UK net migration falls sharply in 2024

Long-term net migration to Britain fell by almost a half in 2024 compared to a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday, as fewer people arrived on work and study visas following rule changes aimed at cutting the number of arrivals.

The Office for National Statistics said data showed net migration - an estimate of the number of people migrating to Britain minus those leaving - had fallen to 431,000 compared to 860,000 in the year to December 2023.

The data will offer some relief to Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who earlier in May promised to reduce migration significantly over the next four years, under pressure from Nigel Farage's right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party.

Starmer became prime minister in July 2024. The Conservative Party, in government prior to Starmer's election, said the decrease reflected changes to visa rules they brought in.

The ONS said the change was driven by a decrease in immigration from non-EU+ nationals.

"We are seeing reductions in people arriving on work- and study-related visas, and an increase in emigration over the 12 months to December 2024, especially people leaving who originally came on study visas once pandemic travel restrictions to the UK were eased," the ONS said in a statement.

The term 'Non-EU+' refers to those arriving from countries not in the EU or from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. In recent years the non-EU+ group has included high numbers of people from India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Net migration reached a record high 906,000 in the year to June 2023, according to comparable data released last year.