According to the Factsheet for February 2024 released by the UK Home Office shows a falling trend in net migration. The latest official estimates show that net migration in the year to June 2023 was 672,000 – up significantly on pre-pandemic volumes but lower than the 745,000 who came in the year to December 2022.
The UK Home Office feels it is also because of rising numbers of overseas students and care workers.
The government has already taken action to address the rise in legal migration with measures to tackle the substantial rise in the number of students bringing dependants to the UK, which came into force in January 2024.
On Monday 4th December 2023, the Prime Minister and Home Secretary announced a plan to slash migration levels and curb abuse of the immigration system. Together, this will mean 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would now not be able to come.
The Minister for Legal Migration and the Border wrote a ‘Dear colleagues’ letter to all MPs on Thursday 21st December 2023 setting out further information on the implementation of these measures. On Tuesday 30 January, further detail was provided on when the government’s package to reduce migration will come into force.
Key measures to cut net migration
Stopping overseas care workers from bringing family dependants and requiring social care firms in England to be undertaking Care Quality Commission registered activities to sponsor visas, which will come into force on 11 March. Last year 120,000 dependants came via this route.
Increasing the earning threshold for overseas workers by nearly 50% from its current position of £26,200 to £38,700 from 4 April 2024, encouraging businesses to look to British talent first and invest in their workforce, helping us to deter employers from over-relying on migration, while bringing salaries in line with the average full-time salary for these types of jobs.
Reforming the Shortage Occupation List into an Immigration Salary List. The 20% going rate salary discount for shortage occupations will end and the Migration Advisory Committee – an expert independent panel that advises the Government on immigration policy has been asked to review the composition of the list in line with the increased salary thresholds. This will be included in the Immigration Rules laid on 14 March.
Raising the minimum income for family visas to £38,700 in line with the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route to ensure people only bring dependants to the UK they can support financially and will apply to all British and settled sponsors under the five-year partner route. We will raise the minimum income for family visas incrementally in stages, to give predictability to families, starting at £29,000 from 11 April and rising to £38,700 by early 2025.