The Migration Observatory informs debates on international migration and public policy.
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The Migration Observatory informs debates on international migration and public policy.
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briefing 25 Oct 2024
This briefing provides an overview of research regarding the impact of immigration on government finances in the UK.
briefing 25 Oct 2024
This briefing examines the migration of Afghan asylum seekers and refugees to the UK.
report 09 Sep 2024
This report examines how different types of immigration contribute to net migration in the long term, and what levels of net migration the UK might expect in coming years.
briefing 30 Aug 2024
This briefing examines labour migration and work visas in the UK immigration system, before and after the implementation of the post-Brexit immigration system.
commentary 28 Aug 2024
This analysis uses new data from HMRC to show how the size and earnings of the migrant employee workforce has changed over time in recent years.
briefing 27 Aug 2024
This briefing examines Ukrainian migration to the UK, before and after the Russian invasion in 2022.
briefing 09 Aug 2024
This briefing provides an overview of the UK’s migrant population.
commentary 25 Jul 2024
This updated commentary answers some common questions about the Rwanda asylum policy and its implications, reflects the Labour government’s announcement that it is cancelling the Rwanda scheme, and to review the financial cost of the policy to date.
briefing 10 Jul 2024
This briefing examines migrants’ experiences and perceptions of discrimination due to their ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, or accent. It also discusses evidence of labour market discrimination against migrants.
briefing 01 Jul 2024
This briefing examines asylum, refugee resettlement, and bespoke humanitarian schemes in the UK.
briefing 28 Jun 2024
This briefing examines the phenomenon of people crossing the English Channel in small boats.
commentary 28 Jun 2024
This commentary evaluates the immigration policies that the Conservative and Labour parties say they will implement if they win the next election.
commentary 21 Jun 2024
This commentary answers some frequently asked questions about net migration to the UK.
commentary 20 Jun 2024
Whichever asylum policy is pursued after the July 2024 election will affect tens of thousands of people with pending claims.
briefing 10 Jun 2024
This briefing provides an overview of data on migrants’ labour market integration and the jobs they do in the UK labour market.
briefing 04 Jun 2024
This briefing covers the scale of immigration and net migration in the UK since the early 2000s and under the post-Brexit immigration system.
commentary 28 May 2024
Compare Labour and Conservative party policy statements about immigration ahead of the 2024 election.
briefing 14 May 2024
This briefing examines the impact of migration on recent and future UK demographic trends.
briefing 03 May 2024
This briefing examines what we know about the asylum backlog, its causes, and its consequences.
commentary 26 Apr 2024
This commentary examines the financial impacts of the UK’s policy to send some asylum seekers and irregular migrants to Rwanda.
commentary 17 Apr 2024
This analysis uses data provided to the Migration Observatory through freedom of information requests to look at what international students do in the UK after their studies.
commentary 05 Apr 2024
This commentary examines some of the main impacts we can expect because of the ban on care workers’ family members coming to the UK.
commentary 05 Apr 2024
This commentary answers some common questions about immigration charges and their implications.
briefing 12 Mar 2024
This briefing examines data on how well different groups of migrants living in England and Wales speak English, and the relationship between English language proficiency and activity in the labour market.
briefing 27 Feb 2024
This briefing examines settlement or indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which is when a migrant is granted the right to live indefinitely in the UK.
briefing 23 Feb 2024
Considers the different ways in which one can understand who counts as a migrant in the UK.
briefing 14 Feb 2024
This briefing examines the deportation and voluntary departure of irregular migrants and other foreign citizens from the UK.
commentary 01 Feb 2024
This commentary analyses the series of changes to immigration rules designed to reduce net migration and their main implications.
commentary 31 Jan 2024
This analysis provides information on the number of sponsors, how it has changed over time and the types of employers who are more likely to be sponsors using data from the UK register of licenced visa sponsors.
briefing 24 Jan 2024
This briefing answers key questions about the characteristics and numbers of students who come to the UK.
commentary 23 Jan 2024
This briefing note brings together statistics and research evidence to inform discussion about policy measures designed explicitly to deter people from seeking asylum in the UK.
briefing 15 Dec 2023
This briefing looks at citizenship and naturalisation among migrants in the UK. It provides data on how many migrants become UK citizens and how this varies for different migrant groups, as well as the factors that affect naturalisation.
commentary 06 Dec 2023
This commentary discusses the Home Secretary's recently announced policy changes designed to reduce migration.
briefing 20 Nov 2023
This briefing provides key statistics on EU migrants and migration in the UK.
