Net migration to the UK dropped 20 per cent in the year to June 2024, down from a record high the year previous.
Estimated net migration to the UK stood at a provisional 728,000 in the year to June 2024, down from 906,000 for the year to June 2023, according to provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released on Thursday.
The total for the 12 months to June 2023 has been revised upwards by 166,000 from the initial estimate of 740,000.
This is because the ONS now has more complete data for this period and has also improved how it estimates the migration behaviour of people arriving in the UK from outside the European Union.
A similar revision has been made for net migration in the year to December 2023, which was initially estimated to be 685,000 and is now estimated to be 866,000, an increase of 181,000.
ONS director Mary Gregory said the decline has come as a result of a fall in the numbers of dependants on study visas coming from outside the EU, a decrease in the number of people arriving for work-related reasons, and increases in emigration.
She said long-term international migration to the UK has been at unprecedented levels since 2021, driven by “a variety of factors, including the war in Ukraine and the effects of the post-Brexit immigration system”.
“Pent-up demand for study-related immigration because of travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic also had an impact”, she added.
Commenting on the latest figures, Ms Gregory said: “While remaining high by historic standards, net migration is now beginning to fall and is provisionally down 20 per cent in the 12 months to June 2024.
“Over that period we have seen a fall in immigration, driven by declining numbers of dependants on study visas coming from outside the EU.
“Over the first six months of 2024, we are also seeing decreases in the number of people arriving for work-related reasons. This is partly related to policy changes earlier this year and is consistent with visa data published by Home Office.
“We are also starting to see increases in emigration, most notably for those who came to the UK on study-related visas. This is likely to be a consequence of the higher numbers of students coming to the UK post-pandemic who are now reaching the end of their courses.”
At the end of 2023, the previous Tory government announced an increase to the minimum earning threshold for overseas workers by nearly 50 per cent from its current position of £26,200 to £38,700, as well as ending the 20 per cent going-rate salary discount for shortage occupations.
Pre-empting the publication of Thursday’s figures, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Wednesday said: “No doubt the new government will try to take credit for that reduction. But that change is due to the reforms that the Conservatives made during our final months in power.”
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