Net migration to the UK from April 2011 to March 2012 was 183,000, down by a quarter on 242,000 the year before. That’s the headline figure from today’s Office for National Statistics release, and the government is using it to claim success. Immigration minister Mark Harper said:
‘This shows we are bringing immigration back under control. Our tough policies are taking effect and this marks a significant step towards bringing net migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament.’
But it’s worth looking a bit deeper into the figures. Overall, immigration was at its lowest level since 2004 — when the EU was enlarged to include eight eastern European countries, which are now the source of 13 per cent of immigration to the UK. The number of people coming to the UK fell by 42,000: 17,000 fewer came to work, 19,000 fewer to study.
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