Sustained Increase in UK Immigrants... Record High of 606,000 Last Year

"End of COVID-19 and Impact of Ukraine War"
Prime Minister Sunak: "Too many... I want to reduce them"

Last year, the number of people leaving the UK exceeded the number of people entering by 606,000, marking a record high.

According to the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the 25th (local time), the net migration population of the UK last year increased by 118,000 from 488,000 in 2021.

Jay Lindop, head of the ONS International Migration Centre, explained that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine influenced the increase in migration. He also pointed out that the UK's relaxation of entry regulations for holders of British National (Overseas) passports from Hong Kong, following China's enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law and increased control over Hong Kong, was another cause of the rise in net migration.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak mentioned this situation in an interview with ITV, saying, "The (migration) numbers are excessively high," and added, "I want to reduce them."

The view of Buckingham Palace in London, England

In the UK, there have long been voices calling for controlling migration due to its high volume. This has been seen as one of the factors that fueled the UK's departure from the European Union (EU).

The current UK government, led by the Conservative Party, has promised for over a decade to reduce net migration but has failed to fulfill this promise properly. There are also practical difficulties, such as labor shortages in key sectors following the UK's exit from the EU.

Meanwhile, the population moving into the UK last year was about 1.16 million. Of these, 925,000 came from non-EU countries, 151,000 from EU countries, and the remaining 88,000 were UK citizens. It is estimated that 114,000 long-term residents came from Ukraine under the special visa scheme, and 52,000 long-term residents came from Hong Kong. The number of people leaving was 557,000.

Before the UK left the EU, in 2015, the net migration population was around 329,000.