briefing 15 Nov 2023
This briefing examines the UK’s ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ (NRPF) condition, which applies to people on temporary immigration statuses, and prevents access – in most cases – to state-funded welfare.
commentary 18 Oct 2023
This commentary outlines three key challenges that remain with respect to the EU Settlement Scheme – late applications, the application backlog, and the potential for loss of status.
briefing 06 Oct 2023
This briefing examines the migration of family members to the UK.
briefing 28 Sep 2023
This briefing provides an overview of attitudes toward immigration in Britain.
commentary 26 Jul 2023
This briefing note reviews the government’s Impact Assessment on the Illegal Migration Act 2023.
briefing 27 Jun 2023
This Evidence Paper examines the role of migration and the impacts of immigration policy on the UK’s health and care workforce.
report 15 Jun 2023
This report revisits some initial findings deom 2011 and how public perceptions and attitudes have changed today.
commentary 27 Apr 2023
This short commentary outlines some key statistics about Albanian asylum seekers in the UK and the EU more broadly.
commentary 26 Apr 2023
This commentary examines the Illegal Migration Bill, which proposes to prevent the government from hearing people’s asylum claims if they entered the UK without authorisation.
commentary 13 Apr 2023
This short note provides updated statistics relating to the minimum income requirement and who does and does not meet it.
briefing 24 Mar 2023
Discusses the impacts of immigration on the labour market in the UK, focusing on wages and employment.
commentary 03 Mar 2023
This commentary examines what has changed with the EUSS scheme and what that may mean.
commentary 21 Nov 2022
This commentary examines why there has been an increase in non-EU migration to the UK and what we can expect over the coming years.
briefing 02 Nov 2022
Provides an overview of immigration detention in the UK.
briefing 02 Sep 2022
Reviews the evidence on migration and housing in the UK.
report 15 Aug 2022
This report examines whether post-Brexit immigration policy has caused labour shortages, how employers are adjusting to the end of free movement, and what policies could address labour shortages.
briefing 22 Jul 2022
This briefing examines what we know about children of migrants who are under age 18 living in the UK.
briefing 01 Apr 2022
This is the third briefing in a study that investigated public attitudes to labour migrants in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.
briefing 01 Apr 2022
This is the fourth briefing of a study that investigated public attitudes to labour migrants in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on tracking preferences over time.
report 29 Mar 2022
This report identifies several features of the EU Settlement Scheme that will impact the ability of vulnerable residents to upgrade their status.
briefing 24 Mar 2022
This briefing looks at the distribution of migrants across UK nations, regions and local authorities within the UK, providing data by country of birth, nationality and reason for migration.
briefing 02 Dec 2021
This briefing presents key findings from the first round of a survey conducted in Hong Kong in Feb-Apr 2021 about the migration intentions of BNO status holders in Hong Kong.
report 30 Nov 2021
This analysis examines which industries and regions or nations of the UK have been most attractive to people coming to the UK on Skilled Worker visas.
briefing 30 Jul 2021
This is the first briefing of a study investigating public attitudes to labour migrants in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.
briefing 30 Jul 2021
This is the second briefing of a study investigating public attitudes to labour migrants in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus of this briefing is on the public support for migrants’ access to health and welfare programmes.
briefing 27 Jul 2021
This briefing looks at migrants whose immigration status puts them on a ten-year route to settlement in the UK, rather than the usual five.
commentary 02 Jul 2021
Continued reports of migrants trying to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats have intensified debate about unauthorised migration and asylum seeking. This Q&A reviews what we know about small boat arrivals in the UK.
commentary 28 Jun 2021
The EUSS deadline is not the end of the story. From July 1, EUSS moves to its next phase. This commentary outlines a few key issues and looks at what happens next.
commentary 08 Jun 2021
New Home Office data give a glimpse into the new post-Brexit immigration system. The data show low take-up of the new visa system among EU citizens, although as this commentary explains, it is still too early to judge the impact that the immigration system itself is having on EU migration.
primer 17 May 2021
This Policy Primer outlines the main features of the UK’s new immigration system, focusing primarily on migration for work. It examines the most important changes made to the previous system, and answers some frequently asked questions.
report 23 Mar 2021
This report gives an overview and draws out the key findings a programme of work looking at different dimensions of integration in the UK. A range of outputs was produced on such topics as the use of English language, discrimination and social participation, all of which can be found here.
commentary 23 Mar 2021
This commentary outlines a few of the ways in which the landscape facing policymakers and practitioners working on migrant integration might change as a result of the new immigration system.
commentary 05 Feb 2021
This commentary examines what we know from available data about how the total size of the migrant population has changed in 2020.
