IPPR has responded to today's
migration and asylum statistics from the ONS and the Home Office
which reveal that:
-
Net migration in the year
ending June 2024 was 728,000, a drop of 178,000 compared to a
year earlier. However, revisions to the previous figures by the ONS
mean that estimates of recent levels of net migration are
higher than previously thought, reaching a peak of 906,000 in
the year ending June 2023. Net migration is expected to fall
further in the next release, in particular due to falling
numbers of health and care visas and student
dependants.
-
The asylum backlog at the
end of September 2024 was 97,170, 13 per cent higher than at
the end of June 2024. This is in part driven by the seasonal pattern
of small boat arrivals
which tends to see
large numbers of
applications
over the
summer. While the
pace of decision-making is expected to increase under the
policies of the new government, there are still a large number
of people in asylum accommodation, including 35,651 in
hotels.
-
The number of small boat
arrivals continues at a high rate.
There were 25,244 arrivals in
Jan-Sep 2024. The most common nationalities of arrivals were
Afghan, Vietnamese, Iranian, Syrian and Eritrean.
Responding to the migration
statistics, Marley
Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and
communities, said:
“Net migration is coming
down from
record highs as the
previous government's policies start to bite. We expect a further
substantial fall in the next set of figures. But revisions to
earlier estimates mean that last year's peak in net migration
is even
higher than previously thought, at
just over 900,000.
“The new government faces a tough
set of choices on immigration. Further cuts to numbers could be
challenging for recruitment in key sectors such as social care,
as well as university finances. It will need a clear framework to
work through these choices and manage the potential impacts.”
On the asylum figures,
Lucy Mort, IPPR senior
research fellow,
said:
“The government has inherited an
asylum system in disarray. It has taken a vital first step in
clearing the asylum backlog by fixing the block on processing
caused by the previous
government's Illegal
Migration Act. But the backlog is still too high and the costs of
asylum accommodation are
eye-watering.
"Wholesale asylum reform is
needed. The government should reintroduce
an
improved
streamlined asylum processing to
help clear the backlog. And it should develop a new locally and
regionally led approach to asylum accommodation to bring hotel
use down, improve the quality of living conditions, and support
community cohesion.”
