Release: Migration Statistics Quarterly Report, February 2013

Latest provisional data show that there was a net flow of 163,000 migrants to the UK in the year ending June 2012, which is significantly lower than the net flow of 247,000 in the year ending June 2011.

515,000 people immigrated to the UK in the year ending June 2012, which is significantly lower than the 589,000 who migrated the previous year. This decrease has caused the fall in net migration.

352,000 emigrants left the UK in the year ending June 2012, similar to the estimate of 342,000 in the year to June 2011.

There was a decrease in the number of citizens immigrating to the UK from New Commonwealth countries. 117,000 citizens from New Commonwealth countries immigrated to the UK in the year ending June 2012; significantly lower than 168,000 the previous year.

The numbers of citizens immigrating to the UK from EU Accession countries (EU8) decreased significantly. In the year ending June 2012, 62,000 EU8 citizens migrated to UK, which is lower than 86,000 the previous year and the lowest since 2004.

197,000 migrants arrived to study in the year to June 2012, which is significantly lower than 239,000 in the previous year. Study remains the most common reason stated for migrating to the UK.

Excluding visitor and transit visas, the number of visas issued fell 10% to 507,701 in the year ending December 2012 (compared with 564,807 in the previous 12 months), the lowest 12-monthly total recorded using comparable data available from 2005.

In the year to December 2012, there were 209,804 visas issued for the purpose of study (excluding student visitors), a fall of 20% compared with the previous 12 months.

Sponsored visa applications fell 22%, this change was not uniform, with a 3% increase for the university sector and falls of 62%, 69% and 14% for further education, English language schools and independent schools, respectively.