UK net migration rises 21%

A drop in the number of people going to live abroad undermines Theresa May’s plan to bring net migration below 100,000 Net migration to Britain jumped by 21% to 239,000 last year fuelled by a sharp fall in the number of people going to live abroad, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said long-term immigration to Britain in 2010 was 575,000 – similar to the levels seen each year since 2004. At the same time the annual migration statistics show that the number of people leaving Britain to live abroad for more than 12 months was 336,000 in 2010 – 91,000 lower than the 2008 figure for emigration. The rise in net migration appears to be a further blow to the hopes of the home secretary, Theresa May, of bringing the annual figure for net migration down below 100,000 by the time of the next general election. She may, however, take small comfort in the fact that the net migration figure of 239,000 for the year to December 2010 is slightly below the peak of 243,000 recorded for the 12 months to September 2010. The ONS says overseas students make up the main group migrating to Britain, with 228,000 coming to study in 2010 – three-quarters of whom are from outside the European Union. The number of people coming from outside Europe to work with a definite job offer is at its lowest since 2004 at 110,000. But within Europe the figures show a new increase in people coming to work from the former eastern European states, such as Poland, with a net migration figure of 39,000 in 2010 compared with 5,000 in 2009. Immigration and asylum Theresa May Alan Travis guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 25, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.