As net migration falls by 49,000, more are now coming in to UK from EU than the rest of the world combined
THE numbers of Romanians and Bulgarians coming here has soared to a new record high of 74,000 over the 12 month period
MORE immigrants are coming to Britain from the EU than the rest of the world for the first time since records began.
That was fuelled by 12,000 more from eastern European ‘EU8’ countries like Poland and Hungary heading home.
But the numbers of Romanians and Bulgarians coming here has soared to a new record high of 74,000 over the 12 month period.
Net immigration to the UK from within the EU is now at 165,000 a year, overtaking net arrivals from elsewhere, at 164,000, for first time since numbers started to be counted in 1973.
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Campaigners welcomed the drop, with Migration Watch UK dubbing it “a step in the right direction”.
But highlighting the continuing surge from Romania and Bulgaria, its Vice-Chairman Alp Mehmet insisted it was proof why Britain needs a work permit system after Brexit to halt the unskilled influx.
Former UKIP boss Nigel Farage also said the figures proved his detractors had been wrong, saying: “I apologise for what I said about Romanian and Bulgarian immigration in 2014.
“The figure is actually much higher.”
While the total number of net arrivals is the lowest figure in two years, it remains close to three times the size of the Tories’ failed pledge to slash the annual figure to below 100,000.
The total number of arrivals to Britain over the year was down to 596,000 from a 650,000 high in the previous set of figures.
But the Office of National Statistics said it was too early to tell if the Brexit decision had any effect.
The biggest fall was in immigrants from elsewhere in the world, as the government insisted their clamp down on has finally began to show results.
The biggest drop was in the number of non-EU students which fell 31,000 to 87,000.
Dubbing the figures “encouraging”, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “The real change will be when we leave the EU, and then we will be able to make the choices ourselves what level of immigration we want to have”.
Separate Home Office figures also revealed yesterday that a near-record number of EU nationals were granted British citizenship last year.
Citizenship was given to 16,754 people from EU countries, the second highest since records were first compiled, behind the 17,645 in 2013.