Immigration is one of the areas that people have said they are most concerned about, and it’s back at the top of the political agenda.
And how do we compare with others countries? At the end of 2023, there were 129,000 people waiting for an initial decision in the UK. That’s the fifth-largest asylum backlog in Europe behind Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
Reform UK has said it will establish a new department of immigration and "zero illegal immigrants" would be able to resettle in the UK.Net migration to the UK fell 10% last year after hitting a record high in 2022, but numbers are still huge by historical standards at 685,000 - that’s three times higher than they were in 2019.
Earlier this year, the minimum salary requirement for skilled work visas was increased to at least £38,700, a nearly 50% rise on the previous figure of £26,200.Rishi Sunak, like his predecessors in the Conservative party, has pledged to bring net migration numbers down, committing to a cap on work and family visas.The prime minister has pledged to halve migration, but hasn’t put a timeframe on that pledge.
Experts say migration is expected to drop substantially whoever wins the election, partly as student visas run out.