Research
Student immigration to the UK
Key points Introduction 1. The UK’s higher education product is a major export and an important component of soft power. It is important to have a viable study visa route into the UK. However, it…
Learn MoreAnalysis Of Home Office Immigration And Visa Statistics Release For Year To March 2022
The new visa statisticssuggest that about a million people were granted entry to live in the UK in the twelve months leading up to March 2022. This may indicate the highest level of immigration to the UK in one…
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Non-UK entry grants under the post-Brexit immigration system
Summary 1. The government promised that its post-Brexit immigration system would reduce overall immigration levels and deliver ‘firmer’ border control. Yet the opposite has happened, as we show below with analysis of Home Office (HO) data. In 2021, there were…
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Potential impact of asylum arrangements with Rwanda
Summary 1. More than 75,600 people have reportedly arrived without prior permission by boat and lorry since 1 January 2018. Entries by boat in 2022 so far are triple the number reported by this point…
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Gender and age of illegal boat crossers
1. Over 41,300 people have come to the UK illicitly in boats since the start of 2018. 16,500 of these came in the period January 2018 and to the end of June 2021.[1] Data from a Freedom…
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Small boat arrivals in possession of a passport
1. Just 2% of the thousands who have made their way to the UK illegally in small boats via the English Channel since 2018 were recorded as being in possession of a passport. 2. New…
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Illegal clandestine arrivals by lorry
1. The total number of migrants entering the UK clandestinely each year is not known. However, our analysis suggests that there have been at least 320,000 attempts to come to the UK without prior permission…
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Asylum abuse by adults claiming to be children
Note: See coverage of this paper in the Daily Telegraph, The Times and Daily Mail. Summary 1. The system for checking the age of asylum claimants is so loose that it gives the benefit of the doubt to those…
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Rising cost of benefits for asylum claimants
1. The number of people in asylum-related accommodation has tripled in the past decade – from 21,000 in 2012 to 64,000 in the year to September 2021. The government has projected the number could rise to as high…
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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.
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.
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.