CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

UK Net Migration Plummets 69% to 204,000 — Irregular Cross‑Channel Arrivals Still High

The Office for National Statistics reports UK net migration fell 69% to 204,000 in the year to June, the lowest 12‑month total since 2021. The drop reflects fewer non‑EU workers and students and more Britons emigrating, while irregular small‑boat arrivals exceed 39,000 so far this year. Conservatives credit visa and student reforms under Rishi Sunak, and the government is pursuing tougher measures and a "one in, one out" agreement with France.

07:21 PM, 11/27/2025Politics
UK Net Migration Plummets 69% to 204,000 — Irregular Cross‑Channel Arrivals Still High

Official statistics show net migration to the UK fell sharply — down 69% to 204,000 in the year to June — marking the lowest 12‑month figure since 2021. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the provisional totals estimate 898,000 arrivals and 693,000 people leaving the UK permanently in the year to June.

The fall was driven primarily by fewer non‑EU nationals and their dependants coming to the UK to work or study, alongside a rise in the number of British citizens emigrating. These figures exclude arrivals via irregular routes such as cross‑Channel small boats.

Political backdrop

The decline in net migration provides political relief for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which has faced growing pressure from the hard‑right, anti‑immigration Reform UK party. The opposition Conservatives have claimed credit for the drop, attributing it to visa, student and dependant reforms introduced under former prime minister Rishi Sunak before his government left office in July 2024.

Irregular migration remains acute

Despite the overall fall, irregular migration has not eased. More than 39,000 people have reached the UK on small boats so far this year — a total that already exceeds arrivals for all of 2024 and remains below the record peak recorded in 2022. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has sustained strong polling by campaigning heavily on the migration issue.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood has announced measures aimed at tightening both legal and irregular migration routes in response to public concern and rising support for Reform UK. The government is also pursuing a “one in, one out” arrangement with France intended to reduce small‑boat crossings.

Under that scheme, officials reported 153 people have been removed to France and 134 transferred to the UK under the new safe and legal pathway. The government says for each person returned who is deemed to have arrived irregularly and be ineligible for asylum, another is admitted through the legal route.

A previously published annual net migration tally for 2024 was initially reported as 431,000 in May but later revised to 345,000; by comparison, net migration in the year to December 2023 stood at 860,000.

Bottom line: Net migration has fallen dramatically year‑on‑year, but irregular crossings remain a pressing political and humanitarian challenge.

Similar Articles

Trending

UK Net Migration Plummets 69% to 204,000 — Irregular Cross‑Channel Arrivals Still High - CRBC News