A new report has revealed that more people are migrating to the United Kingdom than the number of those emigrating from that country.
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics released on Thursday (ONS), total of 625,000 people moved to Britain and 351,000 people emigrated in the last six months.
ONS said non-EU net migration was the highest since 2004, with 248,000 more non-EU citizens arriving than leaving Britain.
“Increases in immigration for both work and study have been seen in the most recent year, particularly for Asian citizens.
“The number of people arriving for post-graduate studies this year from countries such as China and India is up by 10 per cent,” ONS said.
The overall number of non-EU citizens coming to Britain had continued to add to the population, with 74,000 more non-EU citizens coming to the UK than leaving.
“This was the lowest estimate for EU net migration since 2012 and the lowest immigration level since 2014,” ONS added.
The report revealed the number of EU citizens coming to the UK for work had continued to fall.
In the most recent period, this was driven by a decrease in citizens from EU 15 countries, such as Germany, Spain and Italy, arriving in Britain with a definite job.
Net migration among EU8 citizens, which includes Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, has seen a sharp decrease over the last two years.
“It is now estimated that 14,000 more citizens from those countries left the UK than arrived.
“This has been driven by a decrease in EU8 immigration, particularly for work, and an increase in emigration over the last two years.
“Away from Europe, citizens coming to work in Britain from around the world have seen a gradual increase over the last five years,” the study showed.