UK Net Migration 171,000; Lowest Non-Pandemic Figure Since 2012
UK net migration fell to 171,000 in 2025 — the lowest level since the COVID pandemic and the lowest non-pandemic figure since 2012 — according to Office for National Statistics data released on Thursday. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the data showed his government was “delivering”, adding: “I know there’s more to do, we’re introducing a skills-based migration system that rewards contribution and ends our reliance on cheap overseas workers.” The Home Office said on X: “We are ending Britain’s reliance on overseas labour, ensuring migrants contribute more than they take and are increasing the removal of illegal migrants and foreign criminals.”
Policy changes from early 2024 under the former Conservative government likely contributed: most overseas students were restricted from bringing family members; care workers were restricted from bringing dependents; the general skilled-visa salary threshold rose from £26,200 to £38,700; the minimum income requirement to sponsor someone for a family visa rose by more than £10,000. Critics of the previous government dubbed the earlier increase the “Boriswave”, with insiders telling the BBC the 2024 measures helped bring numbers down. The current Labour government has separately announced further plans to reduce migration: a requirement that migrants speak English to A-level standard, and another rise in the skilled worker visa salary threshold to £41,700. The Home Office forecasts around 1.6 million people could settle in the UK between 2026 and 2030 if no further changes are made.