The number of visas granted to foreign workers and students has fallen by almost 100,000 in the wake of tough reforms introduced by the last government.
Tighter rules in the two categories – which were brought in by the Conservatives earlier this year – have seen the overall number of visas granted fall to 718,607 in the 12 months to June.
Work visas given to main applicants dropped by 11 per cent, while foreign student numbers dropped 13 per cent year-on-year.
Former Tory home secretary James Cleverly acted after net migration – the difference between people coming to live in Britain long-term and those emigrating – hit a record high of 764,000 in 2022.
The overall number of visas granted fell to 718,607 in the 12 months to June (stock photo)
Work visas given to main applicants dropped by 11 per cent, while foreign student numbers dropped 13 per cent year-on-year (stock photo)
The previous government said its measures would eventually slash the number of people arriving in Britain by 300,000 a year.
Experts said Labour was now set to benefit from the Tories’ work.
Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to cut net migration, but has not said by how much.
Latest figures published yesterday THU also showed an unexpected 40 per cent increase in the number of family visas granted in the year, to just under 99,000.
This type of travel permission is sought by British-based nationals who wish to bring a spouse or other relative to live here.
Part of the rise may have been down to families rushing to beat higher financial hurdles introduced in April.
Until then, sponsors had to prove they had annual earnings or savings of £18,600 per relative but that has now been raised to £29,000.
Former Tory home secretary James Cleverly (pictured) acted after net migration hit a record high of 764,000 in 2022
Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to cut net migration, but has not said by how much
Yesterday’s THU data also showed more than 246,000 people were granted British citizenship in the year to June, a 37 per cent leap on the previous 12 months.
The surge was driven by grants to non-EU nationals including nearly 22,300 Indians, nearly 19,500 Pakistanis and more than 10,900 Nigerians.
Dr Ben Brindle, of Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, said: ‘Visa numbers dropped in the last few months of the Conservative government and emigration has also been rising.
‘In theory, this should mean a decline in net migration over the coming year.
‘But the precise scale of it is hard to predict.
‘Nonetheless, the strong indication is that Labour will be able to meet its commitment to reduce net migration from the unusually high levels the UK has recently seen, primarily due to trends that were already in train well before they were elected.’