UK Net Migration Hits Record High

New Migration Statistics Released

Figures from the ONS show that net migration reached 606,000 in 2022.

This is almost double the figure of net migration recorded in the UK in 2016, before the UK voted to leave the EU.

Statistics also show that the vast majority of individuals immigrating to the UK were non- EU citizens, accounting for around 80& of the total.

Immigration from EU nationals was recorded to decrease from the previous year.

Conservative Party Manifestos

The figures come in light of the Conservative party’s previous aims to curb immigration to the UK.

Former prime minister David Cameron pledged to get net migration down to below 100,000 when he was in the post. Additionally, the Conservative party echoed this aim in their 2019 manifesto.

However, current president Rishi Sunak denied that immigration to the UK is out of control, instead stating that “the numbers are just too high”.

Continuing Pressures

As part of their efforts to curb net migration, the government previously announced plans to restrict visa rules for foreign students in the UK.

The Russell Group of universities has raised concerns over these plans and the risk it poses to the higher education system being financially lucrative.

The shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, also criticised the government in the House of Commons. She said: “”Net migration is more than twice the level ministers were aiming for, and the asylum backlog is at a record high despite Rishi Sunak promising to clear it this year.”