The number of immigrants in the United Kingdom has set a record this year, as more than half a million people will live in the country, a situation that London explains with “unprecedented global events.”
Figures released Thursday by Britain’s Office for National Statistics show the so-called net migration rate, which results from subtracting long-term migration and immigration data, amounted to 504,000 new residents.
The value, updated through June, indicates a significant increase compared to the 173,000 immigrants registered last year.
According to the British authorities, the record was due to a “unique period”, during which international mobility was resumed after the improvement of the Covid-19 epidemic, support for Ukrainian citizens and the establishment of a new post-exit immigration system. from the European Union (“Brexit”).
The growth in the number of immigrants, according to the Census Bureau, is attributed to the increase in the number of international students arriving, who studied remotely during the pandemic.
“All of these phenomena have contributed to high rates of overall migration over the long term,” the institute said.
The net migration rate mainly corresponds to non-EU citizens, as the number of EU citizens living in the UK decreased (51,000 fewer) between June 2021 and June this year, and 45,000 Britons decided to emigrate.
The previous record for net migration was set in 2015, the year of Europe’s great migration crisis, when it reached 330,000 people in the UK.
Concerns about the impact of immigration in the country were one of the main drivers of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union in 2016.
At the time, then-Prime Minister David Cameron wanted to achieve a net immigration rate of less than 100,000 people per year.
Increased immigration has made headlines again in the UK in recent weeks, with some business leaders urging the government to make it easier for foreign workers to enter to help boost economic growth.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rejected the appeal, which on Monday argued for the need to combat illegal immigration in the country.
The government, specifically the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, Soella Braverman, is under pressure to prevent illegal immigrants from making dangerous journeys across the English Channel (which separates France and England) and criticizes overcrowded reception centres.
Earlier this month, London signed an agreement with France to step up efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel.
According to the British government, between January and September this year, 33,029 people were monitored crossing the Channel in small boats.
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