Photo: Sky News

The UK’s legal migration numbers reached nearly one million in 2024, marking a significant shift compared to past trends. Legal migration has accounted for almost all of the UK’s population growth in recent years, with nearly 95% of immigrants entering legally. The migration surge, particularly from countries like India, Pakistan, and Nigeria, followed changes in immigration policy after Brexit, including new visa schemes for health and care workers. However, in 2024, changes in visa rules led to a decline in the number of new arrivals. A key part of this decline was the removal of policies allowing dependents to accompany workers and students on certain visas. Despite these changes, the UK continues to see substantial migration from outside the EU, especially from India and Pakistan, with a sharp decline in people coming for humanitarian reasons following crises like the war in Ukraine. While public opinion remains divided on immigration, many support legal migration for work and study, although concerns persist about potential abuse of the student visa system. Additionally, British universities rely heavily on international students, who contributed nearly £12 billion in tuition fees during the 2023-24 academic year.

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Original title: How much does the UK rely on legal migration?

The AI system has determined that this news is not clickbait/sensationalist:  The title is factual and directly reflects the article's content, focusing on legal migration trends and their impact on the UK. It does not resort to sensationalism or exaggeration. This has coincided with the opinion of the majority of users.