PM committed to migration target

The Office for National Statistics said net migration in 2010 was 252,000
12 April 2012

The Government has insisted it remains committed to cutting net migration to Britain to the "tens of thousands" - despite it hitting a record high last year.

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed long-term net migration in 2010 was 252,000 - the highest calendar year total on record. The figure represents a big increase on the 2009 total of 198,000 - although ministers said the levels had now peaked and were starting to come down.

Downing Street said David Cameron still believed he could meet his target to get net migration down below the 100,000-a-year mark by the end of the Parliament. The Prime Minister's official spokesman added: "Clearly that process is going to take some time."

However, Oxford University's Migration Observatory warned ministers would have to slash immigration from outside the European Union (EU) by 70% if they were to achieve the target.

The ONS said that while immigration had been broadly steady at 591,000 last year, there had been a sharp fall in emigration, with 339,000 leaving the country - the lowest total since 2001. While net migration peaked at 255,000 in the 12 months to September 2010, provisional figures for the year ending March 2011 showed it had fallen back to 245,000.

Nevertheless, the figures remain at historically high levels. The previous record for a calendar year was 245,000 in 2004 - although mid-year data for the 12 months to June 2005 reached 260,000.

Immigration minister Damian Green said, overall, the figures presented an "encouraging" picture, although he acknowledged there was a lot still to be done to meet the target.

He added: "These figures show that the Government was right to take swift action to overhaul the immigration system.

"Latest quarterly figures show a decrease in the number of student and work visas issued compared to a year earlier - an early sign that our policies are starting to take effect. The latest net migration figures are also encouraging, showing a fall since the recent peak in September 2010, but we are clear there is much more to be done."

The Migration Observatory said the figures included 34,000 net migration of EU nationals which the Government could not restrict. Therefore, the entire 152,000 cut in the total that would be needed to hit the target would have to come from the remaining 218,000 net migration from outside the EU - a 70% reduction.

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