Net migration levels from the European Union to the UK have fallen to their lowest level since records began, new figures reveal.
The latest Office of National Statistics data shows that in the second quarter of 2017 just 9,000 more people entered the UK from the EU, then went the other way. Around 39,000 EU citizens entered the country, while approximately 30,000 left it.
This contributed to a significant drop in overall net migration numbers, the data, obtained by the Financial Times, showed. In the year to June 2017, net migration to the UK was 230,000 – around 100,000 people less than it had been during the same period the previous year.
Today, EU nationals living in the UK will receive a letter from Home Secretary Amber Rudd, assuring them that they will be welcome to stay in the UK once Brexit takes place.
“The agreement we have reached ensures the rights you and your family currently have remain broadly the same with access to healthcare, benefits and pensions protected,” the Home Secretary’s letter will state.
Article published 19th December 2017