- New and revised data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published today shows that net migration so far in this parliament (to the end of 2023) has totalled over 2 million, equating to population growth of 3%
- Gross immigration exceeded 4 million, with non-EU nationals accounting for 74% of the total
- Revised estimates for 2022 show net migration hitting a new annual record of 764,000, with initial estimates for 2023 coming in at 685,000
- Across the full calendar years of this parliament (2020-23), net migration has equated to average population growth of 0.75% per annum – more than double the rate of the 2010s
- To keep pace with this level of net migration, we should have built 1.68 million homes in England (according to the Government’s own methodology) during this parliament – including over 520,000 homes in 2022 alone – when in fact there were just 657,810 new build completions over the four years
- New Home Office data published today shows that the number of migrant entry visas issued in Q1 2024 was down by 27% on Q1 2023
- Visa extensions data shows firm evidence of migrants staying for longer, with a record 260,000 extensions in Q1 2024 representing a 37% increase on Q1 2023
Responding to new data released by the Home Office and Office for National Statistics, CPS Research Director Karl Williams said:
‘The public will yet again be shocked by the figures released today. Net migration in the 25 years before 1998 was only 68,000. In just one parliament, net migration has totalled over 2 million, population growth of 3%.
‘Migrants are also staying in the UK longer. Today’s figures show a record 260,000 extensions were granting in the first 3 months of this year, a 37% increase on the same period last year.
‘While the Government has taken some welcome action, such as placing restrictions on visa applicants bringing dependents with them, there is much more that needs to be done. Migrants can bring skills with them but they cannot bring roads, GP surgeries, school places, or housing, and per capita GDP is suffering as a result.
‘The kind of recommendations we set out in our recent paper with MPs Robert Jenrick and Neil O’Brien – including an annual ‘Migration Budget’, caps on specific routes voted on by parliament, and reforming the Home Office – are needed to bring the numbers down, returning to a level of migration that works for the economy and which the public can support.’
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Karl Williams is Research Director at the Centre for Policy Studies
- CPS research on migration include ‘Taking Back Control: Why Britain needs a better approach to immigration’, ‘Net Migration and Housing’, and ‘Stopping the Crossings’
- For further information and media requests, please contact Emma Revell on 07931 698246 or [email protected] and Josh Coupland on07912 485 655 or [email protected].
- The Centre for Policy Studies is one of the oldest and most influential think tanks in Westminster. With a focus on taxation, economic growth, business, welfare, education, housing and green growth, its goal is to develop policies that widen enterprise, ownership and opportunity.
Date Added: Thursday 23rd May 2024
