Research
Resettlement of Afghan citizens to the UK
Summary 1. The planned resettlement to the UK of between 20,000 and 30,000 Afghan citizens is a major event, comparable in scale to 20,000-30,000 Ugandan Asians taken in by Britain in 1972. (Syrian refugee resettlement since 2011 has been on a similar scale). Estimates of the cost of the Afghan
Spending and staffing: UK immigration and asylum system
1. Gross expenditure on the UK’s immigration and asylum system is now costing around £1 billion more than in 2015/16. Total spending on operations for the five departments carrying out these Home Office functions was £3.4 billion in 2020/21 (£1 billion more than just under £2.4 billion gross expenditure in 2015/16). While
Secure the UK border to save lives
Written evidence on the government’s asylum proposals 1. Along with a clear majority of the British public – see point 1(iv) below – we support proposals to deter illegal immigration, prevent asylum abuse and remove obstacles to enforcement. Stopping small boat crossings would save lives. It would deter people from leaving
Does international maritime law forbid turning back the boats?
1. The Home Secretary has reportedly instructed the Border Force to turn away migrant boats from British waters. The question of whether this is legal often brings in discussion of the interpretation of maritime law. For example, the French government has a divergent interpretation of this compared with the UK,
From which parts of the world have migrants come?
Summary 1. The foreign-born population of the UK was estimated to be 9.2 million in 2019/20 – 90% of whom were residing in England. Three to four million (38%) were born in the European Union (EU) and 5.7 million (just under two in three) had been born outside the EU.[1] More common reasons
Immigration and population change in the UK’s towns and cities
Summary 1. This paper should be read alongside our previous research (‘Impact of immigration in changing the UK population’, issued on 27 July 2021[1]). That paper found that the foreign-born population of the UK had doubled from about 4.5 million to around nine million between 2001 and 2020 and that
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Statistics
Migration Watch UK monitors and analyses official immigration and population statistics. We chart trends, report key developments, and provide clear, accessible insights to help understand migration and its impact on the UK.