UK Immigration Expected to Decline

There is finally some good news in regards to immigration in the UK. According to reports, the UK is expected to fall by tens of thousands this year. A lot of this reduction is due to economic factors. However, there are other things that could be playing a role in it as well.

New projections by the Institute for Public Policy Research suggest that hard economic times in Britain will lead to a number of migrants choosing not to come to the UK. In fact, immigration could fall from 220,000 to 180,000. This should lead to not only a reduction in European Union migrants, but non-European Union migrants.

This forecast drop is based on figures from the Home Office and Office for National Statistics. Not only that, but it came out alongside IPPR analysis of the economic outlook and effect of government policies. Either way, it is still significantly short of the coalition's election pledge to reduce net immigration to tens of thousands. As long as the UK is part of the European Union, this is simply impossible. Mostly, because the UK is not able to turn away European Union migrants.

The report said that it is slightly odd to see a government making a virtue of their flagship policy not actually having had any effect. The more serious conclusion is that the experience of the cap so far should not be seen as a vindication of the policy. Beyond this, the government's policy amounts to little more than gimmicky. Not only that but it is arguably unpleasant.