Rishi Sunak unveils bold new plan for an official cap on number of migrants coming to UK

Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will cap the number of migrants coming to Britain and ensure immigration falls “year-on-year”.

The Prime Minister said Parliament will vote on a number set by the Government upon advice from the Migration Advisory Committee – the Government’s migration advisors.

Ministers will tell the Migration Advisory Committee “that our objective is to get migration down to sustainable levels, for levels to fall year-on-year over the next Parliament and that they must consider both the costs and benefits of migration.”

The Tories insist this will prevent public services, such as the NHS and schools, from being overwhelmed.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.

“Labour’s migrant amnesty will make the UK a global magnet for illegal immigrants and they have no plan to reduce net migration, while we have a clear plan to stop the boats and put a legal cap on numbers.

“The Conservatives are the only party that is willing take the bold action needed to cut immigration figures.”

The Conservatives have not stated what the annual cap should be set at.

But former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has previously called for a cap on net migration of less than 100,000 a year, arguing that it is the only way to restore voters’ trust.

Professor Brian Bell, Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, said a ban on foreign students and overseas workers bringing their family members with them was having a far bigger impact than the Government expected.

Measures introduced by Mr Sunak and Home Secretary James Cleverly last year could lead to net migration falling to between 150,000 and 200,000 later this year.

Net migration surged to a record high of 764,000 in 2022.

But former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had pledged to reduce the figure from 226,000 in 2019.

Work was the biggest driver of migration in 2023, overtaking study, for the first time since 2019.

There was a substantial increase in the number of people arriving from outside the EU on work visas last year, particularly from India or Nigeria most commonly on health and care worker visas.

And dependants - who were typically children - outnumbered main applicants on these types of visas.

Home Secretary James Cleverly has insisted the plan to “deliver the largest-ever cut to legal migration” is working, with loopholes exploited by migrants to move to Britain being closed.

The number of foreign workers applying to come to the UK through the health and social care route visa has fallen by 76 per cent.

New figures published by the Home Office show the number of applications to come to the UK on this route fell from 50,900 in January to April 2023 to 12,400 over the same period this year.

And the number of foreign students applying to bring their family members with them has fallen by 79 per cent, from 38,900 to 8,300.

The increased salary threshold of £38,700 – compared to £26,200 – would lead to the number of foreign graduates staying in the UK to work falling from 70,000 to 26,000, Professor Bell said.

Mr Sunak is warning the UK will become a “magnet” for migrants under Labour.

Tom Pursglove, the minister for legal migration, outlined how the Conservatives wanted to go further on bringing numbers down.

He wrote in the Telegraph: “We will make it clear to the MAC that their task is to bring numbers down to sustainable levels, with an overall cap that falls every year in the next Parliament, while making sure the NHS and businesses get the employees they need.

“Many other countries take this kind of bold action, including Australia. Australia has a cap on permanent migration which allows them to keep immigration at sustainable levels, while ensuring their economy gets the high-skilled workers it needs.

“There is no clearer contrast between us and the Labour Party. Keir Starmer flip flops day to day, but he said as recently as 2020 that he wanted to bring back freedom of movement, reversing the progress we’ve made thanks to Brexit.

“Yvette Cooper says that Labour wants to cut net migration but would not say by how much or by when, let alone setting out a credible plan to achieve it. Their record shows that they have no credibility.”

And the High Court on Monday heard that the first migrant flights to Rwanda are now expected on July 24.

Judge Mr Justice Chamberlain ordered the Cabinet Office and Home Office to tell the court the earliest date they planned to start removals.

Edward Brown KC, for the Home Office, said in written submissions: "The defendant confirms that he intends to effect removals with a flight to Rwanda on July 23 2024, and not before."

However, later in the hearing, Mr Brown said the first flight is now set to depart on July 24 after an "operational update".

Mr Justice Chamberlain said the Home Office "has said a number of things" about when the first flight is set to be.

He added that the legal challenges are "all going to be subject to the outcome of the General Election ... but we obviously can't make any predictions about that".

The judge continued: "There is a public interest in the determination of these issues ... before the earliest date on which flights may be."

Mr Justice Chamberlain said a four-day hearing in a case brought by an individual asylum seeker could take place the week after the General Election.

In the legal action brought by the FDA union, the judge previously said the Government had provided "insufficient clarity" about when the flights were due to begin, prompting the order.

Asylum Aid is bringing legal action, claiming that the Safety of Rwanda policy unlawfully tells decision-makers not to consider the risk of Rwanda sending a person to a third country where they would be at risk of torture, death, or other human rights abuse.

Lawyers for the charity will now need to be given the green light by a judge to bring the full challenge, with the Home Office describing parts of the claim as "unarguable".