According to data released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday (24th), 1.1 million people immigrated to the UK in the 12 months to June this year, mainly international students, humanitarian and family visa holders, while the population net immigrants reached 504,000, a new high.
Data shows that around 704,000 people who immigrated to the UK during the period mentioned above came from non-EU regions, and that 560,000 moved out of the UK during the same period, and almost half of them have returned to the EU. International students were the main source of immigration, accounting for 277,000 people, almost double the previous year. The second largest number are humanitarian and other family visas, approximately 276,000 people, of which 89,000 are from Ukraine, 76,000 are from Hong Kong, and 21,000 are Afghans. In addition, the number of asylum applications from refugees in the UK is the highest in 32 years, and almost 100,000 people have waited 6 months for initial applications.
The Prime Minister’s Office said it is studying options to reduce the number of international students and will consider all options to ensure the immigration system is effective, including international student dependents and low quality degrees. Home Secretary Pavman said that the current number of immigrants has put pressure on public services such as housing, health and education in the UK. The government is still determined to reduce immigration. The main priority is to solve illegal border crossings and stop abusing the immigration system, and rebuild public control of the British border by the Hyder government.
