Non-EU registrations hit new record in Sunderland
A record number of people from countries outside the EU registered for national insurance numbers in Sunderland last year.
Department for Work and Pensions statistics show 785 adults from non-EU countries registered for NI numbers in the city in the year to March – the most since comparable local records began in 2014.
NI numbers are required by foreign nationals if they want to work or claim benefits in the UK.
Nationally NI allocations to non-EU nationals increased to 326,400 – the most since 2011.
Office for National Statistics data shows net migration to the UK from non-EU countries reached its highest level in 2019 but experts say the COVID-19 crisis could completely reshape the immigration system.
Rob McNeil, deputy director of Oxford University’s Migration
Observatory, said the figures showed the “last days of normality” before the virus struck.
“Looking forward, it’s too early to quantify how the pandemic will affect future migration to the UK, although so far it’s clear the consequences already reach right across the immigration system, limiting workers’ ability to travel to take up work and employers’ difficulty bringing in seasonal workers.
“Even once we emerge from the immediate health crisis, economic and social disruption in the migration system is likely to continue. It is hard to know if UK employers will still want to recruit workers from overseas."
He added that migration flows to and from the UK may "effectively have to start from scratch" once the crisis is over.
Meanwhile, EU net migration has fallen since 2016, although more EU citizens are still arriving than leaving overall.
The DWP says the figures should not be used to indicate immigration levels, as foreign nationals could have been in the country for some time before applying.
A Government spokesman said its new points-based immigration system – the legislation for which is passing through Parliament – will “attract the talent we need to drive our economy forward”.
He added: “We will retain the ability to attract the brightest and best from across the globe but also encourage employers to train up homegrown talent.”