Fall in the UK immigration numbers from Central and Eastern Europe

by Harleen Kaur - February 26, 2010

United Kingdom, February 26: There has been a considerable decline in the number of immigrants coming from Eastern and Central Europe to work in the UK, the latest figures reveal.

As per the data made available by the Office for National Statistics, the UK immigration numbers witnessed a fall at least by one third from January 2009-June 2009.

As compared to 100,000 new arrivals in the UK in the year till June 2008, latest UK immigration figures reveal only 68,000 new arrivals from the new EU (European Nation) states.

There was a fall in the number of applicants from Eastern European nations to work in the UK under the worker registration scheme.

The net figures were 52,765 in Q4 2007, but witnessed a declining trend in subsequent periods by going down to 30,600 in Q4 2008 and 28,495 in Q4 2009.

And the figures for voluntary departures as well as removals from the UK also show a decline, although only marginal, going down to 64,750 in the year 2009 from 67,980 in 2008.

Meanwhile, there has no significant change in those seeking long-term UK immigration. About half a million arrived in the UK and while 370,000 moved out of the country in the year till June 2009, net figures for the UK immigration show. These changes caused an increase of 147,000 in the total population of the UK.

Immigration figures for A8 accession nations have plunged while the long term UK immigration figures showed stability.

The number of migrants seeking UK immigration from Poland declined while those from Lithuania and Latvia increased.

Also, there has been a 15 percent decline in the allocations of National Insurance numbers to the non-UK nationals in the year till June 2009, which is an indication of the effect of global slowdown on the immigrants coming for work in the UK.

And for Eastern European nationals (from Eastern and Central Europe), this decline has been 36 percent, suggesting less demand for labor as the main reason and not the points-based system of the UK.