With a 20% decline in net migration in the year ending June 2024, the UK has suffered a serious setback. From June 2023 to June 2024, net migration to the UK fell from 906,000 to 728,000, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The prior government’s crackdown on dependents is largely to blame for this decline. Most international students were not allowed to bring dependents to school unless they were enrolled in government-sponsored postgraduate programs or research-based programs, according to a regulatory change that was put into effect in May 2023. The effective date of this regulation was January 1, 2024.
The ONS observes that statistics starting in July 2024 will show the effects of this policy change more clearly. However, the most recent data already indicates a notable drop in dependents on study-related visas from outside the EU.
Regarding the overall net migration statistics, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that around a million individuals arrived in Britain in the year ending June 2023, which is four times the number of migrants compared to 2019. The Migration Advisory Committee is now reviewing the government’s proposed whitepaper, which would shape a strategy to decrease immigration. Teachers are concerned about the drop in the number of international students. According to the Russell Group, UK universities will lose out on the diverse range of experiences and viewpoints that overseas students offer. Additionally, according to the ONS, in the year ending June 2024, non-EU+ nationals made up approximately 86% of all immigration (1,034,000). 10% (116,000) were EU+ citizens, whereas British citizens made up a 5% (58,000).
Work-related immigration accounted for 417,000 of the immigration of non-EU+ nationals, with study-related immigration coming in second (375,000). Asylum seekers (84,000), family members (76,000), and humanitarians (67,000) were among the other grounds for immigration. The UK’s education system is probably going to be significantly impacted by the drop in foreign student enrollment. According to a warning from the Russell Group, UK universities will lose out on the diverse range of experiences and viewpoints that overseas students offer.
The UK government has said that it will release a whitepaper detailing its immigration reduction strategy. An evaluation is already underway by the Migration Advisory Committee. However, pointing to the significant cultural and economic advantages that international students offer the UK, educators and other stakeholders are pleading with the government to reconsider its policy toward them.
