The influx of people to the UK was at a record high last year, according to figures from the UK’s Office for Statistics (ONS). Namely, around 600,000 more people immigrated to the country in 2022 than left it.
The increase in the number of people is due to the arrival of foreigners from non-EU countries, including about 114,000 refugees from Ukraine and about 53,000 people from Hong Kong, as well as people who came for work and study, he said ONS.
According to statisticians’ estimates, a total of around 1.2 million people came to the country last year, while around 557,000 left.
A series of world events in 2022 and the lifting of post-pandemic restrictions have led to record levels of foreign immigration to the UK covid-19, said the director center for international migration at ONS– yeah Jay Lindop.
The latest data increases the pressure on the Prime Minister’s conservative government Rishi Sunak, which has pledged to reduce its dependence on foreign labour. For years, the ruling conservatives have made limiting immigration one of their top priorities, the German news agency DPA reports.
The high number of immigrants was also one of the central concerns of those who decided in the 2016 referendum for the country to leave the European Union. Opposition to the arrival of immigrants was considered one of the most important reasons for leaving.
The issue of the arrival of refugees who managed to cross the English Channel on small boats to apply for asylum is also pressing in the country. More than 45,000 arrived last year, prompting the government to introduce stricter measures to prevent the arrival of defectors.
Source: Rtvslo
