EU immigration to Britain plunges to five-year low - and number of Europeans living in UK falls for first time in 15 years to 3.6million - as uncertainty over Brexit rolls on

  • 201,000 EU nationals moved to UK indending to stay for at least a year in 2018
  • This was the lowest inflow since 2013 when the same figure was recorded
  • 127,000 EU citizens emigrated - giving 74,000 net figure, ONS figures show
  • ONS says non-EU long-term immigration has gradually risen over five years

Immigration to Britain from the European Union has fallen to its lowest level in five years, official figures revealed today.

An estimated 201,000 EU nationals moved to the UK with an intention to stay for 12 months or more in 2018, which was the lowest inflow since 2013 when the same figure was recorded.

Some 127,000 EU citizens emigrated - giving a net figure of 74,000. In the year to June 2016, when the Brexit referendum was held, net long-term EU migration was 189,000.

Meanwhile, separate statistics showed the number of EU nationals living in the UK has fallen for the first time since official data recording started 15 years ago. An estimated 3.64 million EU citizens were resident in the country last year.

EU immigration was as its lowest level since 2013. This graph shows EU long-term international migration in the UK, for the year ending December 2008 until the year ending December 2018

EU immigration was as its lowest level since 2013. This graph shows EU long-term international migration in the UK, for the year ending December 2008 until the year ending December 2018

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said non-EU long-term immigration has gradually increased over the last five years to similar levels seen in 2011.

Overall net international migration was estimated at 258,000 last year - down from 285,000 in 2017 but still well above the Government's target level of under 100,000.

Jay Lindop, director of the ONS centre for international migration, 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.'

EU net migration has decreased since mid-2016 following a period of increase, while non-EU net migration has gradually been increasing since 2013, standing at an estimated 232,000 last year, the ONS report said.

It added: 'However, both EU and non-EU citizens continue to add to the population, while more British citizens leave long-term than return.'

Net migration, immigration and emigration figures have continued to remain broadly stable since the end of 2016. This graph shows the long-term international migration for the UK

Net migration, immigration and emigration figures have continued to remain broadly stable since the end of 2016. This graph shows the long-term international migration for the UK

Net migration from eight eastern European states that joined the EU in 2004 has been negative in the four consecutive quarterly statistical bulletins.

Number of EU nationals in UK falls for first time since records started in 2004

The number of EU nationals living in the UK has fallen for the first time since official data recording started 15 years ago, new statistics show.

An estimated 3.64 million EU citizens were resident in the country last year.

This was a fall of around 173,000 compared to 2017, when the EU national population in the UK was approximately 3.81 million.

An Office for National Statistics report detailing the findings said: 'This decrease follows continual increases since 2004.'

Much of the decrease was due to a fall in the number of occupants from eight eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004.

Last year there were 1.43 million nationals of the so-called EU8 states living in the UK, down by 153,000 on the number in 2017.

The number of Poles living in the UK fell by 116,000 year-on-year to 905,000.

Despite the recent decline, Polish remains the most common non-British nationality in the UK, followed by Romanian (415,000) and Indian (355,000).

Last year the overall non-British population in the UK was 6.1 million, while 9.3 million inhabitants were born abroad.

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In the latest period, 10,000 more nationals from the so-called EU8 states - Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia - departed than arrived.

There was a 'statistically significant' rise in net migration from the Middle East and Central Asia, rising from 18,000 in 2017 to 30,000 last year.

Ms Lindop said the pattern of migration to the UK for work has been changing since 2016.

She added: 'Long-term immigration to the UK for work has fallen, mainly driven by the decline in EU arrivals.

'Despite this, 99,000 EU citizens still came to the UK long-term to work in 2018, a level similar to 2012.

'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.'

The latest figures prompted fresh calls for the Tories to abandon a controversial objective of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands.

Prime Minister Theresa May has remained in favour of the target, but Home Secretary Sajid Javid has refused to commit to a specific figure, instead saying the Government's aim is to bring migration down to 'sustainable levels'.

The target was introduced by David Cameron in 2011 because it was seen as a sustainable level, but the Government has never come close to meeting the figure - and there have been continuous calls to scrap it.

Sunder Katwala, director of think-tank British Future, said: 'These will be Theresa May's final immigration statistics as a prime minister and home secretary who placed the net migration target at the centre of the Government's immigration policy.

'But the net migration target was a promise to voters that could never be kept.'

This graph shows how non-EU net migration has gradually increased since 2013 and EU net migration has decreased since 2016. It displays net migration by citizenship into the UK

This graph shows how non-EU net migration has gradually increased since 2013 and EU net migration has decreased since 2016. It displays net migration by citizenship into the UK

Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: 'It's clear that the UK has become less attractive for EU citizens over the past few years, whether because of the lower value of the pound or the uncertainty around Brexit.

'But Brexit doesn't seem to have put off non-EU migrants: the UK continues to be a top destination for international students and skilled workers from outside the EU.' 

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said: 'These figures show that the UK is continuing to attract skilled workers like doctors and nurses, who play a vital role in supporting our communities and boosting our economy.

'Net migration continues to be stable and as we leave the EU our new immigration system will give us greater control over who comes here, while ensuring employers have the access to the skills they need.'

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