New UK migration figures continue to show mixed picture for Commonwealth

The Office for National Statistics have released their latest figures for UK migration for the period up to December 2014.

As with previous releases, they continue to show a very mixed picture for Commonwealth migration.

The good news is that the number of Commonwealth citizens coming to the UK has increased by 27,000 year on year. However this is still down more than a third on levels seen just eight years ago and still below the figures seen in 2012.

In addition, Commonwealth immigration is still falling behind EU immigration which increased at a much faster rate and is up 33% year on year. It is vital that we move towards a more level playing field so that Britain can attract the best from around the world. The proposals we laid out in our report "How to solve a problem like a visa" would help to rectify this and we urge the UK Government to implement them.

In outward migration the picture is even worse. The number of Brits moving to the Commonwealth fell by 20% and is now at the lowest recorded point in this data set. All of our proposals are based on reciprocity as it is just as vital that Brits are able to move to the Commonwealth as it is for citizens to be able to come here. Clearly that is not currently the case.

Commenting on the proposals, CX Co-Founder and Director Ralph Buckle said:

"While it is great that we are starting to see more Commonwealth citizens coming to the UK, this is working from a very low base after they fell to record low levels last year. Even more concerning is the further fall in Brits moving to the Commonwealth.

We urge the government to implement the proposals we set out to ensure there is a level playing field for Commonwealth citizens to move to and from the UK.

In particular, our proposals for bilateral mobility zones between the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (dubbed Boris' bilaterals after the report's foreword author)  and to reinstate Commonwealth nations to the youth visa scheme would go a long way to help ensure we don't neglect this vital network and the talent it has to offer."

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