EM/IMMIGRATION..

  
Something interesting is happening to the level of people coming into and leaving the UK at the moment.

Despite the issue being out of the news lately (oh how quickly the reporters forget and move onto another issue?) the latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows a surprising result:

• Net inward migration to the UK was 242,000 in the year to September 2010, the highest level since June 2005.

• This has mainly been driven by a fall in emigration since December 2008, mainly of British and more recently among A8 nationals (Central and Eastern Europeans).

• HMG's target (or aspiration depending on which minister is discussing) is to reduce annual net migration to the 'tens of thousands' so the challenge has got tougher.

ONS Official UK migration statistics can be found here

There have been concerns raised about the impact that immigration limits will have on companies looking to recruit skilled staff from outside the European area.  Many of these concerns were a consequence of the model that UKBA used to put in place the interim limits which ended in March 2011.

The new permanent limit comes into effect in April. Figures published by UKBA show that out of a monthly limit of 4,200 only 1,019 certificates of sponsorship were requested and granted and only 781 successful application were made in May.  The balance will rollover to June 2011. 1,500 certificates of sponsorship are available each month after April - which had a higher limit to account for any pent up demand.

So the message at the moment is that the cap does not seem to be inhibiting recruitment and if companies have been deterred from recruiting by the rhetoric they should not be.

The UK still welcomes the brightest and the best.