Research
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
Impact of immigration in changing the UK population
Summary 1. The UK is already a crowded country yet our population is growing rapidly and is also being significantly changed by immigration at a much faster rate than has been generally understood. Indeed, 90% of growth since 2017 has been driven by immigration and subsequent children. Since 2001, the
Scotland and Immigration
Summary 1. The population of Scotland has been increasing for the last 20 years and is approaching 5.5 million. Meanwhile the foreign-born share and the proportion of the population made up of other ethnicities have both more than tripled – from about 3% to 10-11% of the total. The impact
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Media
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Blogs
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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.