EU migration to UK hits lowest level in 6 years
Brexit vote driving bloc nationals to leave Britain
EU net migration hit a six-year low as more European citizens left the UK after the Brexit vote, the Office for National Statistics reported on Thursday.
Estimated net long-term migration to the UK from the EU was 74,000 in the year to June 2018, the lowest level since 2012. Non-EU net migration was 248,000 driven by increases in immigration for both work and study, particularly of Asian nationals.
Overall net migration was stable at 273,000 in the past year, well above the government’s controversial target of less than 100,000.
“Net migration continues to add to the population and has remained fairly stable since its peak in 2016," said Jay Lindop, the director of the ONS’s centre for international migration.
“However, there are different patterns for EU and non-EU migration. Due to increasing numbers arriving for work and study, non-EU net migration is now at the highest level since 2004. In contrast, EU net migration, while still adding to the population as a whole, is at the lowest since 2012.”
Net migration from the so-called EU8 nations, which joined the bloc in 2004, including Poland and the Czech Republic, was minus 14,000 in the year to June, driven by a fall in EU8 immigration, "particularly for work, and an increase in emigration over the last two years", the ONS said.
“There could be several reasons for this changing pattern, decisions to migrate are complex and people’s decision to move to or from the UK will be influenced by a range of factors.”
Nationals of 14 longer-term EU member states, such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain, continue to add to the UK population with net migration of 47,000.
An estimated 34,000 more Romanians and Bulgarians arrived than left, although this figure has almost halved since the Brexit vote in 2016.