Fresh UK immigration figures to be released

The latest official figures on immigration to the UK are published on Thursday.

Data on net long-term international migration in the year ending September will be released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

They are the first estimates of the measure - the difference between the number of people leaving and arriving in the country - covering a period including several weeks after the EU referendum.

The last set of statistics showed net migration was running at a near record level of 335,000 in the year to the end of June.

This is well above the Government's controversial target of less than 100,000, and this aim will fall under the spotlight once more with the latest publication.

The previous figures also showed the inflow of EU citizens had hit a historic high of 284,000.

Statisticians said at the time that it was too early to say what effect, if any, the referendum has had on long-term international migration, which relates to people coming to Britain for at least 12 months.

There did not appear to have been any significant impact during the run-up to the vote, the ONS said in December.

Immigration has been at the centre of debate in both the run-up to and aftermath of the poll in June.

The Government is expected to seek to introduce controls on free movement rules following the Brexit vote, but ministers have remained tight-lipped about plans for the new system.

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