MIGRANT SURGE
Migration levels rocketed last year, figures reveal as pressure mounts on Rishi Sunak to crack down
NET migration last year hit 606,000, shocking figures out today show.
The stats come as Rishi Sunak faces huge pressure from MPs and the public to get a grip on the number of foreigners coming over.
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In 2019 net migration stood at 226,000.
This rose to half a million in the 12 months to June 2022, before ballooning even further to today's figure.
In what's been described as a bizarre move, the PM responded to the figures on the This Morning sofa - describing them as "just too high".
He told a cheery Alison Hammond and Craig Doyle: " I want the numbers to come down. These things are not easy to do.
"It depends on the economy."
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Mr Sunak refused to give a specific target for cutting numbers.
He added: "What people are talking about when I'm out and about in cafes, restaurants, wherever it might be, they do talk to me more about illegal migration.
"And that's why I'm working so hard - one of my five priorities, in fact, is to stop the boats, and you'll know we're taking tough measures to do that with new laws that we're passing through Parliament."
The Tories vowed to cut migration in the party's 2019 general election manifesto.
Today they've been accused of letting Brits down through an addiction to cheap foreign labour.
Just this week the Home Office announced overseas fishermen will be invited to man British boats amid a major skills shortage.
Devon MP Anthony Mangnall told The Sun: "Importing a workforce at the expense of training our citizens misses the the chance to create good, high-paying, long-lasting jobs."
Swathes of low-skilled migrants and hundreds of thousands of students have put immense pressure on public services such as the NHS.
The huge numbers also put a strangle hold on Britain's crippled housing market.
Senior Tory Sir John Hayes raged: “You can’t grow your population at 700,000 a year.
"Where on earth are you going to house these people?”
Former Brexit Party chief Nigel Farage said: “These figures are a total breach of trust between voters and this government.
"The population explosion continues, our quality of life is declining and all the government will do is to give us more lies.”
Ahead of today's figures Suella Braverman announced a package of measures to cut immigration.
Foreign students on Masters courses will no longer be allowed to bring partners or family members with them to the UK.
But PHD students, who tend to be older, will still be able to.
Last year almost 500,000 people were granted student visas, while the number of dependants increased by 750% since 2019 to 136,000.
The Home Office say student visas account for the largest proportion of migration to the UK.
Officials will also clampdown on "unscrupulous" education agents.
Some organisations have been accused of supporting student visas for migrants who are really just using the route as a backdoor to find work.
The ONS, who publish migration stats, say today's significant stat rise was partly driven by "unprecedented world events".
These include the war in Ukraine, lockdown ending, the resettlement of Afghan refugees, a new visa route for British nationals from Hong Kong and students arriving from outside the EU.
Jay Lindop, director of the Centre for International Migration at the ONS, said: "Recent data suggests that those arriving in 2021 are now leaving the country, with the overall share of non-EU immigration for students falling in 2022.
"In contrast, those arriving on humanitarian routes increased over the 12 months. Evidence also suggests immigration has slowed in recent months, potentially demonstrating the temporary nature of these events."
Labour today slammed the Tories for having "lost control" of Britain's borders.
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Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock told LBC: "They have failed to have a strategy in place for our local labour market, and as a result of that, employers are being forced to reach for overseas immigration.
"We need a much more balanced approach, ensuring that we have the immigration we need of course, but that there's much more opportunity for skills, productivity training, workforce planning to get our economy firing on all cylinders again."
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who genuinely need it through our safe and legal routes, and we welcomed over a hundred thousand people from Ukraine and Hong Kong last year.
"At the same time we have also seen growth in the use of a range of visa routes including an unprecedented rise in the number of dependants arriving with students. This has understandably contributed to higher levels of net migration."
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“This week we carried out the toughest ever action by government to reduce migration by removing the right for most international students to bring family members, while continuing to benefit from the skills and resources our economy needs.”
“We remain committed to reducing overall net migration, while stopping the boats and delivering control of our borders, prioritising tackling abuse and preventing dangerous and illegal crossings.”
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