On Thursday (August 22), the UK Home Office released the latest immigration data, showing a mixed picture of joys and sorrows. In the past year, the number of refugee boats crossing the English Channel has decreased compared to the previous year, but the Labour Party pointed out that there are currently over 110,000 asylum seekers still awaiting the Home Office’s decisions.
Former Home Secretary James Cleverly announced new regulations limiting foreign laborers in December last year, as the data at that time indicated that net migration numbers were approaching historic highs. However, the new data reveals a shortage of staff in the healthcare industry due to the tightening policies.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proposed new measures to enhance border security in the UK on Wednesday (August 21), announcing a significant boost in immigration enforcement and deportation activities to achieve the highest deportation rate in five years.
Currently, the number of forced deportations has increased by 48%, with 87% of those being Albanians expelled due to an agreement reached between the previous Conservative government and Albania.
According to Home Office data, as of June, there were approximately 97,000 asylum seekers in the UK, which is an 8% decrease compared to the same period last year.
This figure includes about 38,784 illegal migrants and infiltrators, with 80% arriving by boat across the English Channel.
There are 118,882 individuals waiting for refugee protection decisions.
The former Conservative government ceased processing most asylum applications and planned to send some individuals to Rwanda, resulting in an increase in pending cases.
The new Labour government has directed officials to start addressing these backlog cases and determine who are genuine refugees and who should be deported.
Cleverly criticized the Labour government for overturning the Rwanda deportation policy and stated that the new government has not clarified how they will handle “those who have come from countries like Afghanistan, Syria, or Iran to the UK but had their asylum claims rejected.”
Cleverly said, “We cannot send them back to their countries of origin. We no longer have a safe third country to send them to. Therefore, the government needs to address this issue.”
As part of efforts to reduce net migration numbers, the former Conservative government tightened visa requirements, raised salary thresholds for applicants, and restricted healthcare workers from bringing family members into the country. This resulted in a sharp decline in the number of foreign healthcare workers obtaining UK visas.
In the year ending June 2024, the UK Home Office issued a total of 89,095 visas for medical and care workers, a 26% decrease compared to the same period last year. From April to June, the number of visas issued to these workers declined by 81% year-on-year.
The Reuters news agency cited Marley Morris, Deputy Director responsible for immigration, trade, and community affairs at the Institute for Public Policy Research, stating that these restrictive measures could exacerbate the industry’s recruitment challenges.
Morris said, “Recruitment in the social care sector is still struggling, and the government needs to closely monitor the situation to avoid further staffing shortages crisis.”
Prior to the general election earlier this year, the Labour Party pledged to reduce net migration numbers. The party did not set a specific target but aimed to reduce the UK’s reliance on foreign labor through workforce and training, especially in critical sectors like health and construction.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sought to reduce the number of foreign healthcare workers coming to the UK last year and also limited the number of students coming to the UK, including preventing some postgraduates from bringing their families.
In the year ending June this year, the total number of UK university student visas issued to foreign students was 432,225, a 13% decrease compared to the same period last year.
The number of visas issued to overseas students’ family members in the first six months of this year decreased by 81% from the same period last year, with only 11,675 issued.
Cooper proposed new measures to enhance border security in the UK on Wednesday, including the immediate recruitment of up to 100 new professional intelligence and investigative officers by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to target, dismantle, and disrupt organized immigration crime networks.
Cooper also announced a significant strengthening of immigration enforcement and deportation activities to ensure compliance and enforcement of immigration and asylum rules. She stated that the government has developed a new plan for the next six months to achieve the highest deportation rate in five years (since 2018) by repatriating those who have no legal right to stay, including failed asylum seekers.
Additionally, the Home Office will introduce a new intelligence-led program specifically targeting, investigating, and combating illegal employers who unlawfully hire individuals without legitimate working status.