Immigration in the UK up by 20 percent

United Kingdom, 30th August: Immigration in the UK has gone up by a fifth as compared to last year, and this is largely due to increased number of foreign students coming to the UK to study here.

This has been revealed by the latest UK immigration figures.

Another reason for soaring UK immigration figures is also due to fewer numbers of Britons moving to nations abroad for living there permanently.

The number of UK student visas issued in the year to June has gone up to 362,015 showing an increase of 36 percent. 
In the year 2008, the net migration in the UK was 163,000 while the figures for the year 2009 show arrival of 196,000 new arrivals in the UK, the ONS (Office for National Statistics) data maintains.

As per the UK Home figures, the number of UK student visas to international students increased by 35 percent making the total figures stand at 362,015 in the year till June. Also, there has been an increase in the number of UK visas issued in the year to June 2009 went up by 8 percent taking the figures from 1,917,460(in the year till June 2009) to 2,076,925. 

Meanwhile, there was a significant decline in the UK visas issued for high-skilled workers. As per the official figures, the number of UK skilled worker visas went down from 34,555 to 28,410 showing a total decline of 9 percent.

There has also been a fall of 17 percent in the number of immigrants issued temporary UK employment visas from the figures of 79,890(in the year 2009) to 66,495 in the current year.

Although, the number of new immigrant arrivals in the UK fell by 4 percent in the year 2009 taking the total figures down to 567,000 from 590,000 in the year 2008, however, the number of Britons leaving for settling abroad also fell by 13 percent at 371,000.  

This has left a big question mark on the effectiveness of UK PBS (Points Based system) whose sole aim has been to control swelling UK immigration levels.

And this is a tough challenge before the UK government which has been reiterating its stand to bring down UK immigration levels to tens of thousands, which, at present, is in hundreds of thousands, the IPPR(Institute for Public Policy Research) stated.