Britain vows to cut immigration to tens of thousands, student numbers shrink by 42,000
(02-28 19:55)
Britain has vowed to cut down the number of migrants to tens of thousands as figures show the net intake has fallen in line with stated government objectives.
Media reports said today the number of people from countries including Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, heading to Britain fell by 84,000 to 163,000 in the year to June, fuelled by a 17 percent drop in the number of foreign students arriving.
Immigration to the UK fell from 589,000 to 515,000, its lowest since 2003, official figures from the Office for National Statistics showed, the Telegraph reported today
Immigration Minister Mark Harper reflected the government’s determination to keep immigrants out.
“We will continue to work hard to bring net migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands by the end of this parliament and to create a selective immigration system that works in our national interest,” he said.
He said Britain is bringing immigration back under control.
“Today’s statistics show another significant fall in net migration – down almost a third since June 2010 – and the latest visa statistics indicate that this trend is set to continue.’’
Study remains the most common reason for migrating to the UK, but the numbers fell by 42,000 to 197,000 from 239,000 the previous year, the Telegraph reports.
The fall in net migration was also driven by a significant decrease in the number of immigrants arriving from New Commonwealth countries, which includes African countries such as Botswana, Kenya and Malawi and Indian subcontinent countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
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