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.
War 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 MoreResponding To Labour Shortages – Is More Immigration The Answer?
Since leaving the European Union and emerging from the Covid-19 Pandemic, the topic of workforce immigration has rarely been far from the headlines. Whether it is increasing the number of agricultural workers, nurses or hospitality staff…
Learn MoreWhat’s The News On Modern Slavery Abuse Among Asylum Seekers?
In recent years, the amount of modern slavery claims being made by asylum seekers has risen substantially. In 2022, claims reached a high of 17,000 of which just a quarter were for sole UK nationals. Earlier this…
Learn MoreImmigration Rises To 1.3 Million: Visa Grants For Foreigners To Live Here Double In 3 Years
The number of visa grants for people to come and live in the UK has more than doubled from over half a million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022 (see the full Home Office bulletinand our press…
Learn MoreNearly 7 In 10 Of Those Coming In Boats Are Young Men As 500% Increase In Afghan Dinghy Arrivals Helps Drive Surging Illegal Immigration
The figures show that 54,090 people attempted to enter illegally in 2022, and 45,755 of these by small boat. The boat figures are an increase of 1.6 times on the number of people that arrived…
Learn MoreHouse Of Commons Debate On No To 70 Million Petition
Last year Migration Watch UK, launched a petition on the government e-Petition website calling on the government to take all necessary steps to get immigration down to a level that will stabilise our population as close to the current level as possible and, certainly, well below 70 million – the
Supreme Court Pronounces On The Immigration Rules
In Briefing Paper No 8.43, issued in July 2010, I commented on the case of Pankina v. Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] EWCA Civ.719, decided by the Court of Appeal. The principle enunciated in that case is that changes in the law, in particular to detailed provisions in the Immigration
Students; Genuine Or Bogus – A Response To The Nus
The NUS has made some criticisms of our recent paper which do not stand up to scrutiny. Their first point was that the countries listed in the pilot do not represent the wider student body. Quite so. That is why our calculation was explicitly confined to those countries included in
Briefing Note: Attempts To Fiddle The Immigration Figures Are Bound To Fail
Removing students from the net migration statistics would be wrong in principle and impossible in practice. It is wrong in principle to remove over half of the recorded inflow. There is no difference between a worker and student if they are both here for several years, as the Minister for
60,000 Bogus Students Could Have Entered the UK Last Year – Government “have bottled out on bogus students | Migration Watch UK
As many as 60,000 bogus students could have entered the UK in 2011 alone. This is the conclusion of a study by Migration Watch, based on the findings of a Home Office pilot scheme which were published last week. Under the pilot scheme applicants for student visas were interviewed to determine
Removal of Students from Immigration Figures | Migration Watch UK
Students: Genuine or Bogus? 23 July, 2012 Summary 1 Students make up a large proportion of those who enter the country each year, making it imperative that only those who enter should be genuine. The recent Home Office pilot scheme designed to assess a student’s credibility found that, amongst those