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IPPR responds to the Home Office’s migration statistics

The statistics from the Home Office reveal that:

• There has been a sharp fall in health and care worker visas for both main applicants and dependants since autumn 2023. The number of health and care worker grants issued to main applicants between April and June 2024 was 81 per cent lower compared to the same period a year earlier. This is most likely driven by closer scrutiny of applications from the Home Office and new rules in March restricting care workers from bringing dependants with them.
• The asylum backlog at the end of June 2024remained stable compared to March 2024 as the number of asylum decisions continued to fall. This appears to be a direct result of the previous government effectively pausing the processing of the bulk of recent asylum applications, as part of its plans to deem all asylum claims from irregular arrivals inadmissible and to remove people to Rwanda.

Responding to the statistics, Marley Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and communities, said:

“The new data demonstrate how tough the new government’s inheritance is on asylum and migration.

Despite the previous home secretary making progress on clearing the backlog of asylum claims last year, the backlog has barely changed in recent months as ministers were distracted by the Rwanda plan. The government has done the right thing in cancelling the Rwanda deal and unblocking asylum processing, but further reform will be necessary to bring down the backlog and close down eye-wateringly expensive asylum hotels.

Health and care visas have also fallen sharply. This could reflect the Home Office more effectively addressing exploitation in the system, but there is a risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater – the social care sector is still struggling with recruitment and the government will need to monitor the situation closely to avoid a further staffing crisis.”

Marley Morris, associate director for migration at IPPR, and Amreen Qureshi, research fellow at IPPR, are available for interview

CONTACT

Georgia Horsfall, Digital and Media Officer: 07931 605 737 g.horsfall@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. ‘Migration and asylum: The first 100 days’ sets out IPPR’s thinking on the initial priorities for the new government on migration and asylum policy: https://www.ippr.org/articles/migration-and-asylum-the-first-100-days
2. IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. We are researchers, communicators, and policy experts creating tangible progressive change, and turning bold ideas into common sense realities. Working across the UK, IPPR, IPPR North, and IPPR Scotland are deeply connected to the people of our nations and regions, and the issues our communities face. We have helped shape national conversations and progressive policy change for more than 30 years. From making the early case for the minimum wage and tackling regional inequality, to proposing a windfall tax on energy companies, IPPR’s research and policy work has put forward practical solutions for the crises facing society. www.ippr.org