UK Net Migration Falls to Lowest Level in Over a Decade

Net migration to the United Kingdom has plunged by almost 70 per cent in a single year, dropping to just 204,000 in the 12 months to June 2025, according to official figures published this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The dramatic fall – from a revised 649,000 the previous year – is the sharpest on record and takes annual net migration to its lowest since 2013. It is the first clear evidence that a series of tough visa restrictions introduced over the past 18 months are having the intended effect.

Immigration Minister Dame Angela Eagle hailed the numbers as “a turning point”, telling reporters outside the Home Office:
“These figures show that when you take decisive action, you get results. We are bringing migration down to sustainable levels while still attracting the brightest and the best.

Indians, for years the largest single nationality arriving in the UK, are now also the biggest group heading home. An estimated 58,000–60,000 Indian nationals left the UK as long-term emigrants in the latest period – more than double the figure seen just three years ago. Most were students returning after graduation or care workers and health staff affected by the ban on bringing family members.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp gave a guarded welcome but insisted there was “no room for complacency”. “Yes, the numbers are finally moving in the right direction, but 204,000 is still far higher than the tens of thousands promised repeatedly to the British public,” he said.

Separate Home Office data released alongside the ONS bulletin showed that deportations and voluntary returns of Indian nationals also rose, with more than 8,200 removals in the year to June 2025.

Economists cautioned that while the fall will ease short-term pressure on housing and public services, some sectors – particularly social care and higher education – are already reporting staff shortages and falling international enrolments.

The ONS stressed that the figures remain provisional and could be revised, but the overall trend is described as “robust”. Further reductions are widely expected when restrictions introduced in the second half of 2025 begin to feed through into next year’s statistics.

For the first time since the Brexit referendum, more British citizens left the UK (252,000) than returned (143,000), adding to the net outflow.As the political parties gear up for the next general election, migration – once again – looks set to be one of the defining battlegrounds.

Signpost NewsDesk

Signpost News is an Imphal-based media house that focuses on delivering news and views from Northeast India and beyond.