Research

Migration Watch approaches our research output carefully and diligently; while we have a proven track record of getting it right on the issue, we know how sensitive the topic is and ensure we provide neutral, non-partisan and numbers-based analysis. On that basis, we source our numbers from officially published statistics reports, most usually the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the National Audit Office (NAO), the Home Office (HO), and other arms of His Majesty’s Government. 
 
Where needed, we make projections guided by statistical inference and modelling guided by one of our co-founders, Dr David Coleman, Emeritus Professor of Demographics at the University of Oxford. We place the highest possible premium on numbers-based analysis, and ensure and encourage a calm and level-headed approach to the facts concerning this paramount issue. 

Risks of reviving the defective post-study work route

Summary 1. Until this year, non-EU students (who account for seven in ten overseas students in higher education[1]) have been restricted to a job search of up to six months after graduation before switching into a skilled work visa – the grant of which required a job offer, a minimum

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Outcomes for UK-based applicants for nursing courses

1. Analysis of figures released by UCAS show that a majority (54%) of UK-domiciled applicants to nursing courses have been rejected since 2010 (348,000 out of just under 650,000 applicants). 2. More than 23,000 UK-based applicants failed to gain training places last year even as the country faced the initial onslaught

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What action is the government taking to tackle overstaying?

Summary 1. The number of foreign nationals who need a visa but who the Home Office did not record as departing the UK on time nearly doubled from 50,000 in 2016/17 to nearly 92,000 in 2019/20. Additionally, the most recent investigation into the number of visitors from more than 50 countries who

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How many people are expected to take up the new Hong Kong visa?

Summary 1. The government expects about 300,000 people to come to the UK over five years on a new path to citizenship that will – from 31 January 2021 – be available to more than five million people in Hong Kong (nearly three-quarters of the territory’s population). This note summarises

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Impact of immigration on demand for homes in England

Summary 1. After the Covid crisis, net migration levels could well revert to the high levels witnessed over the past five years, or even surpass them, given the range of various additional uncapped routes being opened under the new Points Based System. If so, just over half of extra homes needed in

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An Asylum System Overwhelmed and Abused

Summary 1. The asylum system is being overwhelmed following a rapid rise in the number of claims (most of which have been submitted by ‘clandestine’ entrants), as well as by growing costs, falling productivity, disintegrating enforcement, ballooning backlogs and significant (and, according to the government, “increas[ing]”) abuse. We estimate that, should

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Migration Watch UK Media photo of a crowd overlooking the Thames.

Media

Watch our most recent broadcast appearances, interviews, and briefings, where we comment on immigration, population growth, and related policy issues. These videos offer timely, expert insight and considered responses to current developments in the public and political debate.

Migration Watch Newsletter image of British troops and a helicopter in a field training.

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.

Migration Watch Statistics

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.