Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Business

Net migration to UK hits record high of 606,000 as Brexit scales EU movement back

by May 25, 2023
May 25, 2023
Net migration to UK hits record high of 606,000 as Brexit scales EU movement back

Net migration to the UK has hit a record high of 606,000, new figures released this morning reveal.

The significant surge in legal migration for 2022 has hit the highest level on record, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

It follows weeks of speculation over the numbers with prime minister Rishi Sunak seeking to distance himself from what will be seen as a heavy blow by the right wing of the Tory party.

A total of 1.2m people migrated to the UK in 2022, while 557,000 are estimated to have migrated outwards in the same period, as overseas students from 2021 start to leave.

The 606k figure – the difference between people moving to the UK and those leaving – is up from 488,000 in 2021, driven by non-EU arrivals for work, study and humanitarian reasons.

Non-EU migration increase

Figures include high levels of arrivals from Ukraine following Russian leader Putin’s invasion and from Hong Kong after China’s anti-democratic crackdown in the island region.

While the post-Brexit years have marked a shift away from EU migration to people coming from outside the European trading bloc, including from countries in east Africa and south Asia.

Jay Lindop, ONS director of the centre for international migration, said a series of “unprecedented world events throughout 2022”, together with the lifting of restrictions following the Covid-19 pandemic, led to record levels of international immigration to the UK.

He added: “The main drivers of the increase were people coming from non-EU countries for work, study and for humanitarian purposes, including from Ukraine and Hong Kong.”

Worker shortages in key agricultural, construction and hospitality sectors have been plugged in some cases by hiring arrivals from overseas, in a bid to stem demand and limit upward inflation pressures.

The PM has announced plans to stop international students bringing family members to the UK with them in a bid to placate hardline Brexiteer Conservatives.

He told the BBC this weekend he “wants to bring migration down… the [legal migration] numbers are too high”, while Labour insist the government have “lost control” of the issue.

Former PM David Cameron pledged to cut migration to tens of thousands, which was repeated in the 2015 and 2017 Conservative manifestos in 2015 and 2017.

The target was never met and was scrapped in the 2019 election campaign – but now home secretary Suella Braverman said last year that meeting it would be the “ultimate aspiration”.

But Sunak’s focus has been on illegal migration, including his leadership pledge to ‘stop the boats’ and his work with under-fire home secretary Suella Braverman on the flagship Illegal Migration Bill, which would see arrivals through non-legal routes sent home or to Rwanda.

While the Labour Party has pledged, if elected into government, it would scrap rules that allow overseas workers coming to the UK to be paid 20 per cent less than the going rate.

It came as the party announced a plan to reform the points based system, pledging to “put skills and fairness at the heart of a properly managed and controlled immigration system”.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Conservatives chaotic approach to immigration has led to endemic skills shortages and a 95% increase in work visas.

“Some occupations spend decades on the shortage list without any proper skills plan in place.

“The Conservatives immigration system includes a built-in incentive in the shortage occupation list to reduce wages and recruit from overseas rather than training and paying the going rate here in the UK. That’s not good enough.”

Read more:
Net migration to UK hits record high of 606,000 as Brexit scales EU movement back

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Germany tips into recession with analysts warning economy won’t get much better
next post
Britain’s new car market boosted by battery electric vehicle choice

You may also like

UK Economy Shows Signs of Recovery, Exiting Recession

May 7, 2024

Conservatives launch major business policy drive as party...

April 11, 2025

Zoopla: Increased Housing Supply to Stabilise UK House...

May 30, 2024

Two million self-employed workers face pension crisis, warns...

September 9, 2024

Neil Woodford fined £46m and banned from senior...

August 6, 2025

Wilko stores set for return to the high...

October 27, 2023

Vintage teddy bear sales soar amid Paddington Bear...

November 20, 2024

Rightmove halves house price forecast as sellers flood...

July 21, 2025

International Financial Group Finds Gaps in Digital Euro...

October 8, 2023

UK high street banks lose £100bn in savings...

August 4, 2025

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Mark Cuban urges young people to focus on AI integration skills for career success

      August 27, 2025
    • Financial Times owner Nikkei sues Perplexity AI over copyright infringement claims

      August 27, 2025
    • Debenhams considers sale of Pretty Little Thing in bid to accelerate turnaround

      August 27, 2025
    • UK firms spent up to £65m on post-Brexit food export licences last year as Labour pledges to scrap scheme

      August 27, 2025
    • The executive burnout: Why rested founders build better businesses

      August 27, 2025
    • Nearly £1bn wiped off UK retailers’ market value as Deutsche Bank ‘fear index’ warns of consumer squeeze

      August 27, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,892)
    • Investing (2,242)
    • Politics (16,498)
    • Stocks (3,228)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved