Blogs
We publish blogs that draw on data and research, and through them we inform debate, spark discussion, and explore the wider implications of current developments.
Analysis, Commentary and Research Updates
Explore our latest publications on immigration and asylum policies. Stay informed with well-researched insights.
Migration Watch Responds To The Latest Set Of Ons Migration Figures, September 2025
Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch, said: For further comments, please contact admin@migrationwatchuk.org. Notes to editor:
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Don’t Be Fooled – This Government Is Not In Control Of Illegal Immigration
The Home Office today (9th September) issued a press release titled, ‘For the first time, small boat migrants arriving in the UK face being detained and returned to France’. Promising title – but is it…
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Cutting Student Visas: Bringing Migration Under Control
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2024, student visas accounted for 45% of all UK entry visas issued – the single largest route for legal migration. This surge is no accident. In 2019, ministers set…
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Migration Is Changing Your Area – Just Look At These Numbers.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its official estimates for the population of England and Wales yesterday, and the results make for dire reading. Already the headlines are coming in thick and fast: “Migration fuels population…
Learn MoreA Shocking Year, Strewn With Failure. Pull Your Socks up or go!
It’s been exactly one year since Labour won the 2024 General Election. Given that “immigration and asylum” was the second-most important issue for voters at the time – and by far the most important issue for Conservative…
Learn MoreWar In Iran Will Only Make Britain’s Migration Crisis Worse
The regional fallouts of the conflict engulfing Iran are yet to reveal themselves, but one catastrophic consequence is definitely not in doubt: Britain’s migration crisis will further deepen. Iran is already the nation from which…
Learn MoreIs The Prime Minister’s Plan Working?
Can the government stop the boats? Speaking in Dover today, the Prime Minister gave an update on his pledge to stop small boats crossing the English Channel. Illegal crossings, he said, are down 20 per…
Learn MoreA Passage From India – Explaining The Unexpected Rise Of Indians Crossing The Channel
This week the government disclosed that in 2023 Indians have been the second largest group of people illegally crossing the English Channel in small boats, making up 18 per cent of all crossings. Although the increase…
Learn MoreFrom Baghdad To Bournemouth – Granting Refuge To Terrorists
It emerged in the Daily Mail recently that among those who illegally entered the UK in a dinghy last year were 19 suspected terrorists, several of whom are thought to have been members of the…
Learn MoreResponse To Comments On Our Report On The Fiscal Impact Of Immigration
Has Migration Watch UK “distorted UCL research”? Not at all. This can only be based on a misunderstanding or misreading of our paper. UCL/CReAM calculated a scenario in which business taxes were shared out as an equal cost among everyone in the UK including even the most recent arrivals, and
The Prospects For Eu Enlargement
Summary 1. The European Union (EU) has grown from six original member states to its current size of 28. The biggest enlargement occurred in 2004 when eight East European countries plus Cyprus and Malta joined. There are currently seven countries at various stages in the accession process, although two are
The Eu Turkey Deal – Could A Similar Deal Be Struck With North African Countries?
The EU Turkey Agreement In November 2015 the EU and Turkey held a bilateral summit to discuss the migrant crisis affecting the region. Vast numbers of people were making their way from the Middle East, Asia and and Africa to Turkey with the intention of making the onward journey across
Visa Free Access To The Eu For Turkish Citizens
Summary 1. The requirements for ending the need for a visa to enter the borderless Schengen zone are both complex and important. Turkey has been offered visa free travel for its citizens in exchange for vital assistance over the refugee crisis but there is a serious risk that some important
Labour And Conservative-led Government Support For Turkey’s Application To Join The European Union
Will Straw from the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign told the BBC Today Programmeon 13th April that the UK has a veto over Turkish accession to the EU. However, the quotes below detail the long record of support for Turkish membership of the EU by both Labour and Conservative-led governments. Prime Minister Tony Blair,
Economic Impacts of Immigration to the UK
Summary 1.Impact of Immigration on the economic ‘welfare’ of the existing resident population of the UK Four studies have concluded that the impact of immigration on GDP per head is negligible (see below) but the Migration Advisory Committee pointed out in their 2012 report, Analysis of the Impacts of Migration that it