Almost unbelievable – ‘Open Doors’ Britain lets 3.4m people flood in

Record numbers have been granted work visas – 3.2 times pre-COVID levels

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2024

A Facts4EU.Org summary of the extraordinary figures from the Home Office yesterday

We review many official reports every day. We are used to being shocked.

Yesterday’s figures from the UK Home Office are right up there with the worst we have looked at. Despite the general public’s deep concerns about immigration, the Home Office granted 3.4 million visas last year (2023).

Of these, there were 616,371 work visas granted to applicants in 2023, 46% higher than in 2022. This is 3.2 times more than in 2019, pre-COVID.

To make matters worse, the Home Office granted 279,131 more visas to dependants of people who had been granted a work visa. This was an 80% increase on 2022.

Where does one start on this shambles?

The first thing to say is that all figures in this report relate to legal immigration, not to the boat migrants illegally crossing the English Channel. These are the official figures released yesterday (Thurs 29 Feb) by the UK Home Office.

Legal immigration is controlled by the Government. They decide the policies which determine the numbers of people entering the UK – for tourism, for work, for study, as well as those who are granted visas as dependants of those on work and study visas.

In short, the Government has nowhere to hide on what follows.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Massive increases in visas being granted to migrants and visitors

All figures are for last year (2023)

Total work visas : 616,371 (+46%)
Total study visas : 605,504 (-3%)
Total family visas : 81,203 (+73%)
Total dependants joining or accompanying : 4,437 (-11%)
EEA family permits : 90 (+246%)
EUSS family permits : 17,705 (-45%)
BN(O) visa route : 28,303 (-47%)
Ukraine Family Scheme : 9,672 (-84%)
Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme : 32,095 (-78%)
Total visitor visas : 1,956,526 (+40%)
Total transit and other visas : 45,231
Total entry clearance visas : 3,397,137 (over ½m more than in 2022)

[Source : The Home Office, 29 Feb 2024.]

NOTE : Excluding ‘visitor’ and ‘transit’ visas the total is 1,395,380.

In the charts that follow we have combined the various categories the Home Office uses in order to provide some clarity to readers.

Commenting yesterday, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

“1.4 million people were granted visas here last year. Asylum approvals at a record high. Work & student visa numbers, including many dependants, are appalling. This cannot go on: we don’t have enough homes, GPs or schools to support this level.
“The PM must adopt policies I pushed for that would have prevented this national disaster: we need a cap on overall numbers. Britain will be unrecognisable if this carries on. It’s not what the British people, including me, voted for.”

Nigel Farage, Honorary President of Reform UK, commented:

“The population explosion in Britain is continuing, and its bad effects on people’s lives just get worse and worse.
They’ve failed.”

Some lowlights from all this data

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

More data from the Home Office

There were 616,371 total work visas granted to main applicants in 2023
This is almost four times higher than 10 years ago
It is 46% higher than the previous year (2022)
‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visa grants have almost doubled (+91%) to 146,477, largely driven by ‘Care workers and home carers’, representing 89,236 grants in 2023
There were 279,131 grants to dependants of people who had been granted a work visa, 80% higher than 2022; this was due to the increase in the ‘Health and Care’ worker route - dependants on this route accounted for 73% of all work dependent visas granted
In 2023, grants of an extension in work routes for main applicants increased by 48% to 310,056, primarily driven by extensions in the ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visa route and the ‘Graduate’ work route
A total of 114,409 ‘Graduate’ route extensions were granted to main applicants in 2023, 57% higher than 2022

[Source : The Home Office, 29 Feb 2024.]

Observations

These numbers are almost unbelievable

The Government can be in no doubt that the British people are deeply concerned about immigration – legal and illegal. All polls show it. Given this, how is it possible for the Department responsible (the Home Office) to allow such dramatic increases in the number of visas being granted for a variety of reasons?

The Civil Servants are under ministerial control. It is up to the Home Secretary to decide the criteria and to lay this before the House of Commons, where necessary.

Last year the Home Office issued 1.4m visas (excluding ‘visitors’). Of these only 600,000 were for work purposes. In effect this means that only 44% of the total could be contributing to the UK’s tax revenues. In reality many will be recipients of state benefits.

The numbers we are reporting – and the huge rises in them – are simply off the scale. So much so that serious questions must be asked about who is fit for their job – from the Prime Minister down.

We must get reports like this out there

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[ Sources: The Home Office ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, 01 Mar 2024

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Reader Comments 8

1. LuxuryBalloon , Friday, March 01, 2024, 07:01:

Was Suella Braverman not Home Secretary for most of 2022 and 2023? Did she do nothing to stop the legal and illegal immigration during those years?

2. Sparky , Friday, March 01, 2024, 07:18:

Comment from Suella Braverman is a bit rich, she was Home Secretary for most of 2023. And Nigel, the chap that brought us Brexit on the basis of stopping immigration.

3. Old Albion , Friday, March 01, 2024, 07:42:

Suella Braverman has spoken out about excessive immigration both when in Government and since leaving Government. If the PM and parliamentary party ignore her (as they did) she was never going to be able to implement change. Add in the far-Left wokery Human rights gang and we end up where we are now. Being swamped by foreign culture.
Nigel Farage brought us Brexit by exposing the damage, financial and otherwise to the UK, caused by being a member of the EU.

4. Ashley Great Britain , Friday, March 01, 2024, 11:01:

2 sparky.
-
Nigel Farage has no control over our immigration any you know it.
He has however been pointing out the problems for years, As this report also does.
-
Even though the Conservatives are failing and they know voters want large reductions, Immigration is only increasing under their watch.
There must be something else going on here too.
It's utter insanity to permit so many people to stay here, Especially dependents who probably contribute nothing.
Would America allow you to bring your whole family just because you were lucky to get on a course or an apprenticeship, Or you had work offered for a few years. No. You would go alone and consider yourself lucky.
The madness of the UK establishment is beyond comprehension.

5. Sparky , Friday, March 01, 2024, 11:31:

3 OA. Immigration was a deciding factor in the ref. See YouGov, "most important issues facing the country". Remember NF in front of his poster about Syria.
.
4 AGB. Agree, NF has no control over immigration, it is far too high, but he and VoteLeave made immigration a significant issue, a long eight years ago. Brexit was going to solve this as an issue but its got worse, significantly worse.
.
Judging by Rochdale and recent by elections the Cons are going to be out at the next GE and NF's Reform Party are going to be nowhere.

6. KB , Friday, March 01, 2024, 11:37:

I think it is quite simple what is going on. The big increase is in Health and Social Care.
The industry (and it is an industry) has lobbied the government to allow them to take in foreign workers, because otherwise they can't provide social care.
Not without offering MUCH bigger salaries to UK workers, which would have massive tax implications.
Also bearing in mind we are an ageing population, so the amount of social care needed can only increase. Young people are simply not able to pony up increased social care bills AND buy a house, AND have children.

7. jez , Friday, March 01, 2024, 17:51:

sparkless- not all racists vote labour, but labour is the party for racists, but now perhaps the racists will stop voting LIEbour and go independant, as LIEbour are no longer racist enough for them?

8. Ashley Great Britain , Saturday, March 02, 2024, 09:19:

5 sparky.
-
Yes and it's still a big issue for all of us.
Brexit is a process and it's highlighted in neon letters how bad and in the EU pocket our government really are.
The by-election isn't a warm up to the general, The outcome there will be different.
It did show us how religion and postal voting can be used to manipulate things.
Rochdale election appears to be a very undemocratic event.
People must be vetted for postal voting with limited reasons for acceptance.

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