The Home Office has published new quarterly migration statistics.
The official figures, released the morning, include numbers of asylum applications and decisions, small boat arrivals, as well as information on the number of visas handed out in 2023.
In terms of work visas specifically, there has been an increase with 337,240 granted in 2023, which is 26% high than in 2022, and almost two and a half times more than prior to the pandemic in 2019.
Best for Britain is campaigning for a new visas system that works for Britain to help ease the current gaps in the labour market.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain said,
“Britain continues to experience chronic labour shortages and has an ageing population, so immigration is part of the answer, not the problem.
“However, with more holes than a Swiss cheese, it’s clear that our current visas system isn’t working and an incoming government must implement root and branch reforms including a new Youth Mobility Scheme with Europe.”