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.

Our university sector will collapse if the international students stop coming. Many universities are already struggling with the drop. The money the government provides to subsidise costs for home students isn't enough on its own.

Then we need less universities if they cannot operate without significant volumes of international students. Sorry but that’s the truth. We rarely prop up other sectors to such a degree. Look at the car plant closing in the Luton. We are happy for those workers to lose their jobs it seems the university sector has to be protected at all costs? Why is that?

Yes it is this. Let’s stop talking about asylum seekers. It is legal migration that is a challenge for the UK. And let’s also stop saying it’s good for a certain type or background, because it costs less. Start from first principles.

What should be thought about it - what benefits come to the UK? How does it help our country? And candidly, what are the negatives?

Yet other countries manage to fund uni education without import millions of students and with far lower tuition fees too.

Maybe we need to look at what we spend money on?

I agree. And a very large amount of the issue is actually related to a bias against people who are different to you, and a lot of that comes from fear of the unknown.

However, the reason I raised the post is the express reference to the problem being skin colour. Plenty of immigrants are white, plenty of British people are not white. There are lots of areas of the UK where it's been normal for classes to be mainly non-white for years. This isn't an immigration specific thing. So why make the reference unless immigration is being linked to skin colour.

This is concerning and I'm sorry to hear they can't find a job. Oddly I saw a good university law graduate post a rejection from Costa coffee or one of those outlets on IG the other day

The private sector contraction this quarter won't help with this

This is about net migration which by definition is the number of immigrants less the number of emigrants

Can you give examples?

@ContactNightmare it's worth talking about both. There are very high costs associated with the current asylum process

This.
I would be very happy if the boats were full of women escaping the Taliban instead of men leaving them to their fate. Not possible I know because women would not be allowed to, but it is only Afghan men who have any chance of changing things there currently.

The government isn't propping up the sector. These students are coming and paying £30k-£50k a year in fees, then having to cover living expenses, all without recourse to public funds. They're bringing a lot of money into this country and costing us very little in exchange. The international students prop up the universities allowing English students to only pay 9k a year in fees. If the international students stop coming, fees rise for English students or access to university gets restricted for English students.

Here's a good example of a student who is definitely not contributing more than he takes out, and he's far from the only one playing the game:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3783850/Immigrant-turned-small-five-bed-council-house-children.html

So essentially ex pats are British people who want to leave elsewhere and immigrants are those you come to your country. I was a migrant and didn’t receive any housing support?! Why would I? I was earning very good money. Equally we left - no intention of becoming a British citizen - why would I, my own passport is more powerful!

So essentially ex pats are British people who want to leave elsewhere and immigrants are those you come to your country.

All non-citizens in Gulf countries are refered to as expats.

Anyone from any country in the world who goes to live in many other countries will be expats as they will never be able to acquire citizenship in the country they migrate too. The Gulf countries are an example of this. Doesn’t matter which country you come from

Looking at my extended family, many of the young ones are doing terribly at school, drinking, gaming online, dossing around, no real ambition or drive...we will need to import skilled labour as well as low-skilled...

These students are coming and paying £30k-£50k a year in fees

If the international students stop coming, fees rise for English students or access to university gets restricted for English students.

I agree with this. Reduce o/s students and U.K. students will pay more

Some other countries do similar

We aren't a nation built on immigration, that would be the USA. We were invaded by Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes and Normans.

I think everyone shares the concern about people paying smugglers.

But the data in my earlier post show that people claiming on the basis of persecution for sexuality is very likely to be genuine. The percentage of claims is tiny and the claims are very largely from three countries where this persecution is a terrible problem.

No one excuses the occasional case of fraud. But focussing on that is like focussing on preventing the random cases of serial killers whilst ignoring the epidemic of domestic violence. It is a distraction from much bigger problems.

The sector is propped up by government policy that allows them to use international students to offset the costs for the domestic students. This is a wheeze because the sector cannot sustain itself without this model. And that means we have too many economically unviable universities that should probably be closed or converted to something else. We should focus funding from government on a smaller, high quality set of universities instead. Employers should be incentivised to offer employment to young people and sponsor training and qualifications to avoid needing so many young people to go to uni to fudge employment figures.
You imply there’s no impact to all these students being here yet in ordinary cities like Preston people can’t find affordable places to rent because there’s better margins in renting homes to international students. Which pushes out local people. Again the focus is that this all right and good for the uni sector but ordinary people suffer the impacts and are ignored.
International students only have to pay £470 per year to use the NHS, but again still puts pressure on the healthcare sector and barely covers the cost of all the extra staff we need to cover the additional people needing GP appointments etc.

The blame for these vast immigration figures largely lies with Boris and Rishi who pushed for higher immigration as a way to fudge the numbers to show that GDP was increasing.

Boris even wanted a trade deal with India that would have included more friendly immigration arrangements for its people. The Indian government pressed very hard on this point. Thankfully the trade deal was pushed back by Patel if I remember correctly. Imagine what the immigration figures would be now.

Boris reinstated the automatic 2 year post graduate visa which is what attracted hundreds of thousands of students from India and Nigeria. They used it as a way to migrate permanently to the UK with their spouses and children, some coming in with as many as 4 children and promptly having more on arrival. Thankfully dependants were eventually banned but the dilly dallying of the govt meant that it was a bit too late as the majority of people who had the intention of moving to the UK with their families, already had.

It's funny when people try to say that students are temporary and shouldn't be included in the immigration figures. Erm no, these "students" who have literally sold everything to move their families to the uK via a 9 month master's degree, are not planning on going back to Nigeria and India. And until very recently, the government's immigration policies made it extremely easy for them to remain. It's tightened up in the last year, but it is still relatively easy for most to remain.

Great posts yesterday, @izimbra. Thank you

YANBU. Your agreement is that your DH covers Christmas presents without any significant financial contributions from you (due to you covering birthdays).

300 for DSS => 300 for each of your DSs

150 for both of your DSs/in total => 75 for DSS.

you could argue that presents for older children are more expensive, which might explain a slight discrepancy. I would be fine with that. But £300 for one child and £75 for another? No!

Well said. And to add, international students and their families are exempt from paying council tax even when the partner is working full time.

Wrong thread…😱😅