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Immigration

Volume 711: debated on Thursday 25 June 2009

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the figures for (a) inward immigration, and (b) net immigration, in each of the past 12 years. [HL4386]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Baroness Warsi, dated June 2009.

As National Statistician, I have been asked to respond to your question concerning the most recent estimate for a) inward immigration and b) net immigration, in each of the last 12 years. (HL4386)

Official estimates of long-term immigration and net migration into the UK for 1996-2007 are given in Table 1 attached. The data are consistent with published figures.

Table 1: Long-term International Migration1 time series, 1996 to 2007

United Kingdom

Thousands

Immigration to the UK

Net Migration

1996

318

+ 55

1997

327

+ 48

1998

391

+ 140

1999

454

+ 163

2000

479

+ 158

2001

479

+ 173

2002

513

+ 154

2003

508

+ 147

2004

586

+ 244

2005

563

+ 204

2006

591

+ 191

2007

577

+ 237

1. Long-term International Migration (LTIM) is the most comprehensive measure of long-term international migration, and is based mainly on data from the IPS, supplemented with data on flows to and from the Republic of Ireland. Other data sources are used to make adjustments for asylum seekers and their dependants not counted by the IPS and for switchers (people who change their intentions and, therefore, their migratory status). LTIM was previously referred to as Total International Migration or TIM.