Net migration from the EU has plummeted from 165,000 in 2016 to 90,000 in 2017.
As expected, in the latest statistics released by the Office of National Statistics today, net migration from the EU has plummeted, with fewer EU nationals moving to the UK and more leaving:
| 2016 | 2017 | |
| EU nationals who immigrated to the UK | 268,000 | 220,000 |
| EU nationals who emigrated from the UK | 103,000 | 130,000 |
| Net migration | +165,000 | +90,000 |
This is of significant concern to industries and sectors that rely heavily on EU talent, with health and medical services, and farming and agriculture already dealing with considerable labour shortages.
The UK will officially leave the EU on March 29, 2019, and even though this is still over 12 months away, employers are already feeling the impact.
The other interesting statistic released today is the huge increase in EU nationals applying for British citizenship. In 2016 15,460 EU nationals applied for British citizenship—following the Brexit referendum this number more than doubled to 38,528 in 2017.
What we can take from both of these statistics is that the lack of certainty in citizens' rights and future immigration policy following Brexit is forcing individuals to consider and protect their position in the UK. At one end of the spectrum we can see that EU nationals are securing their rights in the UK by naturalising as a British citizen, and at the other end EU nationals are reassessing whether the UK is the place to establish a life and career in the first place. Without certainty on citizens' rights and future immigration policy we can expect these statistics to continue on the same trajectory.
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