Latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics show that net immigration into the UK has fallen by almost a third since the last general election. Net immigration into the UK in the year ending June 2012 was 163,000, significantly lower than 235,000 in the year ending June 2010. The Conservatives say that in Government they have implemented tough reforms to all the routes of immigration into the UK. Conservatives have capped economic immigration, whilst giving certainty to business that they can bring in their best and brightest with visas for 'exceptional talent'. Reforms to student visas have seen bogus colleges close and applications to our world-class universities increase. Reforms to the family route have been fair to families and fair to the tax payer. These figures show that our reforms are working with numbers are coming down, and the latest visa statistics indicate that this trend is set to continue.
Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: "Our tough reforms are having an impact in all the right places - we have tightened the routes where abuse was rife and overall numbers are down as a result. But sponsored student visa applications for our world-class university sector are up and the numbers of skilled people being sponsored by UK employers in sectors such as IT and science have also increased. We will continue to work hard to bring net immigration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament and to create a selective immigration system that works in our national interest."
However Chris Bryant, Labour’s Shadow Immigration Minister, commenting on today’s Quarterly Migration Statistics, responded by saying: "Net migration is falling but public concern is rising. Labour supports strong controls to bring immigration down. But these figures demonstrate that the Government is not focussing on the kind of immigration that worries people the most. Half the drop is down to students, while 30 per cent of the net migration reduction is down to more British people leaving. Worryingly, the Government appear to be taking some students away from full visas with proper checks and giving them student visitor visas instead, yet we know these visas have fewer checks and are more open to abuse. This is an own goal."
Mr Bryant continued: "The Government is doing nothing to tackle illegal immigration. The data today shows another fall in deporting people who have broken the rules and another reduction in people being stopped at the border. And they are not doing enough to tackle the impact of migration on jobs and housing. Until the Government addresses what most concerns people, anxiety will continue to grow. Britain needs an immigration system that is fair and works for the UK. But the Prime Minister’s policy is failing to convince the public that he is focussed on the right things. The Government’s handling of illegal immigration is still getting worse, international graduate students are being discouraged yet more people are coming as short term students with fewer checks and UK citizens are being driven away."
