UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces intensified pressure from fellow Conservatives to swiftly address the soaring migration numbers, following new data revealing a higher-than-expected net
migration figure for 2022.
The Office for National Statistics revised the estimated net migration to the UK for the year up to December 2022 to 745,000, a substantial increase from the previous 606,000 estimate for the same period and a new record high.
Within the Conservative party, the more staunch faction urged immediate action, citing the upcoming general election. The "New Conservatives" group emphasized the importance of honoring electoral pledges and urged Sunak not to disregard such commitments.
The Tories came into power in 2019 with a promise to "take back our borders," a focal point that played a role in their election win following the Brexit agenda's push, finalized in 2020 with the EU departure.
Migration has remained a contentious issue, though Sunak's government has primarily concentrated on unauthorized asylum-seekers arriving through the English Channel, rather than legal migration concerns.
While the latest figures suggest a net migration of 672,000 for the year up to June 2023, the Office for National Statistics refrained from confirming if this marked the beginning of a new downward trend.
Downing Street acknowledged that net migration remained "excessively high" and hinted at potential additional measures to reduce these figures. A previous move to restrict family entry for foreign postgraduate students next year was among the efforts aimed at curbing immigration.
Authorities attributed the upward revision of 2022 figures to shifting behavioral patterns, which became less predictable post the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jay Lindop, director of the international migration department at the statistics office, highlighted increased arrivals from non-EU countries, especially in the healthcare and social care sectors, as significant drivers of the surge in net migration.
While events such as Russia's war in Ukraine and China's restrictions in Hong Kong contributed to significant migration, recent months have shown a slowdown in these numbers.
Lindop emphasized the rise in student arrivals and the prolonged duration of their stays, alongside an increase in dependents arriving with individuals holding work and study visas, as factors driving non-EU arrivals. Photo by Jim Goldsmith, Wikimedia commons.