Net migration to Britain is anticipated to remain elevated well beyond its pre-Brexit figures till at least 2030.
The projections by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics (LSE) predict annual net migration to hover around 250,000 to 350,000.
The latest findings highlight a significant factor behind the steadfast high net migration levels – the government’s issuance of work-specific visas, particularly driven by the health and care sector demands.
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory, emphasised that if current trends endure, work visas are likely to predominantly shape Britain’s net migration landscape, indicating a sector-sensitive migration pattern in the forthcoming years.
LSE’s Professor of Economics, Alan Manning, co-author of the report, acknowledged the challenges in precisely predicting net migration due to various influencing factors. These include the transition of international students to work visas, the trend in work visa numbers, and the trajectory of asylum applications.
