London (People's Daily) - Net EU migration to the UK continues to fall, down to its lowest level in a decade, according to a recent report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The study found that fewer EU citizens are relocating to Britain, while the number of those leaving has gone up, especially among those in search of employment.
The report found that the number of EU citizens leaving the UK hit 130,000, a number that hasn’t been seen since 2007.
“Brexit could well be a factor in people’s decision to move to or from the UK, but people’s decision to migrate is complicated and can be influenced by lots of different reasons,” said Nicola White, Head of International Migration Statistics at ONS.
There were 244,000 more arrivals to the UK than those exiting, while non-EU net migration surpassed its EU counterpart.
As the UK has taken a more serious stance on various citizenship for EU arrivals, especially post-Brexit, many believe that Brexit is the main reason behind EU migrant departure.
ONS figures also found the UK granted asylum to almost 15,000 people, and numbers released from Home Office revealed the majority of the 10,500 people granted refuge were Syrian.
