One in 10 people in Britain is a foreign citizen

Almost one in 10 people living in the UK last year was a foreign citizen. A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that the number of people not born in this country rose by 6.4 per cent to 5.95million between 2015 and 2016.

by ALMOST one in 10 people living in the UK last year was a foreign citizen and the number has almost doubled in the past decade.

A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that the number of people not born in Britain rose by 6.4 per cent to 5.95 million between 2015 and 2016.

It means that 9.2 per cent of the population were non-citizens in 2015, almost double the five per cent who lived in the UK in 2005. The respected OECD International Migration Outlook studied flows of people around the world including their employment status, integration policies and welfare.

While the UK had its highest rate of net migration in 2015 the number of people being granted settlement rights fell, largely owing to fewer families being allowed to move together.

Nearly one in seven of the total UK population were foreign-born in 2015, according to the figures, which showed 13.9 per cent of people living in Britain were born in other countries before settling as a citizen – higher than the number of foreign nationals living in the country.

Asylum applications into the UK fell by 7 per cent to 30,600 last year, the first drop since 2010. More Iranians, 4,780, made asylum claims in the UK than any other nationality, followed by Pakistanis (3,701) and Iraqis (3,644).

For every one million people living in Britain, 593 asylum applications were filed in 2016 compared to the OECD average of 1,283. Germany, which had an open door policy, had the highest rate at 8,952, followed by Austria and Greece on more than 4,500.

The UK recorded its highest net migration of 332,00 in 2015 with 631,000 arriving. But the number of people being given settlement rights fell by 12.7 per cent on 2014 to 90,800.

“The fall was entirely owing to fewer grants on the basis of family formation or reunion, 18.5 per cent of the total compared with 32 per cent in 2014,” the report said. “The number fell by a further 35 per cent in 2016, to 59,000, largely due to fewer work, family and asylum related grants.”

The UK and Germany were the destinations for two-thirds of Romanians leaving their home country in 2015.

Germany was first choice for Italians looking for a new home, but the “sharpest increase” was towards the UK, which attracted 10,000 more people from Italy than in the previous year.

Britons heading overseas mainly chose Australia, Spain, the United States, Germany and New Zealand, according to the report.

In 2015 the highest number of new arrivals to the UK came from Poland, followed by India, Ireland and Romania. Ireland, India and Poland were the top three countries in 2005.

Alanna Thomas, executive director of Migration Watch UK said: “Today’s OECD report confirms what the public already know, that net migration to the UK is at record levels. This has placed a huge strain on public services, housing and our society. It is clear that leaving the EU gives the UK a unique opportunity to bring down the level of net migration. This is key if we are to slow the rate of population growth.”

The OECD chief, Angel Gurria, said quality of life in the UK “will probably remain to a very great extent as it is today” following EU withdrawal – despite his warning last year that leaving the EU would lead to “substantial negative consequences”.

The secretary-general said the impact on immigration will depend on the form Brexit eventually takes.

Speaking at a Paris press conference, Mr Gurria said: “There may be some things that change. We do not know to what extent – it’s very early.”

He added that improving integration of migrants into host countries is “vital to delivering a more prosperous, inclusive future for all”.

♦ Lord Dubs, the Labour peer and architect of the Dubs amendment which requires the Government to relocate unaccompanied refugee children from Europe, has called on ministers to take in more child migrants.

Home Office minister Baroness Williams said councils have said they have the capacity to look after 480 children but admitted only 200 have arrived so far.

She told peers the Government’s “doors” were open for councils to come and say they can accommodate more.