Sharp fall in UK net migration with drop in arrivals for work and study

Net migration to the UK fell by two-thirds in the year ending June 2025 compared with the previous 12 months, provisional figures indicate.

The difference between the number of people arriving in the country and those leaving was 204,000, down from 649,000, with the fall mainly driven by fewer arrivals for work and study reasons, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

It comes as Home Office figures show the number of people who claimed asylum in the year to September 2025 reached a record high of 110,051.

The figures also show the number of asylum seekers in hotels as of September rose by 2% compared with the same time last year.

The statistics form part of two separate releases published on Thursday - the ONS release on net migration to the year ending June 2025, and Home Office figures on the immigration system for the year ending September 2025.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told GB News that the fall in net migration is a "step in the right direction".

This is the first set of ONS statistics on migration that covers nearly all of Labour's first year in government.

The Home Office numbers show initial decisions on asylum claims have increased to 133,502 people receiving an initial decision across the year - almost half of which (45%) were granted.

"Decision making has reached a historically high level and the numbers of cases awaiting an initial decision fell 36% between September 2024 and September 2025, despite a record high number of asylum claims in this period," the release said.

The backlog of those waiting for a first decision has been declining steadily across the year, but there has been a growing backlog of appeals.

The government has committed to end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this parliament.

More than 36,000 people were being temporarily housed in hotels in September, Thursday's figures show.

This is up 13% on the last three months, but due to fluctuation over the last year represents a smaller increase - of 2% - from September 2024.

It is lower than the peak of 56,018 people in hotels at the end of September 2023.

It follows legal battles over the use of hotels with Epping Forest District Council saying earlier this week they would appeal against a High Court decision that rejected its case to close Epping's Bell Hotel to asylum seekers.

Responding to Thursday's statistics, a Home Office spokesperson said there were fewer than 200 hotels in use as they vowed "to close every single one".

"We are furious at the levels of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.

"Work is well under way to move illegal migrants into military bases to ease pressure on communities across the country."

Small boat arrivals saw an increase of 53% compared with the previous year, with 45,659 arriving via this route in the 12 months to September 2025. The Home Office release sets out that this figure is close to the 2022 peak which was 45,774.

"The increase in arrivals in 2025 has coincided with an increase in the average number of people arriving per small boat," it added.

Some 5,151 children (under 18s) crossed the Channel in small boats and claimed asylum in this time period - 2,700 of whom were accompanied.

The prime minister's spokesperson said the government "accepts that the number of small boat crossings is too high".

Separately, 153 migrants have been removed from the UK to France under the pilot "one in one out" scheme.

A return flight today included the individual who was removed on 16 October and returned to the UK via small boat on 8 November (he has not been counted twice).

A total of 134 people have been brought to the UK through this scheme.

The figures released by the ONS, on net migration, take into account those who are claiming asylum in the UK after having entered via both regular and irregular routes - as well as other forms of immigration. They relate to people who have changed their place of residence for a period of 12 months or more.

The overall figure saw a dramatic fall to June 2025, and comes alongside a drop of approximately 70% in arrivals of non-EU+ nationals on work and study dependent visas. (EU+ refers to people from EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.)

Responding to the net migration figures, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government would be "going further" as she referenced the pressure of migration on local communities.

"Net migration is at its lowest level in half a decade and has fallen by more than two-thirds under this government," she said in a statement.

"Last week, I announced reforms to our migration system to ensure that those who come here must contribute and put in more than they take out."

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp, reacting to the figures, said the fall had been driven by Conservative reforms "but we need to go much further".

Meanwhile, Reform UK's head of policy Zia Yusuf said there is "no better example of Labour's warped priorities than today's migration figures".

Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesperson, Max Wilkinson, said the figures show the government needs to "get a grip on small boat arrivals and the use of asylum hotels".

Additional reporting by Robert Cuffe, head of statistics