briefing 16 Dec 2020
This briefing explains what we know about how long migrants stay in the UK after arrival.
commentary 23 Nov 2020
This commentary answers some common questions about the proposed new policy of creating a special immigration route for British National (Overseas) citizens (BNOs) and its implications
report 24 Sep 2020
Report update highlighting the difficulties certain groups of people may encounter in securing status
briefing 11 Sep 2020
This briefing examines irregular migration – also called ‘illegal immigration’ – in the UK, including the difficulties in defining and measuring it, and evidence on its nature and scale.
commentary 11 Sep 2020
This commentary examines the findings of the Pew and GLA studies. It also looks at how these findings were produced, and highlights their high degree of uncertainty.
briefing 31 Aug 2020
This briefing examines health outcomes for migrants (defined as people who were born abroad) as well as the extent to which health problems impact their day-to-day activities or their jobs.
report 27 Jul 2020
This report considers available data and analysis on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the UK’s migrant population based on their labour market profile.
commentary 29 Jun 2020
This commentary looks at the government’s projected impacts of the post-Brexit ‘points-based’ immigration system.
commentary 26 Jun 2020
commentary 24 Jun 2020
This commentary discusses the new immigration bill before Parliament and what it will mean if passed into law.
report 29 May 2020
This report explores the profile of migrants in the UK’s key worker population during the Covid-19 crisis.
briefing 11 May 2020
Describes remittance flows both to and from the UK.
commentary 27 Apr 2020
This commentary answers some frequently asked questions about the planned immigration system and its potential implication.
report 16 Apr 2020
Examining data available for understanding the EU Settlement Scheme, for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members living in the UK to secure their post-Brexit residence rights.
briefing 30 Mar 2020
This briefing explains immigration to the UK and reasons for it - including to work, to join family, to study and to seek asylum.
briefing 17 Mar 2020
primer 05 Mar 2020
Discusses government policy towards migrants after their arrival in the UK.
commentary 28 Jan 2020
briefing 13 Dec 2019
Discusses the meaning, dimensions, measurement and determinants of social cohesion.
commentary 13 Nov 2019
report 22 Jul 2019
This commentary explains how the ‘Australian-style points-based system’ works and what it might mean to introduce something similar in the UK.
commentary 18 Jun 2019
commentary 23 May 2019
Migration Observatory Response to the ONS Migration Statistics Engagement Report
briefing 10 Apr 2019
Examining the migration of non-EU family members to the UK
commentary 19 Feb 2019
What can we say about where them immigration system is heading after Brexit? What questions remain unanswered?
briefing 14 Jan 2019
commentary 14 Dec 2018
commentary 17 Oct 2018
report 30 Aug 2018
Looks at the implications of using youth mobility or work-permit schemes to meet demand for low-skilled workers after Brexit
briefing 13 Aug 2018
Explains the often confusing issue of how we define a short-term migrant.
briefing 03 Aug 2018
Gives details about how many foreign nationals acquire British citizenship every year
commentary 16 Jul 2018
Estimates of the numbers of EU citizens living in the UK are not precise.
briefing 03 Jul 2018
Examines data on migrants whose basis for entry to the UK is through ties to a family member.
briefing 28 Jun 2018
Examines immigration by category, distinguishing between European and non-European migrants.
commentary 20 Jun 2018
Looks at the implications of new plans to exempt doctors and nurses from the Tier 2 visa cap.
briefing 14 Jun 2018
Examines labour migration to the UK among people who are not from the European Economic Area (EEA).
report 12 Apr 2018
Highlights the difficulties certain groups of people may encounter in securing settled status
commentary 29 Mar 2018
Illustrates the effects of a £60,000 threshold on eligibility for work visas in different high-skilled occupations
report 13 Dec 2017
Looks at what kind of application process will be required to resolve status of EU citizens already in the UK
report 25 Oct 2017
This report explores the various arguments in favour of and against having different regional immigration policies.
briefing 11 Oct 2017
Reviews the available evidence on the main determinants of migration to the UK since the early 1990s.
briefing 02 Oct 2017
Looks at evidence on the impact of international students in the UK’s higher education (HE) sector on the UK economy.
video 22 Jun 2017
commentary 22 Jun 2017
The Migration Observatory was awarded the ESRC prize for Outstanding Impact in Society
commentary 21 Jun 2017
Looks at what we know about migration to and from the UK since the EU referendum.
