Net migration fell by almost 50% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the National Statistics Office (ONS).
New estimates have shown that 431,000 more people arrived in the United Kingdom than over the 12 -month period, compared to 860,000 a year earlier – the greatest digital drop ever recorded.
The decrease was motivated by the decrease in the number of people coming to work and study in the United Kingdom following the changes introduced by the previous conservative government, and a large number of people who arrived on study visas after the Pandemic Restrictions COVID-19 waste.
There has also been a sharp drop in the number of dependents accompanying people who arrive in the United Kingdom on work and study visas, ONS said.
The largest fall of the previous calendar year took place during the first stages of the COVVI-19 pandemic, when the net migration increased from 184,000 in terms of December 2019 to 93,000 in December 2020.
The large falls announced on Thursday were the result of restrictions on the visas introduced by the outgoing conservative government and the continuous impact of the pandemic.
There was a great drop in the number of students bringing family members to the United Kingdom – a key objective of the changes introduced by James intelligently, the last secretary at the conservative house.
At the same time, the end of world travel restrictions caused by the pandemic meant that people who have delayed their intention to move away ultimately undergone their plans.
This group included people who came to the United Kingdom to study and have now left.
Distinct data published Thursday by the Ministry of the Interior showed that the number of asylum seekers hosted in hotels has dropped – but is always higher than when the work came to power last year.
Home office statistics have shown that there were 32,345 asylum seekers living in hotels funded by taxpayers in March 2025, against 38,079 in December 2024.
This figure is much lower than the record of 58,636 under the last conservative government in June 2023.
However, it represents an increase of 9% since its coming to power – the number of asylum seekers in hotels was 29,585 in June 2024.
Detailed figures show that the home office has started accelerating the allegations of treatment asylums – including people on small boats.
This means that, regardless of the number of people every day, more people are allowed to stay as real refugees – and therefore pay their own path – or to say that they will be deleted.
The ministers hope that the speed-up, associated with evolutionary measures to combat boats with transversal channel, will ultimately reduce figures in hotels.
On Thursday, the government stressed that data from the Interior Ministry showing 29,867 people – including failing asylum seekers and foreign criminals – had been returned to their country of origin.
Interior secretary, Yvette Cooper, said that there had been a “300,000 drop in net migration since the election” last year, and promised that the government “would still reduce net migration” by implementing its measures set out in the White Immigration Paper last week.
“These figures show a sharp increase in the yields of failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders, record levels of illegal work penalties and the back of the hotel and the use of the hotel,” she said.
“We are going even further by introducing new powers of style to fight terrorism to stimulate our border security and break people who pass gangs responsible for their vile commerce.”
Meanwhile, several senior conservative figures sought to credit the drop in net migration.
The secretary of her home, Chris Philp, said: “The decisions taken by the last conservative government have meant that these net migration figures have dropped a lot … But let me be honest, these steps are not enough. These figures must go further.”
Conservative chief Kemi Badenoch wrote on social networks that “the figures are still too high”.
Responding to the figures, the head of the United Kingdom reform, Nigel Farage, wrote on X: “Not as high as the great conservative betrayal, but still disastrous.”
The independent migration observatory of the University of Oxford said that the record decline was “mainly” possible because the figures had been so high before.
The head of the unit, the consumption of Dr. Madeleine, said: “British migration models in 2023 were very unusual, with an unexpected number of visas for care workers, international students and family members.
“This facilitated the reduction of the government of the government of the government at that time.”
DR’s consumption predicted that changes would have little impact on the economy.
She said: “Groups that led to the decline, such as the study and the dependents, are neither the highest and best paid migrants who make substantial contributions to tax revenue nor the most disadvantaged groups that require substantial support.”
