Official figures show 258,000 more people moved to Britain than emigrated in 2018

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Migrants continue to add to the UK population as official figures show the government has missed its target of reducing net migration to tens of thousands for the 37th time in a row.

The last official migration figures released under Theresa May’s premiership reveal that 258,000 more people moved to the UK than left in 2018, with 602,000 arriving and 343,000 people emigrating.

Looking deeper into the data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), EU long-term immigration has fallen since 2016 and is at its lowest since 2013, with 201,000 people from EU nations arriving and 127,000 leaving.

The statistics also show, however, that non-EU net migration has gradually increased over the last five years, with 232,000 more non-EU citizens arriving than leaving last year.

The figures jar with pro-Brexit arguments of “taking back control of migration” by ending freedom of movement, because growth in net migration is driven by non-EU migration, which the UK is already able to control.

May has been a staunch defender of the government’s net migration target since it was unveiled in 2010, first as home secretary and then as prime minister, despite repeated warnings against using the metric.

Sunder Katwala, the director of the migration thinktank British Future, said: “These will be Theresa May’s final immigration statistics as a prime minister and home secretary who placed the net migration target at the centre of the government’s immigration policy.

“But the net migration target was a promise to voters that could never be kept. As a result, public trust in the government’s ability to manage immigration is at rock-bottom. Her successor should look at this record and conclude that it’s time to move on. Banging your head on a brick wall 37 times in a row just gives you a bigger political headache.”

The number of work visas increased by 11%, the figures showed, with tier 2 (skilled) work visas increasing by 15%.

The Home Office said the removal of doctors and nurses from the tier 2 cap had led to a 62% rise in the number of sponsored applications for skilled work in the “human health and social work activities” sector.

The immigration minister, Caroline Nokes, said: “These figures show that the UK is continuing to attract skilled workers like doctors and nurses who play a vital role in supporting our communities and boosting our economy.

“Net migration continues to be stable and as we leave the EU our new immigration system will give us greater control over who comes here, while ensuring employers have the access to the skills they need.”