Public Sector Visa Demand Leaves Tories "In A Corner" On Migration

Visas issued by Government increased over the last year as demand for public sector workers continued to drive up migration numbers, leaving Tory MPs, who have made significantly reduce levels of migration a core pledge, trapped "in a corner".

The UK issued 1.4million visas to foreign nationals in 2023. Home Office data suggests almost half of this figure was driven by work visas, plus family members and dependents of those to whom the visas had been granted.

The number of health and social care visas issued was 146,477, which marked an almost 100 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022.

Government also issued 279,131 visas to dependents who had been given a work visa, which was an 80 per cent increase since 2021.

The highest number of asylum grants on record were also issued last year, at 62,336. The IPPR, a think tank, has suggested the sharp increase was as a result of the Home Office making more asylum decisions overall. There were also 15,000 applications refused.

Figures showed small boat arrivals had fallen by 36 per cent from its previous high in 2022. The Migration Observatory, an organisation which provides an analysis on migration, believed the fall was down to the sharp decrease in the number of Albanian citizens crossing the Channel as a result of the UK having put in place a series of measures with the country to reduce numbers. 

It is expected that from March, the number of health and social care workers coming to the UK is likely to be affected by new rules that will prevent them from bringing their partners and children into the country. While this helps Government achieve its goal to reduce migration, it also threatens to create staff shortages in the sector.

Rob McNeil, Deputy Director and Head