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 MoreBogus Student Clampdown ‘Economically and Morally Justified’ | Migration Watch UK
The Government’s planned clampdown on the long running issue of bogus students is both economically justified and entirely fair, says a new report from think-tank Migrationwatch, issued as the government’s consultation period ends on 31 January. The proposals are designed primarily to stop the widespread abuse by people coming to Britain under
The Comment That Wasn’t Free
An articleattacking our paper on bogus students appeared in the Guardian on 9/01/11. The response below was offered to the paper but they declined to publish. Bogus foreign students, and indeed bogus colleges in Britain, are a serious problem – not withstanding the IPPR attempts to quibble with our description of some of
The Impact of the Points Based System
Summary 1. This briefing paper looks at the effect of introducing the Points Based System (PBS) on immigration control. It finds that the PBS is an ineffective instrument for the task. The PBS gives primacy to “objective criteria” for the issue of a visa rather than immigration control objectives. Student
New Wave of East European Workers Takes Lion’s Share of New Jobs and Puts Government Immigration Target at Risk | Migration Watch UK
Figures published today1 show that there were nearly 300,000 more people in employment in the UK in the third quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. However, nearly half of these jobs went to foreign nationals, including 98,000 extra workers from the new East European members of the
Migration – The Environmental Consequences for the UK | Migration Watch UK
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK will soar by almost 515 million tonnes over the period from 2008 to 2033 solely as a result of the projected increase in population due to net migration over that period, says a new report out today. The report from think-tank Migrationwatch on the
MW212 : Global Migration Unrealities | Migration Watch UK
In November 2010 the New Economics Foundation published a short paper entitled “Why the cap won’t fit: Global migration realities 2010 to 2050“. The paper argued that UK immigration policy should take account of world trends in migration. Immigration needed to be effectively managed against this background and government “rhetoric”