The UK sets a new record for immigrants this year

Figures released today by the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the so-called net migration rate, which results from subtracting long-term immigration and emigration data, amounted to 504,000 new residents.

The value, updated through June, indicates a significant increase compared to the 173,000 immigrants registered last year.

According to the British authorities, the record was due to a “unique period”, during which international mobility was resumed after the improvement of the COVID-19 pandemic, support for Ukrainian citizens and the creation of a new post-Brexit immigration regime.

The growth in the number of immigrants, according to the Census Bureau, is attributed to the increase in the number of international students arriving, who studied remotely during the pandemic.

39 percent of immigrants arrived on student visas and 21 percent on work visas.

“All of these phenomena have contributed to higher levels of overall migration over the long term,” the institute said. “A series of events around the world have affected migration patterns” that “taken together, are unprecedented,” said Guy Lindup, director of the Center for International Migration at the Office for National Statistics.

The net migration rate mainly corresponds to non-EU citizens, as the number of EU citizens living in the UK decreased (51,000 fewer) between June 2021 and June this year, and 45,000 Britons decided to emigrate.

The previous record for net migration was set in 2015, the year of Europe’s great migration crisis, when it reached 330,000 people in the UK.

In parallel, the Ministry of the Interior published the quarterly report on the EU citizen registration system [EU Settlement Scheme, EUSS]which represents approximately 6.3 million applications from European citizens.

Of these, 462,930 were submitted by the Portuguese, although this number does not necessarily correspond to the number of people because requests can be repeated for various reasons.

Of the 453,680 completed processes, 252,400 Portuguese received a permanent residence permit, 164,640 a temporary permit, and 36,630 applications were rejected or deemed invalid.

The report also reveals that since the deadline of June 31, 2021, on average, the Ministry of the Interior has received three thousand applications from Portugal, which may be back issues, appeals, or the passing of temporary or permanent address.

In addition to legal immigration figures, the Office for National Statistics estimates that 35,000 people crossed the English Channel illegally during this period.

Concerns about the impact of immigration in the country were one of the main drivers of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union in 2016.

At the time, then-Prime Minister David Cameron wanted to achieve a net immigration rate of less than 100,000 people per year.

Increased immigration has made headlines again in the UK in recent weeks, with some business leaders urging the government to make it easier for foreign workers to enter to help boost economic growth.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rejected the appeal, which on Monday argued for the need to combat illegal immigration in the country.

The government, specifically the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, Soella Braverman, is under pressure to prevent illegal immigrants from making dangerous journeys across the English Channel (which separates France and England) and criticizes overcrowded reception centres.

Earlier this month, London signed an agreement with France to step up efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel.

According to the British government, between January and September this year, 33,029 people were monitored crossing the Channel in small boats.