When the United Kingdom (UK) exited Brexit, it imposed restrictions to control immigration to Britain but failed to do so. This is because immigration to Britain reached an all-time high in the year 2022.
There’s no denying that for many years, the Conservation Party, which is the country’s ruling party, had pledged to restrict immigration and “take back control” of its borders. At the same time, the concept of migration was at the center of Brexit’s campaign to leave the European Union (EU).
But it was shocking to see how immigration increased in 2022. This was released by a national statistics agency on Thursday. The news created an embarrassing situation for all the party leaders who had claimed that the population would fall.
Moreover, according to the latest data, net migration to the country last year, defined as arrivals minus departures, hit a record 606,000. This represented a 24 percent increase from 2021, and approximately twice the rate of net migration in the years before and following the 2016 Brexit referendum.
There’s no doubt that migration is caused by domestic and global factors, such as war, job opportunities, and politics. But what should we say about Britain’s situation?
Oppression and Violence: A Major Reason for Migration Increase in Britain
Around 600,000 people every year moved to Britain between 2004 and 2017. The figure increased to an all-time high of 1.163 million in 2022, which is doubtful to be exceeded anytime soon.
The number of persons leaving the Russian invasion of Ukraine – in which more than 120,000 Ukrainians have immigrated to Britain since the conflict started in February 2022 – the Taliban control of Afghanistan, and the increasing repression of civil rights in Hong Kong are a few reasons why there’s an increase. Moreover, for such groups, Britain provides humanitarian visa programs.
But there are signs now showing that these flows are decreasing. And part of last year’s migration increase may have been reduced after the coronavirus outbreak when the migration decreased.
Up until a few years ago, the majority of the immigration to Britain came from the European Union. But the numbers significantly dropped when Brexit removed the automatic right of EU residents to settle in Britain, making up fewer than 8% of the total last year.
Therefore, the number of EU people leaving Britain has increased recently, leading them to go back home.
Role of Education and Economy in Migration Surge
Even though the current Conservative leadership has expressed a dislike to significant levels of immigration, Britain is currently experiencing severe labor shortages, particularly in the health care, social services, and agricultural sectors, largely due to Brexit.
Whatever the government’s position, Britain continues to be appealing to outsiders searching for work because the unemployment rate is below 4 percent, which is considerably lower than it was before the pandemic, and many jobs remain unfilled. Though the government is being encouraged to provide more work permits by many firms.
The government also mentions education as another factor in immigration. An option that allows international graduate students living in Britain to apply for dependent family member visas is being used more often.
The home secretary, Suella Braverman, recently said that such types of visas had jumped 750 percent since 2019 to 136,000 last year. As claimed by her, most people belong from India and Nigeria.
Moreover, the government claimed that it would make dependent visas harder to get, but on the other hand, migration experts say that the amendment would have minimal impact. Universities also argue that this is a discouraging step for foreign students, who account for a stable economy.
The Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, also vowed to bring the number down when he took over the administration last year. But it seems like the population of the UK is on its way to taking over France for the first time.
Proofread & Published By Naveenika Chauhan
