Immigration hits all-time record at 504,000...

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Immigration hits all-time record at 504,000...

Postby dutchman » Thu Nov 24, 2022 4:00 pm

UK net migration hit 504,000 in the year to June - the highest figure ever recorded, The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates

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The rise is driven by people arriving legally from outside the EU and the resumption of post-pandemic travel.

Reception of Afghan and Ukrainian refugees and people from Hong Kong are other factors.

The government has promised to cut net migration - the difference between the numbers entering and leaving the UK.

Today's figures will intensify debates over the role of overseas workers into the UK economy and wider labour market - weeks after Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she wanted to resurrect a repeatedly missed government target to reduce net migration to below 100,000.

That aim, set by former prime minister David Cameron and supported by Theresa May, was dropped by Boris Johnson who said he would reduce the level while ensuring businesses had access to the skills they needed.

Downing Street insisted Rishi Sunak wants to bring overall immigration levels down.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "There are some unprecedented and unique circumstances which are having a significant impact on these statistics.

"The prime minister has said he wants net migration to reduce, he has not put a specific timeframe on that."

Labour's shadow justice minister Ellie Reeves told BBC Politics Live the figures were "pretty shocking" and a sign the government had "completely lost control over who was coming here".

She said it had "failed to meet any of its own targets" and the system was a "complete mess".

The government needed to look at where there were skills shortages and allow migration to fill those gaps, while training up the domestic workforce, added the Labour spokeswoman.

Overall, an estimated 1.1m people migrated to the UK in the year to June. After subtracting those who emigrated, the UK population has risen by 504,000 - the net migration total.

Asylum applications, including those arriving in small boats over the English Channel, reached 73,000 in the year to September - a figure that underlines that those migrants represent a very small proportion of all those who arrive in the country in any given period.

The rise in migration has been influenced by people from outside the European Union - including 170,000 people from Ukraine and 76,000 from Hong Kong under a scheme to resettle people who count as British citizens.

:bbc_news:
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Re: Immigration hits all-time record at 504,000...

Postby dutchman » Thu Nov 24, 2022 4:05 pm

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Re: Immigration hits all-time record at 504,000...

Postby rebbonk » Thu Nov 24, 2022 4:45 pm

Anyone with half a brain knows this is unsustainable. However, those in office seem to be turning a deliberate blind eye to things. I wonder what their reasons might be? :stir:
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
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Re: Immigration hits all-time record at 504,000...

Postby dutchman » Thu Nov 24, 2022 8:32 pm

When the government stopped releasing figures during lockdown it was obvious they were trying to hide something. :roll:
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Re: Immigration hits all-time record at 504,000...

Postby dutchman » Mon Dec 26, 2022 8:00 pm

Suella Braverman targets spouses and students in plan to cut immigration

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Suella Braverman has drawn up a blueprint for reducing immigration that would target foreign students, make it harder to bring spouses to the UK and increase the minimum salaries for companies employing skilled workers.

Under a draft of the proposals, seen by The Times, the government would increase the minimum income threshold for British citizens applying for a family visa for a spouse or children.

Currently, a couple must prove that they have an income of at least £18,600 and show evidence they have enough money to cover the costs of any children who do not have British citizenship.

Braverman’s plans would also increase the minimum salary thresholds for workers filling jobs on the shortage occupation list, which gives employers in certain sectors more flexibility to hire from overseas.

Many of the thresholds have not been updated since 2012. Occupations on the list include mechanical engineers, who employers can recruit from abroad if they pay at least 80 per cent of the “going rate”, which is stated as £26,720. Some thresholds are as low as £18,240, for workers in the welding industry, or £18,800 for graphic designers.

The proposals to target certain areas of immigration were due to be unveiled in October. They were to be accompanied by plans to introduce “growth visas” to attract more highly-skilled IT professionals, scientists and elite athletes that were part of Liz Truss’s blueprint to boost economic growth.

Braverman still wants to push through her crackdown, despite the plan for growth visas never materialising due to the change in prime minister.

Rishi Sunak has pledged to reduce overall immigration by the next election but has insisted that his priority is tackling the small boats crisis, which has led to 45,000 migrants reaching the UK illegally this year.

While he and Braverman have not yet held talks to discuss her plans, the prime minister has signalled support for some of her proposals, particularly on cutting foreign student numbers.

Net migration hit an all-time record of 504,000 in the year to June, driven by a record high of 476,000 foreign students moving to the UK.

Downing Street has confirmed that the government will consider measures to reduce the number of foreign students, despite the 2019 higher education strategy including a target to hit 600,000 foreign students by 2030, which was met a decade early.

Numbers would be reduced by restricting access to the graduate visa, which allows any foreign student who has studied for a bachelor’s degree or higher to stay for at least two years. Only those with in-demand skills would qualify, which is likely to include civil engineers and scientists.

Braverman’s plans would make it harder for foreign students to bring dependants with them by raising the income threshold for each additional family member. At present, students who want to bring a spouse, partner or child with them must earn at least £680 a month for each dependant.

Downing Street has already said it will consider limiting the number of dependants that foreign students can bring with them. Universities and MPs from all parties criticised the plans, pointing to research suggesting that foreign students contribute £35 billion a year to the UK economy. Braverman told a Lords committee last week that it was right to balance their economic contribution with the pressure they place on public services.

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