Britain saw a sharp fall in the number of visas given to foreign workers in 2024, official data showed on Thursday, as far fewer health and social care workers were granted entry following curbs imposed by the previous government.
British authorities granted 210,098 work visas in the twelve months to the end of December, a 37 per cent drop compared to the previous year, according to Home Office (interior ministry) immigration statistics.
Visas for health and social care workers slumped by 81 per cent to 27,174, continuing a downward trend that began in early 2024 following the previous Conservative government’s restrictions to cut net migration.
For years immigration has been one of the key issues facing the country, according to voters and it played a major part in the 2016 vote to leave the European Union.
Critics say large influxes of migrants stretches already strained public services while others say they are needed to fill vacancies in certain sectors, particularly in healthcare.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like his predecessors, has vowed to reduce immigration, saying in November that he would produce a plan to reform the points-based immigration system which would put the onus on businesses to train British workers.
His proposal was in response to official data that showed net migration having reached a record of more than 900,000 in the year to June 2023, much higher than original estimates. (Reporting by Muvija M; editing by Michael Holden)
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