Happy immigration stats day, one and all. The Home Office has this morning released a raft of data on visa numbers and asylum claims up until June. While Yvette Cooper might prefer to talk about the policing aspect of her brief, the numbers today show the challenges of migration. The figures released today covers three main aspects: legal arrivals (visas granted), illegal migration (primarily small boats) and asylum applications being granted for those who do arrive here illegally.
The most common nationality on these not-so-small boats is now Vietnamese
Take the number of visas being handed out in the first six months of this year. A mixed pattern emerges here, as the Tory tightening of restrictions began to take effect from December. James Cleverly’s move to stop care workers bringing dependants to the UK saw a 26 per cent fall in health and care visas being issued in the year ending June 2024.
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