Net migration to the United Kingdom has dropped significantly, with figures for the year ending June 2024 standing at 728,000, a 20 per cent decline from 906,000 the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics, on Thursday.
The reduction is largely attributed to changes in visa policies implemented by the UK government earlier in the year.
“Our latest estimates indicate a fall in long-term net migration (the difference between people coming to live in the UK and those leaving to live elsewhere).
“Our provisional estimates show a 20% reduction between our updated estimate for year ending June 2023 (906,000) and our latest estimate for YE June 2024 (728,000).
“This fall is driven by a decline in long-term immigration mainly because of declining numbers of dependants arriving on study visas,” the report said.
Restrictions introduced in January 2024 prevented many international students from bringing dependants, resulting in a decrease of 94,000 in study visa applications compared to the previous year.
Similar rules introduced in March also prohibited care workers from bringing family members.
While applications for skilled worker visas increased slightly early in the year, there has been a decline since April 2024, when the government revised the list of eligible jobs for the visa category.
The ONS reported that of the 1.2 million people who migrated to the UK during this period, 86 per cent were non-EU nationals, 10 per cent EU nationals, and 5 per cent British nationals.
Indian nationals formed the largest group of non-EU migrants for both work and study purposes, with 116,000 arriving for work and 127,000 for education.
Dependants accompanying work visa holders totalled 233,000, up from 166,000 the previous year, although recent data indicates this number may now be falling.
Emigration also rose, with 479,000 people leaving the UK by June 2024, compared to 414,000 the previous year. EU nationals made up 44 per cent of those leaving, while 39 per cent were non-EU nationals, and 16 per cent were British citizens.