Government Under Increasing Pressure! Britain Witnesses Record Net Migration Levels
On Thursday, net migration to Britain hit record highs in 2017. This has put pressure on the UK government, which has made the issue a political focal point. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 1.2 million new arrivals and departures in Britain in 2022, resulting in a net migration of 606,000 individuals. That is in spite of promises made by previous Conservative administrations to significantly restrict immigration to the UK, especially in the wake of Brexit, which its proponents hailed as an essential step for Britain to “take control” of its borders.
Thursday’s figures force difficult questions for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and his embattled Home Secretary Suella Braverman, both of whom have pledged to reduce migration figures.
“The main drivers of the increase were people coming to the UK from non-EU countries for work, study, and for humanitarian purposes,” Jay Lindop, Director of the Centre for International Migration at the ONS, said Thursday.
According to the report published by Reuters, High levels of legal immigration have long dominated British politics, and the issue was a key factor in the 2016 Brexit vote. Over the past ten years, successive Conservative-led administrations have made promises to reduce immigration, once setting a net goal of fewer than 100,000. However, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics released on Thursday, a net 606,000 individuals arrived in the United Kingdom in the year ending December 2022.
“The main drivers of the increase were people coming to the UK from non-EU countries for work, study, and for humanitarian purposes, including those arriving from Ukraine and Hong Kong,” said Jay Lindop, Director of the Centre for International Migration at the Office for National Statistics. Lindop said there was evidence suggesting that immigration had slowed in recent months.
Prior figures for the year ending June 2022 had a net total of 504,000; this was increased to 606,000 in the most recent release. Many of those who voted to leave cited excessive immigration and the strain it imposed on public services as reasons for their vote. The leaders of the Brexit campaign had argued that leaving the European Union would give Britain greater control over its borders. However, in recent years Britain has extended visa programs for citizens of the former British colony of Hong Kong and the Ukrainian Republic, and businesses in industries including engineering, construction, and catering have asked the government to let them employ foreign workers.
In 2015, the year before the referendum, saw 329,000 people move to Britain. Rishi Sunak has made a target-free commitment to lower legal immigration. The administration announced earlier this week that it will take away some international students’ ability to bring family members into the country. In response to the current influx of tens of thousands of individuals crossing the channel in small boats, Sunak has also vowed to crack down on illegal immigration.