video 30 May 2017
This animation discusses the Net Migration target in relation to the 2017 Election
video 30 May 2017
This animation discusses the International Student migration in relation to the 2017 Election
video 30 May 2017
This animation discusses the Brexit and Migration in relation to the 2017 Election
video 30 May 2017
This animation explores migration and the 2017 election looking at the issues of the net migration target, Brexit and international student migrations.
commentary 24 May 2017
Outlines the migration related policies presented by the three main national UK parties in their manifestos for the 2017 general election
commentary 04 May 2017
Explains the policies introduced to reduce net migration since 2010 and reasons why the target has not been met.
commentary 21 Apr 2017
Examines the ways in which the devaluation of the pound after the EU-referendum can affect migration to the UK
commentary 22 Mar 2017
Provides key data and links to importance pieces in anticipation of Article 50 being triggered
commentary 23 Feb 2017
Understanding the datasets that will inform the post-referendum debate on migration.
report 27 Jan 2017
Work is the main reason for EU migration to the UK, so labour migration policies will be important.
report 19 Dec 2016
Examines some of the key issues, particularly education, training and youth employment.
report 07 Nov 2016
Looks at trends in the language used in newspapers & considers how these relate to the UK political context.
briefing 12 Oct 2016
Analyses immigration offences in British immigration and asylum legislation, and trends in legislation and enforcement.
commentary 03 Aug 2016
What will happen to the over 3 million EU citizens living in the UK?
briefing 13 Jul 2016
Examines data and evidence on school pupils in England with English as an additional language (EAL).
chart 05 Jul 2016
Shows reasons for migration to the UK since 1991, including work, study and family.
chart 05 Jul 2016
Shows the number of people (including British citizens) coming to and leaving the UK.
briefing 28 Jun 2016
commentary 09 Jun 2016
It is not possible to know exactly how a vote to leave the EU would affect migration to the UK.
map 06 May 2016
Shows the number of EU migrants living across regions in Great Britain.
map 06 May 2016
Shows the share of employees meeting £20k and £30k income thresholds across Great Britain.
report 02 May 2016
Explains the main policy issues and statistics on EU migrants’ use of welfare benefits and examines who would be affected by proposed restrictions to in-work benefits.
report 02 May 2016
Employers could be affected in different ways if admission requirements were applied to EU workers.
video 26 Apr 2016
Data animation by the Migration Observatory explaining various aspects of EU migration to the UK
commentary 13 Apr 2016
What makes the UK such an attractive destination for migrants?
chart 31 Mar 2016
Share and number of EEA citizens living in the UK, by number of years of residency.
chart 15 Mar 2016
Shows the number of UK citizens living in other countries in Europe.
commentary 10 Mar 2016
The outcomes of Brexit are uncertain and fall into two categories: policy and the impacts of policy.
briefing 11 Feb 2016
Focuses on foreign-born young adults age 16 to 24.
report 27 Jan 2016
brings together available data on how the income threshold works and who it affects.
briefing 30 Nov 2015
Provides an overview of young migrants in the UK and their demographic characteristics.
commentary 24 Nov 2015
How should the UK decide how many refugees to take? One of the reasons this has been such a difficult question is that there are many different lenses through which it can be viewed.
map 18 Nov 2015
Shows the share of non-UK born children across England and Wales, based on the 2011 Census.
map 18 Nov 2015
Shows the share of non-UK born young people across England and Wales, based on the 2011 Census.
chart 05 Oct 2015
Shows the number of EU born in the UK between Q1 1993 and Q1 2015 using information from the Labour Force Survey
commentary 25 Aug 2015
The number of UK residents who were born abroad is likely to exceed 8 million for the first time in 2014.
chart 20 Aug 2015
Tracks the percentage of respondents naming race relations or immigration as one of the most important issues facing Britain, along with the rest of the five most frequently named issues.
commentary 16 Jul 2015
Recent trends and in EU migration and the countries of birth of EU migrants living in the UK.
commentary 25 Jun 2015
Where do students fit in the immigration system, what do we know about how they contribute to net migration, and what would it mean to 'take them out' of the net migration target.
commentary 14 May 2015
The return of the Conservative Party to government has a number of interesting ramifications for migration, including an EU referendum and the continuation of the net migration target.
briefing 06 May 2015
Looks at levels of migration, factors driving migration to the UK, and how the UK compares to other EU countries.
briefing 06 May 2015
Discusses evidence on the characteristics and impacts of migration at the local level, focusing on the impacts on public services.
briefing 05 May 2015
Explains key questions and what we know about the extent to which migrants take up different categories of benefits.
commentary 16 Apr 2015
How has the state of immigration changed in the UK over the past five years?
