Blog 13 UK net migration hits record high

            Recent data in the United Kingdom has shown that their attempt to bring the number of migrants to below 100,000 was not realized with the official figure last year to be 252,000, which is the largest amount ever in a calendar year. One of the factors of the overall migration in the United Kingdom that the Office of National Statistics reported is that now more than ever the number of UK citizens who emigrate is at an all time low since 1998. In March of this year alone there were 591,000 people who came into the UK. Another issue that can be seen from the data is the low percentages of the deportation of “failed asylum seekers”, as well as individuals who were in the country illegally. While the figure of overall migration has decreased from March 2010 to 2011, it is unclear if this decrease will continue over time. Also, the number of student and work visas has decreased according to Damian Green, the immigration minister. He believes this shows the new government policies are beginning to have an affect on migration. Sir Andrew Green from Migrationwatch UK stated that “it is absolutely vital to get this down less than 40,000 if we are to keep our population below 70 million.”

             The attempts to decrease the net migration in the UK are clearly proving to be more difficult than anticipated. The affects of UK citizens staying in the country as well as people immigrating into the UK will have an affect on the government as well as the economy, as they will seek to find jobs and be competing with other UK citizens along with migrants. However, they can provide a positive boost to the economy through the buying and selling of goods in the UK.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/24/uk-net-migration-record-high?INTCMP=SRCH