To be shocked at the net migration figures currently being discussed

[Feelingathomenow]

Yesterday’s figures discussed by the Tories stated that since 2010 the net migration figures to the UK has equalled the size of the population of Wales. Today we were told the figures to June 2023 showed a net migration figure of nearly 1 million for that year, for the year to June 2024 this had reduced to a mere 3/4 of a million. The numbers coming in of the boats per year alone is equal to a large town. AIBU to think this has to stop. We need to immediately crack down on people allowed into this country- limit it to urgently needed highly skilled jobs and start offshore processing (or similar) of the people who are here illegally (basically like many other countries).

We just can’t cope with those numbers. - no wonder our infrastructure is collapsing, we have a housing crisis etc.

I want to hear from the government how they are going to tackle it. We have heard from the Tories now it is over to Starmer.

Fair point.

I know many people feel intimidated or wary when they’re the only non-white person somewhere. I can only imagine that some white people would feel the same. We’re all human after all.

Interestingly, I (an immigrant) just recently had a chat with another woman (also an immigrant) how we were both avoiding our local town centre in the evenings, mainly because of large groups of men hanging around (also immigrants).
So it’s not just about “British women”, and whereas of course not all British men are perfect, there is that particular issue in our town centre and to pretend it’s not there would be silly and disingenuous.

Actually its very easy to predict future population based in global trends for similar countries.
We have a pinch point at the moment with an increase in the aged population, and low working age numbers. Because older people need care/healthcare, and also haven't released their housing, that leads to labour shortages in healthcare and housing shortages.

The labour gap can be solved with immigration but then they need housing and that needs a labour force of builders (also immigration).

Its likely the population will level off or fall naturally as the low birthrate starts to show and the current older generation passes on, immigrants (or British born) may move back or abroad elsewhere to follow employment opportunities.

www.gbm.hsbc.com/en-gb/insights/global-research/the-big-baby-bust

My relatives have been for many generations nurses, teachers, doctors because we were brought up to respect those professions and to serve. It might be nice to see more parliamentarians from those professions but the prominent parliamentarians are a self interested bunch not really suited to caring vocations. There are some back benchers who know the meaning of service, they're quite busy.

I suspect some of the problem is that these care roles were traditionally held by women but womens' role in society is changing from service human to providers and leaders.

Apologies, i thought you meant people with power to make changes or not.

My fear is that unless Labour make v dramatic changes, Reform will be our next Govt.

Anyone who thinks these numbers are good or sustainable is off their heads.

There was an issue here started years ago with more eastern European immigrants men and few women - very aggressive begging - then that slowly changed to often drunk locals - there plenty of other locations near by to shop and on-line so people did that and footfall really dropped meaning shop losses.

Took huge amount of time years for council - part owner of shopping center - and police to start getting a handle on it but they have - lots of shops lost in meantime in already hard climate for retail. They are trying now - lots of events to bring people in and increased police presence- but it's slow going and they have diminished number of shops for people to look round.

It was being raised as an issue years ago but was dismissed - sometimes as racists by council - and people found other places to go.

@NotMeNoNo

"You only have to think about this for 2 minutes
The majority of immigrants are young, not ill, and coming on student or work visas. Many of them are working in the NHS. They are mainly part of the solution not the problem."

So currently 22% of 16-64 year olds are economically inactive or 9 million people.

Currently the Government and by that I mean the taxpayers, pay for these economically inactive to not work in jobs that they feel (with some justification) are underpaid.

Instead the UK imports cheap legal migrant labour to do these jobs that the economically inactive are not willing to do. This increases the overall population putting further pressure on infrastructure, healthcare, education system, future pensions and the environment.

How about instead we stop relying on imported cheap labour and instead encourage the economically inactive back into work through a combination of high salaries and restrictive benefits.

At the other end of the spectrum, better healthcare also means lower child mortality, you may find there are as many people from infancy to adulthood with complex medical needs requiring specialised care as there are elderly people with age related infirmities.

Incidentally, the oldies in my life are more independent than most of the younger ones, they had to be to survive so long.

Strangely some people do think this. Ignore the problem at your peril.

It's reasonable to not want your kid to be the only white child in class. I know plenty of Black people say that they would prefer their child not to be the only Black child in a class of white children and that's completely understandable. The whole premise of pro diversity initiatives is that it's best to have a mix of types of people.

Ex pats like those who go to live/work in the Gulf states will never be able to acquire citizenship. They have residency visas based on their job. They have to have private medical cover provided by their employer.

As soon as they lose their job they have a fairly short amount of time to find another. There is no state financial support available to non Citizens and not a mass of charities (some with state funding) and other help to enable them to stay.