briefing 16 Apr 2015
Looks at enforcement actions to remove various categories of foreign nationals, including foreign national offenders.
briefing 16 Apr 2015
Examines how migrants affect public finances in the UK.
briefing 13 Apr 2015
Examines policy changes the government has introduced in an attempt to reduce net migration.
briefing 13 Apr 2015
Discusses the impacts of immigration on the labour market in the UK, focusing on wages and employment.
commentary 29 Mar 2015
One way to get a picture of how migration has been changing over a period of several years is to look at the numbers and characteristics of 'recent migrant workers' (RMWs) who arrived in the UK within the past five years.
map 06 Mar 2015
Shows the projected number of old EU residents across local areas of England in 2014 by country of birth.
map 06 Mar 2015
Shows the projected number of new EU residents across local areas of England in 2014 by country of birth.
map 06 Mar 2015
Shows the projected number of non-EU foreign-born residents across local areas of England in 2014 by country of birth.
report 06 Mar 2015
Provide a more up to date estimate of the migrant populations of local areas in England than the 2011 Census.
map 04 Mar 2015
Shows the number of new migrant registrations for a GP in 2013 across local areas of England.
map 04 Mar 2015
Shows number of new NINo registrations among EU nationals for the year ending March 2014.
map 04 Mar 2015
Shows number of new NINo registrations among non-EU migrantsfor the year ending March 2014.
commentary 27 Feb 2015
How did net migration become the measure by which the government’s immigration policy is judged?
commentary 17 Feb 2015
Security is a persistent theme in immigration debates, particularly after media coverage of crimes perpetrated by migrants or members of distinct diaspora communities, or acts of terrorism involving these groups.
commentary 30 Dec 2014
A year after labour market controls on A2 migrants came to an end, what do we know about what has actually happened?
commentary 27 Nov 2014
Today’s net migration estimate is further confirmation that the net migration target will be missed.
commentary 17 Nov 2014
The minimum income restriction has important indirect effects across gender, ethnicity, education, age and place of residence.
commentary 28 Oct 2014
What do we know about these EU migrants who are now at the centre of political discussion in the UK?
commentary 24 Oct 2014
This commentary considers four key aspects of the Calais situation: the background, definitions of 'illegal' immigrants and asylum seekers, existing data and the role of policies.
commentary 01 Sep 2014
Economic estimates are important, but limited in that they cannot resolve important judgements about the type of society people want.
briefing 01 Sep 2014
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for Great Britain
briefing 19 Aug 2014
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for England and its constituent regions and local areas.
report 18 Aug 2014
Examines media responses in the run up to the removal of transitional labour market controls on Bulgarians and Romanians in the UK.
briefing 08 Aug 2014
Provides an overview of the global stock of international migrants and compares the UK to other countries and regions.
report 03 Jul 2014
Policy Changes, Financial Crises and a Possible 'Balloon Effect'
briefing 26 Jun 2014
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for Northern Ireland and its constituent local government districts.
commentary 24 Jun 2014
In the last two centuries, Scotland’s population change has been characterised more by emigration than by immigration.
commentary 15 May 2014
When the Scottish government released its White Paper outlining what an independent Scotland might look like, migration policy was a small but essential element of it.
commentary 14 May 2014
Bold claims about how little effect the lifting of labour market restrictions will have on the numbers of Romanians and Bulgarians working in the UK over the next year are premature.
commentary 12 May 2014
New data will provide the first evidence about the number of A2 workers in the UK after the lifting of the restrictions.
primer 02 May 2014
Examines the UK’s selective participation in the Common European Asylum System, and EU immigration law.
video 02 May 2014
Dr Cathryn Costello speaks to Rob McNeil about migration to EU countries from outside the EU.
primer 01 May 2014
Examines EU citizenship and free movement of persons as part of the common market.
video 01 May 2014
Dr Cathryn Costello speaks to Rob McNeil about EU citizenship and intra-EU migration.
video 01 May 2014
Will Allen speaks to Rob McNeil about our report on "Portrayals of Immigrants, Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees in National British Newspapers, 2010 to 2012".
video 01 May 2014
Dr Scott Blinder talks about our report "Immigration and Independence: Public Opinion on Immigration in Scotland in the Context of the Referendum Debate".
map 29 Apr 2014
Depicts the UK-born population in other EU member countries, based on individual country 2011 census data.
map 28 Apr 2014
Depicts the foreign-born population in EU member countries, based on individual country 2011 census data.
map 28 Apr 2014
Depicts the share that EU-born migrants make up of the total foreign-born population in each country.
