Net migration to Britain surged to 318,000 in 2014, just below its previous peak under the Labour government in 2005.
The latest quarterly migration figures from the Office for National
Statistics show that net immigration from outside Europe – up 42,000 –
is now rising almost as strongly as from within Europe – up 67,000.
The figures came as David Cameron announced new measures to combat illegal working and reduce immigration.
Net migration from outside Europe is now at its highest level since
2011 and the latest rise brings to an end a recent decline as a result
of the last government crackdowns. The fresh rise in non-EU immigration
dashes Cameron’s hopes of achieving an early return to a downward path
in immigration figures by tackling the issue of free movement within
Europe.
The latest net migration quarterly figure of 318,000 for the 12
months to December 2014 is 20,000 higher than the previous quarterly
total of 298,000. The rise shows that Cameron’s ambition of getting net
immigration down below 100,000 is further away than ever.
The ONS said the 318,000 figure for 2014 was 109,000 higher than in
2013 and just below the previous peak recorded of 320,000 in 2005 in the
midst of the first major wave of east European migration to Britain.
The latest figures show that Britain’s relatively expanding economy
is now drawing in highly skilled workers from around the world who are
in turn, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, partly
driving that economic growth. The statisticians say that the recent rise
in net migration is being driven by higher levels of immigration –
which hit 641,000 in 2014 – coupled with stable levels of emigration,
which remains at 323,000 a year.
The detailed figures confirm that the largest increase has been in
those coming to live in Britain to work, up 70,000 in 2014. The number
of EU nationals, other than Britons, in employment in the UK was 283,000
higher in March than 12 months earlier. The number from outside Europe
in work rose by 11,000, while employment of British nationals increased
by 279,000 over the same period.
The ONS figures show that the number of overseas students in Britain
rose by 11,000 in 2014 with continuing falls in the numbers from India –
down 8% – and Pakistan – down 20% – matched by increasing numbers from
China and Malaysia.
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The
number of people migrating to Britain to join spouses and other close
family members rose by 20,000 on the latest figures to 91,000.
Asylum seekers accounted for only 25,020 of the new arrivals to
Britain in the year to March. This is an increase of 5% over the
previous 12 months with the largest numbers coming from Eritrea (3,552),
Pakistan (2,421) and Syria (2,222).
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the
University of Oxford, said: “Today’s figures show how difficult it would
be to reduce net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’. Net migration
has risen even despite new restrictions on family, work and student
visas that were introduced during the last parliament.”
She predicted that the government’s cap on skilled migration from
outside Europe would shortly start preventing employers from accessing
certain non-EU staff. She said: “The first people it will affect will be
skilled migrants on relatively low wages – those with salaries just
above the minimum threshold of £20,800. One of the largest groups of
these is nurses.”
Cameron attempted to brush off the embarrassing net migration figures
by announcing details of a new immigration bill to be included in the
Queen’s speech, which will propose a new criminal offence of illegal
working that would allow police to seize the wages of anyone employed
unlawfully.
It has been estimated that the backlog of people in Britain who have
overstayed their visas and whose whereabouts are unknown is 300,000, but
it is not known how many are working.
Cameron managed to survive the general election despite once urging
voters to kick him out if he failed to bring net migration down to the
tens of thousands.
In practice, his success in reducing immigration this parliament will
not depend solely on new legislation but also on deeper trends in the
European labour market and any agreements reached on tightening social
security entitlements within the EU – one of his key targets in his
renegotiation of the UK relationship with the rest of the trading bloc.
In his latest speech on immigration – clearly designed to address the
latest figures – Cameron promised that the Queen’s speech would contain
a bill designed to bring the whole of government into the battle to
reduce immigration flows. He promised that the bill would make “Britain a
less attractive place to come and work illegally”.
Migrants with current leave to remain but who are working illegally
in breach of their conditions may be prosecuted under the Immigration
Act 1971 and be liable on summary conviction to a six-month custodial
sentence and/or an unlimited fine.
But ministers say there is a loophole for migrants who entered
illegally or have overstayed their leave and are not therefore subject
to current conditions of stay.
The new offence will address this gap and close another loophole
whereby the wages of some illegal migrants fall outside of the scope of
the confiscation provisions in the Proceeds of Crime Act, unlike those
individuals who are working in breach of leave conditions. The offence
will apply to those who arrived illegally or those who entered the UK
legally but then overstayed.
Cameron said: “A strong country isn’t one that pulls up the
drawbridge … it is one that controls immigration. Because if you have
uncontrolled immigration, you have uncontrolled pressure on public
services. And that is a basic issue of fairness.
“Uncontrolled immigration can damage our labour market and push down
wages. It means too many people entering the UK legally but staying
illegally. The British people want these things sorted.
“That means … dealing with those who shouldn’t be here by rooting out
illegal immigrants and bolstering deportations. Reforming our
immigration and labour market rules so we reduce the demand for skilled
migrant labour and crack down on the exploitation of unskilled workers.
That starts with making Britain a less attractive place to come and work
illegally.”
He promised the bill would put “an end to houses packed full of
illegal workers; stop illegal migrants stalling deportation; give
British people the skills to do the jobs Britain needs”.
The home secretary said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the
amendments would act as a deterrent to people working in the UK
illegally.
Theresa May said: “It is about making it harder for people to be
working illegally and setting a clear deterrent for those that want to
stay here illegally. I think most people would think it is entirely fair
and right to say that if you’re here illegally you have got no right to
be here and you’re working, that is an offence, and we should be able
to deal with the wages as the proceeds of crime.”
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