Update on immigration statistics

The Real Story of UK Migration: Beyond the Headlines

In a world of social media "rabble-rousing" and 24-hour news cycles, the conversation around immigration is often dominated by noise rather than facts. To have a productive discussion about our country’s future, we must look at the actual data.

Here is the reality of the UK’s migration landscape in 2026.

1. The Context of "Small Boats" vs. Legal Arrivals

While "small boats" receive the majority of media coverage, they represent a small fraction of the people entering the UK.

• Legal Arrivals (2025): Approximately 898,000 people arrived via legal visa routes (work, study, and family).
• Irregular Arrivals (2025): Approximately 41,000 people were detected crossing the Channel in small boats.
• The Ratio: For every 1 person who arrives on a small boat, nearly 22 people arrive through legal, regulated channels to work in our hospitals, study at our universities, or join their families.

2. The Post-Brexit Reality: Net Migration is Falling

Despite political rhetoric, net migration reached record highs after Brexit and the pandemic, peaking at 944,000 in early 2023. However, those numbers are now falling sharply.

• 2023 Peak: 944,000
• 2025 Figure: 204,000 (Year ending June 2025)
• The Fact: Net migration has dropped by over two-thirds in just two years. We are now returning to pre-Brexit levels, but this change is creating a massive "labour gap" in essential services.

3. Our NHS: The "International Lifeline"

Our healthcare system remains critically dependent on international talent. Without these workers, the NHS and the Care sector would face immediate collapse.

• Doctors: As of 2026, 42% of all licensed doctors in the UK qualified abroad. Among new doctors joining the register, 68% (over two-thirds) trained overseas.
• Nurses and Midwives: While the register reached a record 860,000 professionals in late 2025, the growth has slowed dangerously. International recruitment of nurses and midwives dropped by 49.6% in the latter half of 2025.
• The Economics: It remains significantly cheaper for the UK to recruit a fully-trained doctor or nurse from overseas than to fund the 10+ years of training required for a domestic graduate.

4. The Human and Economic Cost

The "anxiety" surrounding immigration often ignores the structural needs of our economy. The recent 91% drop in Health and Care visa applications has left the social care sector with thousands of unfilled vacancies, directly impacting the quality of care for the elderly and vulnerable.

The Takeaway: Facts do not hurt; they clarify. We rely on international workers to staff our wards, care for our parents, and grow our economy. When we allow misinformation to dictate policy, it is our own public services that suffer the consequences.

Quick Comparison Table: 2022 vs. 2026

References

Hubbard, E. (2025). BMA apologises for “upset and distress” caused by call for UK graduates to have preferential access to specialty training. BMJ, 388. 

Institute for Fiscal Studies. (2024). Adult social care in England: what next

Migration Observatory. (2025). Net migration to the UK. University of Oxford

Rajpoot, A., Merriman, C., Rafferty, A. M., & Henshall, C. (2024). Transitioning experiences of internationally educated nurses in host countries: A narrative systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 6, 100195. 

ScienceOpen. (2025). Employment and Access to Training for International Medical Graduates in the UK (2022–2024