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:
Learn More
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…
Learn More
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…
Learn More
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 MoreLabour Leadership Candidates On Immigration
On July 25th the final hustings of the 2015 labour leadership election were held in Warrington. During the course of the hustings the candidates were asked ‘where do each of the candidates stand on Britain’s place in the EU and can we solve the immigration issue while remaining in the EU?’
Asylum Outcomes In The Uk
The Home Office produces an annual ‘cohort analysis’ of asylum claims permitting a comprehensive understanding of what eventually happened to the people who claimed asylum in the UK in a particular year. This short blog will outline the outcomes of the 2012 asylum cohort. Data is available for the 2013
Lessons From Calais
The most effective way to tackle the crisis in Calais is to tackle the motivation of the migrants who seem so determined to get across the channel. That is the conclusion of a report issued by Migrationwatch today. The report concludes that the main motivation to cross the channel is
Response To House Of Commons Library Blog On Our Paper On Economic Characteristics Of Migrants In The Uk
Steven Ayres, a researcher at the House of Commons has blogged on our report “Economic characteristics of migrants in the UK in 2014”. His blog starts by noting that its purpose is not to critique “the report itself, but rather to investigate whether the source of the data, the Labour Force
The Economic Characteristics Of Migrants In The Uk In 2014
Key labour market outcomes of migrants to the UK show wide variation, particularly in employment status, wages and benefit claims. In these terms migrants from some regions have particularly strong economic characteristics compared to those born in the UK while others have much weaker economic characteristics. Assessments of the current
Response To The Royal College Of Nursing’s Report ‘international Recruitment 2015 ‘
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN, the nursing union) yesterday published a report ‘International Recruitment 2015’. The report generated a number of provocative headlines such as ‘New immigration rules will cost the NHS millions’ (The Guardian) or ‘New Immigration Rules will cause NHS chaos’ (Sky News). These headlines are misleading