Figures expected to show net migration reached record levels last year
Rishi Sunak has promised action to bring down net migration.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Fresh figures are expected to show net migration reached record levels last year as Labour accused the Government of making a mess on immigration and the Prime Minister claimed the Opposition have “absolutely no ideas” on the subject.
The Office for National Statistics will publish data on Thursday for the year ending December 2022.
Analysis by the Centre for Policy Studies forecasts net migration could have hit between 700,000 and 997,000 in that period.
This mess on immigration reveals a Tory Party with no ambition for working people and no ambition for Britain
Those figures are substantially higher than the 226,000 level when the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto promised that “overall numbers will come down” following the introduction of post-Brexit border controls.
Rishi Sunak has promised action to bring down net migration, telling reporters on a recent trip to Japan that he wanted to be “crystal clear” with the public that the “numbers are too high” and he wants to “bring them down”.
The latest available figures showed levels are already at a record high.
Total net migration – the difference between the number of people moving to the UK and the number leaving the country – in the 12 months to June 2022 stood at an estimated 504,000.
This was up sharply from 173,000 in the year to June 2021.
The rise was driven by a series of “unprecedented world events”, according to the ONS, including the war in Ukraine, the end of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, the resettlement of Afghan refugees, the new visa route for British nationals from Hong Kong and students arriving from outside the European Union.
There are absolutely no ideas ... absolutely no semblance that there would be any control. Why? Because he believes in an open-door migration policy
On Tuesday, as part of attempts to attempts to curb net migration, the Government announced that overseas students will be banned from bringing dependants to the UK from January 2024.
The change will not apply to those on postgraduate research programmes.
Mr Sunak said it was the “biggest-ever single measure to tackle legal migration, removing the right for international students to bring dependants, toughening the rules on post-study work, and reviewing maintenance requirements”.
Meanwhile, Labour has unveiled immigration plans under which businesses would be stopped from easing staff shortages by hiring cheaper overseas workers.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons: “The Prime Minister stood on three Tory manifestos, each one promised to reduce immigration. Each promise broken.
“This mess on immigration reveals a Tory Party with no ambition for working people and no ambition for Britain, just the same old failed ideas – low wages and high tax.”
Mr Sunak questioned Labour’s contribution, saying: “There are absolutely no ideas … absolutely no semblance that there would be any control. Why? Because he believes in an open-door migration policy.”