25 November, 2010
The latest migration statistics confirm that immigration has continued at the high levels of the past five years. The figures also confirm that three million foreign migrants came here under the last government (while 880,000 British people left). Only a quarter of net immigration was from the EU while the net inflow from Eastern Europe was only 16,000 in 2009.
Meanwhile settlement is the highest since records began and has risen across all categories. This entirely justifies the government’s decision to break the link between migration and settlement. The number of students from India coming to the UK doubled from 2008 to 2009 indicating the need for action in this field to ensure that it is only genuine students who are admitted.
Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of MigrationWatch UK, said “These new figures confirm the massive impact that immigration is having on our population. This fully justifies the government’s efforts to get our immigration system under control – a policy that the public overwhelmingly support.”
Sources:
Migration Statistics 2009
Control of immigration Quarterly Statistical Summary July-September 2010