Rebecca Harris MP welcomes the news that the Conservative Government’s plan to build a fairer immigration system, cut unsustainable and unfair levels of migration is delivering, with the latest statistics showing numbers coming on the three biggest visa routes are down 24%.

Mass migration is unsustainable and unfair on the British people, which is why the Government is introducing the toughest ever reforms to our migration system that will cut the number of people coming to the UK by 300,000 every year. New data now shows the numbers coming in on visas are down 24% so far and the number of dependants accompanying students to the UK down almost 80%. If we stick to the plan, we can build an immigration system that serves the interests of the British people.

Commenting, Rebecca said: ‘I welcome the news that the Government’s immigration reforms are now having a clear impact on the number of people entering our country. I know immigration is a huge issue of concern for people in Castle Point and these changes will mean 300,000 fewer people are eligible to enter our country, significantly reducing net migration.’

Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said:  'Ever-spiralling numbers were eroding the British people’s confidence in our immigration system, burdening public services and supressing wages. When I promised to deliver the largest-ever cut in legal migration, I knew we must also work to show the impact of our action as soon as practically possible. This data shows a significant fall in numbers on the first of our measures to take effect whilst underlining why necessary action was taken to cut unsustainable numbers of care worker dependants.

This does not mark the end of the road in our plan to cut migration, there is more still to come. Over the coming months, we will continue to show the pace of our progress as we deliver the control the public rightly expect.'

We have taken action to half net migration and cut the number of people coming to the UK by 300,000 and our plan is working:

• Numbers coming on the three biggest visa routes – Skilled Worker, Health and Care and Study – are down 24% for January – March 2024 compared to the same period last year.
• Overseas students have been banned from bringing family members to the UK. From 1 January 2024, the Government removed the right to bring dependants on the student visa route for those other than on postgraduate research programmes.
• The Government is ending abuse via the Health and Care Visa with numbers already down by 28%. From 11 March 2024, overseas care workers have been stopped from bringing family dependants into the country and must meet the new requirement for social care firms in England to be CQC registered and to sponsor visas. In the year ending September 2023, 120,000 dependants came via this route. The latest data for January - March 2024 shows 28% fewer main applicants and dependents came on the Health and Care visa before these changes even came into effect.
• Immigration has been stopped from undercutting British workers. From 4 April 2024, the minimum earnings threshold for skilled worker visas has risen by 48% to £38,700, in line with the median full-time wage for equivalent jobs.
• The 20% going rate salary discount has been scrapped for shortage occupations and the Shortage Occupation List has been replaced with a new Immigration Salary Discount List. 
• Ministers are ensuring people only sponsor family members they can support financially and are raising the minimum income for family visas to £38,700 by early 2025.
• To help pay for the NHS, the Immigration Health Surcharge increased from £634 to £1,100 in October 2023. 

Labour and Keir Starmer would scrap the Rwanda Scheme and their plans would let 250,000 more people come to the UK every year, showing they have no plan to get immigration under control. It is only by sticking with the Conservatives that we will continue to see the reforms our country needs to succeed.