UK immigration up by 237,000 - official figures » Central Government » 24dash.com

Net immigration to the UK rose to 237,000 in 2007, according to official figures published today.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said the number was up by 46,000 on 2006 as a result of a fall in the number of people moving out of the UK.

The estimated number of people arriving to live in the UK for 12 months or more was 577,000 in 2007, compared with 591,000 in 2006, while the number of people leaving the country fell from 400,000 to 340,000 over the same period.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas has said the population should not exceed 70 million. By last year the population was just under 61 million.

The Tories have called for a cap on the number of people from outside the EU who are allowed to move to the UK.

Today's figures mean that immigrants have added more than 1.8 million to the population since Labour came to power in 1997, when net immigration stood at 50,000.

In 2006 the ONS said immigration stood at 190,000.

The number of people applying for asylum in the UK between July and September this year was up 12% on the same period last year - the fifth consecutive quarter to show a year-on-year increase.

There were 6,620 applications, compared with 5,885 in the same quarter last year.

Over the 12 months to the end of September, there were 25,800 asylum applications, a 15% rise on the numbers for the preceding 12 months.

There has also been a rise in the number of people removed from the UK, with more than 17,500 ejected between July and September, 9% up on the same period last year.

Mr Woolas pointed out that the net immigration figure rose only because of a fall in people leaving the country.

The number of people entering the UK on work permits would have fallen by 12% if a new element of the points-based system for assessing would-be immigrants had been in force last year, he added.

"These figures predate our huge shake-up to the immigration system," he said.

"Centre stage is our points system which means only those we need - and no more - can come here to work and study and gives us the flexibility to raise or lower the bar according to the needs of the labour market and the country as a whole.

"Today's figures show that applications from Eastern Europeans have this year fallen to their lowest level since 2004 and research suggests that half of those that came to the UK to work have now gone home."

Home Office figures showed the number of people from Eastern European countries registering for work in the UK had declined.

There were 21,000 fewer such registrations between July and September, compared with the same period in 2007.

The Conservatives said the figures showed that immigration was out of control.

Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said: "Immigration can be of real benefit to the country but only if it is properly controlled.

"These figures betray a Government that has completely lost control over the last 10 years. This chaos is likely to increase as the Home Secretary and new Immigration Minister continue to be at loggerheads over Government policy.

"The Government should stop squabbling and adopt our policies of an annual limit on non-EU immigration, transitional controls on future EU immigration and establishing a dedicated UK border police force."

Downing Street said that the increase in immigration pre-dated the introduction of new rules restricting immigration from outside the EU.

"These figures apply to the period before the points-based system came into effect," the Prime Minister's spokesman said.