map 28 Apr 2014
Shows the population share of non-EU born residents.
map 08 Apr 2014
Shows the percentage of the local population made up by residents born in EU countries in local areas of England and Wales.
map 08 Apr 2014
Shows the share of the local non-UK born population made up EU-born residents in local areas of England and Wales.
map 07 Apr 2014
Shows the percentage increase in the number of usual residents born outside of the UK in local areas of England and Wales.
briefing 04 Apr 2014
Compares the stock of international migrants in Scotland to the UK and other countries.
commentary 02 Apr 2014
Who actually counts as a migrant in Scotland? And will that change if Scotland votes for independence?
briefing 11 Mar 2014
Compares international migration to and from the UK with migration to other OECD countries.
commentary 06 Mar 2014
Are the conclusions of the Home Office/BIS report very different to those of the MAC report?
briefing 04 Mar 2014
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for Wales, and its constituent council areas.
commentary 21 Feb 2014
Who actually counts as a 'benefit tourist' or a 'health tourist', and how much do they cost the UK?
report 10 Feb 2014
Immigration and Independence: Public Opinion on Immigration in Scotland in the Context of the Referendum Debate
report 03 Feb 2014
Provides a short history of the inception, development, achievements and impact of the Migration Observatory.
commentary 17 Dec 2013
There is a lack of official estimates about how many migrants from Romania and Bulgaria may arrive in the UK, and it will be several months before any official data shows the actual level of migration from these countries.
briefing 10 Dec 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for the North West, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
briefing 03 Dec 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for Scotland, and its constituent council areas.
commentary 02 Dec 2013
There are several different ways of characterising the change that has happened in Scotland, all of which are accurate, but all of which may elicit different responses to the change.
briefing 26 Nov 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for the North East, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
briefing 13 Nov 2013
Discusses the impact of immigration on crime, in the UK and international context.
map 05 Nov 2013
Shows the percentage that non-UK born residents make up of the total usual resident population in local area of England and Wales.
map 05 Nov 2013
Shows the percentage that residents with only non-UK passports make up of the total usual resident population in local areas of England and Wales.
briefing 14 Oct 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for the South West, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
briefing 10 Oct 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for the South East, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
primer 18 Sep 2013
Considers whether Scotland could have its own immigration policy if it remains part of the UK or part of a Common Travel Area.
primer 18 Sep 2013
Discusses how an independent Scotland might define its boundaries, in terms of access to citizenship and physical territory.
briefing 18 Sep 2013
Prrovides an overview of the numbers, population shares, geographic distribution and nationalities of migrants in Scotland.
briefing 18 Sep 2013
Focuses on emigrants leaving Scotland for overseas destinations.
briefing 18 Sep 2013
Focuses on immigrants coming to Scotland from overseas destinations.
briefing 18 Sep 2013
Provides an overview of Long Term International Migration (LTIM) in Scotland.
briefing 18 Sep 2013
Provides an overview of the characteristics and outcomes of migrants in the Scottish labour market.
commentary 13 Sep 2013
Outlines the differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK in migration policy, dynamics and attitudes, and considers the implications of migration issues for Scottish independence.
briefing 09 Sep 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for the East of England, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
commentary 29 Aug 2013
A particular challenge for the government is that declining emigration – which fell by more than 20,000 – is the primary cause of the recent increase in net migration.
briefing 15 Aug 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for the West Midlands, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
report 08 Aug 2013
Portrayals of Immigrants, Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees in National British Newspapers, 2010 to 2012
chart 07 Aug 2013
Allows you to create your own chart of words related to asylum seekers, immigrants, migrants, and refugees in the University of Oxford Migration News Corpus.
commentary 14 Jul 2013
International students make the single biggest contribution to non-EU immigration to the UK, and have been a key focus of policies aimed at reducing overall net migration.
video 09 Jul 2013
Dr Martin Ruhs speaks to Rob McNeil about the role of the MAC in advising on immigration policy in the UK.
briefing 04 Jul 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for the East Midlands, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
video 28 Jun 2013
Dr Brian Bell speaks to Rob McNeil about the impact of immigration on crime.
briefing 12 Jun 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for Yorkshire and the Humber, and its constituent districts and unitary authorities.
video 29 May 2013
Dr Ben Gidley speaks to Rob McNeil of the Migration Observatory about migrants in London.
video 29 May 2013
Dr Isabel Shutes speaks about social care for older people and the demand for migrant workers.
primer 24 May 2013
Examines the relationship between public opinion and migration policy, with a particular focus on the idea of a democratic mandate.
