FOI reference: FOI-2025-2866
You asked
In your recent article Quarterly update on population and migration statistics: May 2025, you said “Therefore, we have decided not to publish an additional estimate of international net migration excluding students.”
Please can you provide a copy of the additional estimate of the international net migration excluding students which wasn’t published.
We said
Thank you for your Freedom of Information Request.
We undertook an engagement exercise to understand user needs regarding the provision of an additional international net migration estimate that excludes students. We undertook this exercise to explore options, and to see if there were any specific areas of research or policy which may benefit from an additional estimate of international net migration. The options were:
Option 1: Maintain the current approach.
Option 2: Produce an additional estimate of international net migration excluding students using existing published estimates by reason for migration.
Option 3: Produce an additional, alternative estimate of international net migration using visa information to exclude students.
Following the outcome of this stakeholder engagement, a decision was made not to take forward Option 2 or Option 3 to develop an additional estimate of international net migration excluding students at this time.
Therefore, we do not currently hold any estimates of net international migration excluding students, as this information was never created.
The full consultation response is available on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website Net migration and international students user need.
Existing published estimates of long-term international migration by reason for migration are available on the ONS website Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional.
If you need anything further, please do not hesitate to contact us.