Pedestrian walk past Union flags flying at Oxford Circus in London on May 25, 2023
Despite efforts by the government to limit the rate of net migration to the UK, the figure still reached a record high of 606,000 in 2022.
Based on Official Numbers
On Thursday, May 25, the country's national statistics agency released data showing that 925,000 permanent residents were not citizens of the European Union, as reported by CNBC. Meanwhile, 151,000 were from the EU, and 88,000 were British.
There were a total of 557,000 persons who departed the UK, with 202,000 of them being citizens of the EU. After peaking at 42% in 2019, just before the UK's formal exit from the EU, the percentage of EU citizens arriving in the UK has dropped to 13%.
In 2019, when the number reached 226,000, the governing Conservative party's election platform included a promise to reduce net migration.
The administration has emphasized that many newcomers are refugees from countries like Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. The percentage of newcomers entering via humanitarian channels rose from 9% in 2021 to 19% in 2022.
The Subject of Legal Immigration
The Conservative Party is divided on the subject of legal immigration. It is part of the government's efforts to stimulate the economy and reduce the labor shortage that is making things difficult for companies and pushing up salaries at a time of record-breaking inflation.
Net migration, as stated by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, should be around 500,000, or about where it was last autumn when he entered office.
However, his planned actions to reduce the numbers have caused friction with his more conservative interior minister, Suella Braverman. Sunak has also emphasized the importance of migrant labor to institutions like the National Health Service (NHS).
On Tuesday, May 23, Braverman's office imposed new limits on student visas, the most common method into the UK. Under the new regulations, only graduate research students will be permitted to bring family members to the nation.
The Home Office also said that it would stop people from using a student visa as a backdoor way to work in the UK by inhibiting them from moving visa types until their studies are over and checking their proof of funds.
The government has acknowledged that it does not have reliable data on the number of people entering and leaving the country. Thus beginning in 2025, all visitors from the EU and other nations (including the US) will be required to obtain an electronic visa.
See Also: Labor Party Leader Keir Starmer Supports Voting Rights for Long-Term EU Residents in the UK
Recruitment for Overseas Workers
According to officials, the country's borders are secure, and labor shortages are being met thanks to the post-Brexit points-based immigration system. However, employers report that Brexit has made it more challenging to fill open positions.
Raj Sehgal, CEO of Norfolk-based care home company Armscare, told CNBC that over 165,000 vacancies in the industry were at record highs last year due to rising demand for services and post-Covid burnout.
He added Brexit and the lower pound had made the UK less attractive to EU employees, making it hard to recruit young domestic staff to rural care homes.
Sehgal said the procedure of hiring foreign workers is unsuitable for firms that want to boost the economy, citing that it is complex and expensive.
See Also: UK Migration Bill: Archbishop of Canterbury Warns Against Potential Damages
