Migration to UK hits biggest annual decrease since 1964

BRITAIN saw one of the largest falls in net migration ever recorded in the year following the Brexit referendum, with more than three-quarters of the decrease accounted for by EU citizens.

Official figures just released showed that net long-term migration to the UK fell by 106,000 to 230,000 in the year to June 2017. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it was “the largest annual decrease recorded” since 1964.

Nicola White, head of migration statistics at the ONS, said the changes suggested that Brexit “is likely to be a factor in people’s decision to move to or from the UK”. The latest figures revealed that EU net migration fell by 82,000 to 107,000, which the ONS described as “statistically significant”.

It also found a 29 per cent rise in EU citizens leaving the UK, up to 123,000, with 43,000 revealing that they were going home. The ONS said the number of EU migrants fell 54,000 to 230,000. At the same time, the number of noneu migrants also fell since the Brexit vote, down by 23,000 to 173,000.

However, the number of Polish-born people in the UK has topped 900,000 for the first time, an increase of 110,000 over three years, the figures show. The data also show that Romania has replaced Germany in the top five countries of birth for UK residents. Separate figures show that EU nationals applying for British citizenship doubled in the year after the vote. Ms White also said the number of migrants with jobs to go to remained stable but migrants arriving and looking for work, especially EU citizens, had almost halved.

Sir Gerald Howarth, board member of Leave Means Leave said: “While this is a step in the right direction, the numbers are still far too high.”