ONS data released yesterday for the year ending June 2022 show an estimated 435,000 increase in total immigration compared with the year before. The increase was driven by a number of factors including non-EU nationals (up 379,000 to 704,000 in the year ending June 2022); increasing arrivals of international students; and people travelling from Ukraine under the visa support scheme.

Overall, net migration added an estimated 504,000 to the population for the year end June 2022, with more people arriving long-term to the UK than departing.

While the arrival of skilled workers may be welcomed by employers, the figures are way over what the new Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, is aiming for. She promised in September she would try to get overall migration down to “tens of thousands”.

Enver Solomon, the head of the Refugee Council, said: “Given the number of asylum applications which are agreed is at its highest level for 32 years – reflecting the global refugee crisis with millions of people fleeing their homes because of war, conflict and persecution – these new Home Office statistics underline why urgent action is so important.”

Home Office data shows that, for the year ending June 2022, those arriving on study visas accounted for the largest proportion (39%) of long-term immigration of non-EU nationals at 277,000, an increase from 143,000 in 2021. Possible reasons given by the ONS for this influx of students may include arrivals of students forced to study remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic until travel restrictions were lifted in 2021. Increased numbers of international students may be attracted by the new Graduate Visa route whereby students can apply to work in the UK for up to three years after completing their studies. 

Those arriving on "other" visas accounted for the second-largest proportion of non-EU immigration (39%) at an estimated 276,000 for the year ending June 2022, an increase from 91,000 over 2021.  Within these different visa classifications were around 89,000 arriving for humanitarian protection from Ukraine. On 31 January 2021, the UK also launched a bespoke immigration route for British nationals overseas (BN(O)) status holders and their families from Hong Kong. Around 76,000 visas were issued for the BN(O) route for the year ending June 2022.

Work visas made up the remaining proportion contributing to non-EU immigration, accounting for 21% for the year ending June 2022, with an estimated 151,000 arriving for work compared with 92,000 in 2021.

Jay Lindop, Director of the Centre for International Migration, Office for National Statistics commented "A series of world events have impacted international migration patterns in the 12 months to June 2022. Taken together these were unprecedented. These include the end of lockdown restrictions in the UK, the first full period following transition from the EU, the war in Ukraine, the resettlement of Afghans and the new visa route for Hong Kong British nationals (Overseas), which have all contributed to the record levels of long-term immigration we have seen."

"Migration from non-EU countries, specifically students, is driving this rise. With the lifting of travel restrictions in 2021, more students arrived in the UK after studying remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. However, there has also been a large increase in the number of people migrating for a range of other reasons. This includes people arriving for humanitarian protections, such as those coming from Ukraine, as well as for family reasons."

"These many factors independent of each other contributing to migration at this time mean it is too early to say whether this picture will be sustained" said Lindop.

The provisional estimate of the number of people emigrating out of the UK long-term in the year ending June 2022 was approximately 560,000. Non-EU nationals accounted for 195,000 of this long-term total, EU nationals accounted for 275,000 and British nationals 90,000.

Estimates published earlier this month from Census 2021 showed the non-UK born population in England and Wales was 10,018,000. It is now more likely to be 10,388,000, made up of 3,545,000 for EU born and 6,854,000 for non-EU born.