REVEALED: How Britain could have COMPLETELY misplaced one MILLION migrants
THERE could be more than a million more EU immigrants in the UK than officially counted - because the method used to record them was created to count tourists.
There could be more EU nationals in the UK than previously thought
There is a staggering difference of more than 1.2million between the number of new National Insurance (NI) numbers for immigrants and the official figures from the Office for National Statistics.
There were 2,234,022 NI numbers given to foreign EU nationals between 2010 and 2015, but the ONS says there were just 990,000 EU migrants in the UK in the same time period.
The ONS figures only count people who move to Britain for a year - but anyone who works in Britain needs an NI Number.
Crucially, the ONS figures could leave out seasonal migrants.
Also, the ONS bases its numbers on when people join the country, while a National Insurance number can be applied for by anyone at any time.
The numbers don't match up, a report says
They are pulling the wool over our eyes
Speaking to The Telegraph about the discrepancy with figures, Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: “They are pulling the wool over our eyes.
“[National Insurance numbers] are a simple and clear reflection of the real numbers of people in this country, as without them you can neither legally work, nor claim benefits.”
A passport
While Oxford University's Professor David Coleman, the co-founder of MigrationWatchUK, told the paper: “When migration is the dominant driver of population change, it matters a great deal.”
The ONS is believed to be publishing a study explaining the difference – together with new estimates on short-term migration – this Thursday.
Ed Humpherson, a director at the UK Statistics Authority, said: “There is a significant risk that a lack of progress in reconciling and explaining the differences over the coming weeks could undermine public confidence in official migration estimates.”
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The figures that show the discrepancy
While Jonathan Portes, principal research fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, added: “The survey [the ONS uses] asks people if you plan to stay for more than a year: if you say yes, you’re a migrant; if no, you’re not.
“If you’re coming from India, you probably know the answer: you need a specific type of visa, you don’t come here on a whim and then suddenly decide to stay.
“If you’re an EU migrant, that is very different – you don’t need a visa. There is nothing to stop you saying ‘I’ll come here, look for a job, maybe I’ll stay here, maybe I won’t.’
“There’s no way the survey can measure that.”