Why net migration in the UK is at a record high

Net migration in UK hits all time high

On 23 Nov. 2023 our Managing Director, Jonathan Beech spoke to Personnel Today about the reasons why net migration to the UK is at a record high.

ONS statistics show that new migration hit 745,000 in 2022. 

The Home Secretary remains committed to reducing levels of legal migration and putting measures in place to prevent individuals taking advantage of the flexibility of the immigration system.

According to the shadow home secretary the record-breaking high is down to "Tory failure on migration, asylum, and the economy".

Migrate UK's view on why the figures for net migration are high

Jonathan Beech, said the unprecedentedly high net immigration was the result of the UK’s reliance on overseas labour to fill job vacancies “as skills shortages continue across many key sectors including life sciences, healthcare, engineering and tech”.

He added that the healthcare sector accounted for more than 50% of all current sponsored visas. Dependents and students arriving in the UK also added significantly to numbers.

It has now been over two years since the introduction of the Graduate Visa Scheme. This no doubt makes the UK more attractive to new students, with the ability to stay and work for two to three years alluring as well as a major benefit to UK employers trying to fill job vacancies. 

We’re also seeing an increasing amount of work from employers wishing to sponsor their graduate visa holders, so they can continue to benefit from their skills, not lose this talent and be left with yet another vacancy.

And we’re seeing some sectors recently enquiring more about sponsoring overseas workers, such as the construction and fit-out sector where many roles were added to the Shortage Occupation List. While the horseracing, horse breeding and hospitality industries have never been busier. It should also be noted that the Ukrainian and BNO (Hong Kong) visa schemes are also still open.

We are in contact with many businesses that said they faced closure or stagnation without bringing in skills from migrant workers. Other sectors such as finance, engineering and tech are also still finding hiring and retention extremely difficult.

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If you would like information on how to employ overseas skilled workers or have any other immigration queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team of immigration specialists.  

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