Press Story

IPPR has responded to today’s migration and asylum statistics from the Home Office and ONS, which reveal that:

Net migration in the year 2024 was approximately 431,000 – a fall of almost 50 per cent compared to the year 2023. The fall was driven by a sharp drop in work and study visas, as a result of changes brought in to restrict dependants, increase Skilled Worker salary thresholds, and tighten up scrutiny of social care visa applications.

The number of people claiming asylum totalled around 109,000 in the year ending March 2025, a record high. This is only partly a result of small boat arrivals, as just a third of people claiming asylum came on small boats.

The asylum backlog stood at around 79,000 claims (relating to around 110,000 people) at the end of March 2025, a fall of 13 per cent since the end of December 2024, but still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Responding to the migration statistics, Marley Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and communities, said: 

“Net migration has fallen sharply from its post-pandemic high, easing the way considerably for the government’s efforts to bring down numbers.

“Following last week’s immigration white paper, the government will now need to carefully balance managing overall levels of migration with its ambitions to grow the economy and repair public services.

“With the fall in numbers in part driven by a sharp drop in social care visas, it will have to be particularly cautious that further restrictions to this route do not exacerbate the current workforce crisis in the care sector.

“Additionally, with around 110,000 people waiting for an initial asylum decision, more work is needed to bring the backlog down and end hotel use. This means triaging claims early, fast-tracking cases from high-grant nationalities, and reviewing appeals carefully to prevent a logjam in the courts.”