Today the Office for National Statistics published its Migration Statistics Quarterly Report and the Home Office published its quarterly immigration statistics.
Our statement is below.
Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said:
The UK is continuing to attract and retain highly skilled workers, including more doctors and nurses, while talented international students are benefiting from our world leading universities and boosting our economy.
However, we are committed to controlled and sustainable migration. As we leave the EU, our new immigration system will give us full control over who comes here for the first time in decades, while enabling employers to have access to the skills they need from around the world.We’ve always been clear that we want EU citizens to stay here, and the EU Settlement Scheme is making it simple and straightforward for EU citizens to get the status they need.
Further lines:
- The number of skilled workers in the Human Health and Social Work Activities sector, such as doctors and nurses, has increased by 54%, resulting from the removal of doctors and nurses from the Tier 2 cap. The number of Tier 4 (Sponsored study) visas granted increased by 8% to 241,000, the highest level since 2011.
- The number of work-related visas increased by 7%, with Tier 2 (Skilled) work visas increasing by 9% to nearly 103,000.
- The EU Settlement Scheme will make it easy for EU citizens who want to stay in the UK beyond the end of the planned implementation period on 31 December 2020 to get the UK immigration status they need. They will only need to complete three key steps - prove their identity, show that they live in the UK, and declare any criminal convictions.