To The Moon

Non-EU migration to UK hits record high

Delphine Strauss in London

Visa schemes for Ukrainian refugees and Hong Kong nationals have contributed to record levels of non-EU migration to the UK, according to the latest data released by the Office for National Statistics.

Other factors including the recovery in travel following the easing of Covid restrictions, more international students and the introduction of new immigration systems following Brexit have also contributed, the ONS said on Thursday.

The data was from the ONS’s quarterly migration statistics and a “provisional” analysis of long-term immigration between June 2020 and June 2022.

Together, in what the ONS described as a “unique” set of circumstances, these factors contributed to the immigration of an estimated 1.1mn people in the year to June, an increase of 435,000 from the year before.

This was driven by a rise in the number of non-EU nationals, up 379,000 to 704,000 in the year ending in June 2022.

Some 51,000 more EU nationals left the country than arrived in the same period, with net migration in the same period up by 504,000 overall.

source: https://www.ft.com/content/9eede120-9b49-4225-86c5-5f3ac5b56546