Home Office to stop overseas students bringing family to UK in bid to curb migration
Sky NewsMay 23, 2023
According to the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), the nation received a record 606K net migrants last year, driven by non-EU nationals, refugees under the government's new Ukraine visa program, and those migrating for work and education.
Despite four years of prime ministers promising to curb migration, this represents a 24% increase from 488K the year prior, with total long-term immigration estimated at around 1.2M in 2022 compared to a total of 557K leaving the UK.
The Conservative Party’s immigration goal is in line with what the public needs and wants, which is why Braverman is clamping down on the countless immigrants abusing the system. While a small, calculated number of students and workers are necessary for the economy, the government must not leave current citizens out to dry by replacing them with new arrivals who only cross the border to gain access to British education and jobs.
Brexit accomplished what economists and others predicted: a fall in traditional EU immigration and a rise in non-EU, lower-skilled workers. This has left the nation grasping for workers in many sectors, though at the same time hasn't increased the wages of the existing population. At this point, the government shouldn't try to hinder immigration anymore and allow those who wish to work in the UK to do so freely so the economy can rebuild itself in the wake of the pandemic.
There's a 50% chance that the UK will reapply to join the EU by January 2049, according to the Metaculus prediction community.