The government has renewed its commitment to cut immigration into the UK as new figures show that less people are leaving the country than at any time in the past decade.
The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, showed that 140,000 British citizens left these shores in 2009, down from 173,000 the year before, which has contributed to the figure for net migration into the UK rising to 215,000 in the year to March. The news will be a disappointment to the government which is looking to cut net migration by tens of thousands by 2015.
Home Secretary Theresa May has said that to achieve that objective, all areas of entry, including student, work and family visas will be explored to see where cuts in numbers can be made. From next year the number of migrant workers coming to the UK from outside of the EU will be cut by a fifth and capped at 21,700. The government also intends to take steps to limit entry to those students coming to study for a course below degree level and it will clamp down on those who try and “play the system” by using the study route as a way of staying on in the UK.
The government has also said that family visas will be more selective in the future with a minimum standard of English being required for those applying for marriage visas.