Migrants come here and receive support/housing etc (for asylum seekers this may be in a hotel). Usually they fully intend to acquire long term residency rights and citizenship and there are routes for them to do this..

900k is bigger than the city of Bristol's population.

Even the numbers previously given of around 700k is the size of Bristol.

Why did the Tories allow this to happen?

If the argument is "it increases GDP" well clearly it doesn't, our GDP is shit.

Strangely some people do think this. Ignore the problem at your peril.

@Julen7 the response generally seems to be we just need to build more houses and fund more services

And print more money

Right!

If immigration is apparently so necessary for increasing prosperity we are surely a prime example of the exception to that rule.

It's not just 'the tories', it's an often well meaning, sometimes politically motivated liberal response that fails to see the reality of the situation for fear of being a 'bad' person whilst hurtling down a path of self destruction.

As an analogy, a parent's role is to look after your child till they can look after themselves and maybe even repay the favour, if you as a parent don't look after yourself too you cannot look after your child.

(Waiting for the clumsy analogy to be picked to pieces.)

Our NHS is at breaking point. We are a small country and we cannot keep taking more and more illegal immigrants in.

How could you check for evidence that someone is gay? Wouldn’t it be quite intrusive?

Whose going to do all the shitty jobs that Brits think are beneath them?

It's that attitude that has to change, not importing more people!

That is going to be part of the solution - as is working longer getting less state support/services generally- and having some immigration but perhaps not as much as now.

Last time UK had a housing crisis we solved it by government getting involve making sure more including social housing was built - it was political consensus across the parties that stopped in 80s.

Current solution seems to be wait till population falls - which doesn't mean housing is in right places or good quality and with high immigration not going to happen and screws the fertile working population the most - impacting fertility rates - for the foreseeable.

Seriously, rather than deciding everyone is against you, actually read what I have said. I completely agree that it can be a major issue if there is a low level of English in schools and can impact children's language acquisition. I don't know why you're assuming I haven't also experienced this. My kids have been in schools where's it's an issue and I agree that I'm lucky to be in the privileged position that I can change school (and actually crucially, my children have a parent that both can change their school and also is aware/engaged enough to do it). It's just that you can't tar every immigrant child with the same brush. There needs to be targeted resource intervention where it's needed, and ways to deal with the impact on local communities (because you do get this issues in clusters). But it doesn't get sorted by 'reducing immigration' - asylum seekers are legally entitled to be here (you can't reduce them) and for non-asylum legal immigration you need to be targeted at what types of immigration are having a negative impact that outweighs the positive benefit. If there's an overall positive benefit, then it becomes a question of providing the resources to the places negatively impacted. Something needs to happen, but it's not a case of 'reduce immigration and the issue of ESL heavy classes goes away'.

Only 18% of the visa issued in the last year were for work. That’s shocking. We are told migrants are coming to fill sector shortages but that’s clearly not the case. Other proof is that our employment rate has stayed static around 75% for years now. If all these people have come here to work you’d expect a spike in the employment rate. In reality the majority are dependants and students. Dependants will be net takers, in terms of schooling and healthcare alone. Student visa is just a route to staying post grad and I doubt many will leave. Maybe they will get good jobs and become economically useful to the country but given how many people leave uni these days and can’t find good jobs I doubt it. Even if they do it’s more pressure on our limited housing stock, healthcare and education sectors.

Our systems across pretty much every area of this country are decrepit and out of date. Open to abuse. We think we can trust people because that’s how we operated 70 years ago. Everything needs a drains up and redesigning with proper checks and balances. Even ONS data on who is entering the country is based on a survey at an airport. It’s laughable. We have no idea who is here and cannot plan appropriately for housing, healthcare, water supply etc as a result.

The issues in the NHS are nothing to do with illegal migration at all.

Its an aging and a poor health population.

the 900k year on year LEGAL migration will of course add to pressures, especially GP and maternity services, they will also add to education, housing and transport.

the view that a pp keeps banging on about that its the left/liberals that want more is for the birds, these huge increases of over 400% have occurred under the Tories.

@1dayatatime i see your point, but many of the economically inactive aren't able to work: students, carers, bad health (doom loop with NHS). Then the genuinely unemployed. Honestly I wish Keir Starmer would come round in a van and take my unemployed young adult children to work somewhere, anywhere! But they seem to have come out of education unable to get a job.

Yes I think education and training should dovetail properly into work opportunities, ideally industry/manufacturing, and working age people should get their operations sooner. It needs joined up long term thinking which you don't get in a 4 year government.

@SovietSpy Exactly, we still have huge labour shortages.