commentary 23 May 2013
Public opinion and commentators have been sceptical about the chances of the net migration target being reached.
briefing 20 May 2013
Summarises key statistics from the 2011 Census for London and its boroughs.
commentary 24 Apr 2013
Since migration policy ultimately rests on value judgments as well as costs and benefits, the evidence base may be a crucial underpinning for the debate, but will never be the whole story.
commentary 13 Apr 2013
The Observatory is, and will remain, committed to independent analysis of data relating to immigration and other migration issues affecting the UK.
video 20 Mar 2013
Dr Scott Blinder speaks with Rob McNeil about British public opinion toward migration.
video 20 Mar 2013
Peter Stokes, 2011 Census Statistical Design Manager, speaks with Rob McNeil about migration data and the 2011 UK Census.
video 20 Mar 2013
Emma Wright, Head of Population Analysis in the Population Statistics Division, speaks with Rob McNeil about ONS migration data.
commentary 08 Feb 2013
There is, at present, no sound method for working out how many Romanians and Bulgarians will come.
commentary 12 Dec 2012
The release of new data from the 2011 Census provides a wealth of information about the foreign-born populations of England and Wales.
report 11 Dec 2012
Investigates media use of languages of identity and origins in association with Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah.
commentary 07 Dec 2012
The recent decline in student immigration follows a series of policies introduced by the coalition government to reduce overall net migration.
commentary 19 Sep 2012
Better understanding what members of the British public think about student immigration is of critical importance to the current policy debate in the UK.
report 06 Sep 2012
Explores the key numbers, issues and trade-offs associated with the deep cuts to net migration that a 70 million population limit would require.
chart 06 Sep 2012
Estimates natural change assuming zero net-migration versus natural change due to net migration.
commentary 30 Aug 2012
The ONS has provided an indication of the uncertainty surrounding its estimates of net migration, which is an important and helpful change to the presentation of official migration statistics.
commentary 29 Jun 2012
How exactly does EU citizens’ right to freedom of movement affect migration to and from the UK?
chart 29 Jun 2012
Shows the UK’s net migration stock with other specific EU member states.
chart 29 Jun 2012
Shows an increase in migration flows from the EU after A8 accession in 2004.
briefing 19 Jun 2012
Provides an overview of the numbers of EU migrants in different EU countries.
commentary 24 May 2012
The data suggest that the government still has a very long way to go if it hopes to hit its target of net migration in the ‘tens of thousands’ by 2015.
video 18 May 2012
ESRC video on our report on public opinion toward immigration in Britain
video 08 May 2012
Dr Lucie Cerna speaks to Rob McNeil about policies that aim to attract and select highly skilled migrant workers.
commentary 13 Apr 2012
Has the UK experienced more immigration than other high-income countries?
primer 16 Mar 2012
Examines the relationship between migration and international development, considering its benefits and challenges.
commentary 29 Feb 2012
Even if the government manages to achieve their net migration target by 2015, net migration is unlikely to be sustained at that level because there will be a “bounce” caused by reduced emigration in the following years.
commentary 01 Feb 2012
We do not have good enough data to calculate what proportion of new jobs in the economy migrants are taking up.
commentary 18 Jan 2012
Recent contradictory reports on the labour market effects of immigration in the UK suggest that there is no absolute answer to whether migration affects employment rates.
primer 08 Dec 2011
Discusses questions that arise in the development of policies that aim to attract and select highly skilled migrant workers.
video 30 Nov 2011
Carlos examines the relationship between migration and international development, considering the benefits and challenges it creates for both sending and receiving countries.
commentary 28 Nov 2011
A Migration Observatory survey showed extremely interesting regional variations that suggest some pronounced differences between views in different parts of the country.
commentary 27 Oct 2011
A brief look at how the skilled worker cap works and what else might be affecting employers of migrants who would be covered by it.
report 16 Oct 2011
Our survey demonstrated that the public’s views on immigration are complex and nuanced in a way that previous polls have failed to capture.
commentary 25 Aug 2011
A steep rise in net migration from Eastern Europe raises the question of whether government policies to cut net migration from outside the EU may be stimulating a demand for more EU workers.
video 22 Aug 2011
Dr Alexander Betts speaks to Rob McNeil about the UK and global migration governance.
commentary 12 Aug 2011
High-income countries around the world are major receivers of remittances.
commentary 20 Jul 2011
Most politicians have skirted the issue of what size the population of the UK should actually be.
video 29 Jun 2011
Dr Nicolas Van Hear speaks to Rob McNeil about the policy challenges involved in mixed migration.
