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.
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 MoreDoes Britain Think Immigration Is Too High?
Polling is central to modern politics. For governments, it is a means of testing public reaction to policies. More and more nowadays it is done with focus groups to test the popularity or otherwise of…
Learn MoreThe Contribution Of A8 Migrants To The Uk Public Finances – Some Further Comment
In an article for the Guardian Online on 6 March,Jonathan Portes made three claims which we believe are open to question [1]: 1. A8 migrants are “far less likely to live in social housing” The study [2] upon which this claim is based only coveredthe first four years of A8 migration
The Prime Minister’s Speech – The Public’s View
A recent YouGov survey which received remarkably little mediaattention has shown striking public support for the Prime Minister’s proposalsoutlined in his speech last week. (See here for the PM’s speech) The key findings in a survey conducted on 25-26March 2013 were: 70% of respondents supported the policy of only allowingEuropean migrants to claim jobseekers
Briefing Note On Social Housing And Immigration
Demandexceeds supply 1 The PrimeMinister’s speech proposed that immigrants should wait 2-5 years before joiningthe waiting list which, in England, has grown dramatically in recent years fromaround a million in 2001 to two million today[1]. ImmigrationStatus and Eligibility 2 Currently EEAnationals who are habitually resident in the UK have to
The Prime Minister’s Immigration Speech
Commenting on DavidCameron’s speech on immigration this afternoon, Sir Andrew Green, Chairmanof Migration Watch UK, said: “It is surely only fair thateverybody should contribute to the welfare system before they can drawbenefits. The devil is often in the detail but this speech sets out a broad agenda for tightening access to the
Immigration: Labour Party Broadcast
Commenting on the Labour Party Broadcast, Sir AndrewGreen, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: “Ed Miliband’s proposals could be useful in curbingunscrupulous employers but they deal mainly with EU migration. In fact, only aquarter of the nearly 3 million immigrants in Labour’s last ten years came fromthe EU. He is
Migration Statistics: Students
Commenting on the latestMigration Statistics, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: “A reduction of athird in one year is welcome evidence that the government’s policies arestarting to take effect. Immigration from outside the EU is down by60,000 but visas for university students in 2012 were up by