EU net migration is falling as more European citizens leave the UK and fewer arrive in the wake of the vote for Brexit, new statistics show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said overall net migration in the year to September was 244,000 – a similar level to early 2014 and down on record levels in the next two years.
The number of European citizens arriving has plummeted since the EU referendum, while the number of people from outside the bloc has increased.
Brexit could well be a factor in people’s decision to move to or from the UK, but people’s decision to migrate is complicated and can be influenced by lots of different reasons.
Almost a quarter of a million people arrived in the UK to work in the period 2017, with the number of EU citizens falling by 58,000.
Most of the Europeans arriving had a definite job lined up, while a smaller proportion were looking for work.
George Koureas, a partner at immigration law firm Fragomen, said: “The UK has become a significantly less attractive place for European citizens to work since Brexit, so it’s no surprise that more EU workers are leaving the country.
Although the Government may see this as good news, it presents a significant threat to UK businesses, already struggling to hire the skilled workers they need to thrive.
He said there could be a further impact from the Government’s plan to double the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is paid by migrants to use the NHS, and caps on visas for skilled workers.
The Government must take assertive steps to reassure UK plc by removing shortage occupations, such as NHS workers and engineers, as well as graduates, from the Tier Two visa cap in order to allow businesses to recruit the workers they need.
In 2017, the UK took in almost 15,000 refugees 40 per cent of them children – through resettlement programmes and granting asylum or other forms of protection.
Caroline Nokes, the immigration minister, restated the Government’s committement to bringing net migration down to the tens of thousands.
This means an immigration system that attracts and retains people who come to work and bring significant benefits to the UK but does not offer an open door to those who don’t, she added.
At the same time, we have been clear that we want EU citizens already living here to have certainty about their future and the citizens’ rights agreement reached in December provided that.