EU Long-Term Immigration to Britain Hits Lowest since 2013: ONS
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - European Union (EU) long-term immigration to Britain has fallen since 2016, hitting its lowest point since 2013, according to figures released Friday by Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Data showed that 602,000 people immigrated to Britain and 343,000 people emigrated from the country in the year ending December 2018.
ONS noted that the overall net migration remained widely stable, although EU net migration dropped since mid-2016, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Non-EU net migration rose over the last five years, with 232,000 more non-EU citizens arriving than leaving in the year ending December 2018.
Jay Lindop, Director of the Centre for International Migration, Office for National Statistics, said "our analysis of the available data suggests that long-term net migration, immigration and emigration figures have remained broadly stable since the end of 2016."
"Since 2016, the pattern of migration to the UK for work has been changing. Long-term immigration to the UK for work has fallen, mainly driven by the decline in EU arrivals," said Lindop.
"We are also seeing the number of skilled work visas for non-EU citizens increasing, although overall non-EU work-related immigration has remained broadly stable," added Lindop.