commentary 20 Jun 2011
There is significant uncertainty about any assessments of the impacts of policy changes on future net migration.
commentary 17 Jun 2011
Reforming the family migration route is the last of the four key elements in the government’s ongoing reform of immigration.
commentary 26 May 2011
Focusing only on long-term net migration risks failing to consider other vital data about migration in the UK – not least, how many migrants are actually here.
commentary 23 May 2011
Reducing net migration is likely to be dependent not only on reducing the number of migrants entering the UK, but also on boosting the number of people who leave.
video 05 May 2011
Dr Nando Sigona speaks to Rob McNeil about irregular migrant children and public policy.
commentary 29 Apr 2011
What will the lifting of the WRS mean for A8 migration to the UK?
commentary 14 Apr 2011
It is clear that achieving the net-migration target of the tens of thousands presents an enourmous challenge.
commentary 05 Apr 2011
What else could the government do to effectively regulate labour immigration?
report 05 Apr 2011
Sets out the ten most important problems in the evidence base on immigration and migrants in the UK.
commentary 01 Apr 2011
The Coalition government announced plans that will, they say, reduce the number of student visas issued by 70-80,000
commentary 29 Mar 2011
The Migration Observatory is designed to provide a solid, independent source of analysis that anyone can use to understand migration and immigration issues.
primer 29 Mar 2011
Discusses the challenges in linking the admission of new migrant workers to the needs of the economy.
primer 28 Mar 2011
Discusses the objectives and implications of citizenship policy and examines the concept of citizenship in the UK.
video 27 Mar 2011
Dr Alessio Cangiano speaks to Rob McNeil about demographic objectives in migration policy.
video 27 Mar 2011
Dr Bridget Anderson speaks to Rob McNeil about citizenship.
video 27 Mar 2011
Dr Martin Ruhs speaks to Rob McNeil about labour shortages and immigration policy.
video 27 Mar 2011
Dr Martin Ruhs speaks to Rob McNeil about controlling labour immigration, caps and alternatives.
video 27 Mar 2011
Stakeholders from a range of organisations explain why the Migration Observatory is a valuable resource.
video 27 Mar 2011
Dr Mary Boswell speaks with Rob McNeil about immigration detention in the UK.
primer 26 Mar 2011
Examines some of the key questions underlying the UK’s asylum policy, focusing on challenges and tensions.
primer 24 Mar 2011
Discusses the challenge of the growing demand for social care for older people and the role of migrant care workers.
primer 24 Mar 2011
Discusses key questions and policy challenges arising from the detention of foreign nationals in the UK.
primer 24 Mar 2011
This policy primer discusses the emerging debate on the global governance of migration.
primer 24 Mar 2011
Reviews key issues and challenges in setting and achieving demographic objectives in migration policy-making.
primer 24 Mar 2011
Looks at the tensions between child protection laws and immigration and asylum laws and examines the implications.
primer 24 Mar 2011
Explores the policy challenges of mixed migration, considering the mixed motivations of migrants and mixed migratory streams.
primer 23 Mar 2011
Discusses the policy challenges arising from the diversity and scale of immigration in London.
commentary 11 Feb 2011
British people are more opposed to immigration than all of the other countries surveyed - even though several of these countries have higher levels of immigration and illegal immigration than the UK.
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Source: Home Office Immigration Statistics, Detention tables, Table dt_04: People entering detention by country of nationality, sex, place of initial detention and age.
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Source: Home Office Immigration Statistics, Detention tables, Table dt_11_q: People in detention by sex and length of detention. Note: Counts are taken on the last day in each quarter.
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Source: Home Office Immigration Statistics, Detention tables, Table dt_06_q: People leaving detention by reason, sex, and length of detention. Note: Length of detention definitions: 2 months = 61 days; 6 months = 182 days; 1 year = 365 days.
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Source: Home Office Immigration statistics, Detention tables, Table dt_04: People entering detention by country of nationality, sex, place of initial detention and age.
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Source: Home Office Immigration Statistics, Detention tables, Table dt_01: People entering detention by age, sex and place of initial detention.
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Contact Us
T: +44 (0) 1865 612 375
E: migrationobservatory@compas.ox.ac.uk
Connections
This Migration Observatory is kindly supported by the following organisations.
The Migration Observatory, at the University of Oxford COMPAS (Centre on Migration, Policy and Society)
University of Oxford,
58 Banbury Road,
Oxford, OX2 6QS
commentary 12 Sep 2024
Labour’s pledges on migration: the data
This commentary explains what the data do and do not tell us about the Labour government’s progress towards its goals as it begins implementing its plans.