UK rose to an all-time high of 606,000 in 2022, forcing Sunak to bring measures to reduce the overall numbers.
According to him;
- “Numbers are too high, it’s as simple as that, and I want to bring them down”. the prime minister said after the release of the 606,000 figure”.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics
The total number of immigrants which compares to a 2021 net immigration figure of 488,000, was driven by people coming to the UK from outside the EU, including Ukraine and Hong Kong, according to the Office for National Statistics.
However, it stated that net migration to the UK had stabilized, with immigration slowing and emigration increasing.
The ONS also increased its estimate of net immigration for the fiscal year ending June 2022 to 606,000 after accounting for asylum seekers, up from 504,000 previously
The migrant mix
The agency also noted that the mix of migrants had shifted over time, with fewer new arrivals coming as students and more coming through humanitarian routes.
The ONS estimated gross immigration from outside the EU at approximately 925,000, a 287,000 increase from 2021. More than a third of those arriving were students and their dependents, with 235,000 arriving on work visas and about 250,000 arriving as asylum seekers or through humanitarian routes.
Non-EU emigration increased as well, primarily as a result of students returning home, leaving net immigration from outside the EU at 660,000.
In 2022, immigration from the EU, which accounted for more than half of all arrivals in 2018, will total only 151,000. Net EU immigration is now negative, with 202,000 EU citizens leaving the UK during the year.
According to Jay Lindop, director of the ONS Centre for International Migration, “unprecedented world events combined with the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions have resulted in record levels of immigration.”
However, she added that the evidence indicated that immigration had slowed, “potentially demonstrating the transient nature of these events.”
Sunak insisted that measures announced this week to prevent international students from bringing family members with them would reduce levels over time, and urged the public to “rest assured” that he was on top of the situation.
However, current inflows continue to exceed the government’s 2010 pledge to reduce net immigration to tens of thousands.
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