According to new official data, the UK gave out much fewer work visas in 2024 than 2023. After the health and social care sectors were restricted, stricter immigration rules were brought in. Britain received a record number of asylum claims, a trend that has made immigration a political issue.
Impact of Stricter Visa Policies
In 2024, the number of work visas issued in the UK fell by more than a third. The biggest drop was for health and social care, which saw an 81% fall to 27,174. This big fall comes after curbs put in place early this year by the Conservative government. The government’s aim was to tighten immigration rules where there was already pressure from labour shortages.
The number of work visa have come down but UK debate which question foreign workers need. Critics claim that immigration puts a strain on public services and housing. They also refer to the increasing number of people arriving without permission through small boats from France. Yet, many are in favour of the idea that immigrants are important in addressing labour shortages, particularly in health care and other essential industries.
Asylum Claims Reach New Highs
Despite a huge fall in work permits, asylum claims reached a record in 2024. The Home Office figures show there were 108,138 asylum claims, an 18% rise on the previous year. The number of asylum seekers was higher than in 2002 and the most asylum seekers were from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. More people arrived using small boats by 25% as the number totalled 37000.
But the number of people given refugee status or some other form of leave after their first application dropped by 37%, to 39616. The asylum application decisions system is not working effectively and fairly and this has lowered.
Backlog of Asylum Cases and Political Response
The issue of asylum claims has become increasingly urgent. After Labour’s election victory, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is keeping a close eye on points-based immigration reform. Starmer pledged to address the growing issue of net migration above 900,000 for the year that ended June 2023. The date the ease asylum backlog let over 125,000 people were still awaiting their first decision at the end of 2024. The backlog may have decreased by 5 per cent from 2023, the situation remains critical for the government.
The border security and asylum minister Angela Eagle accused the Conservative government of allowing more asylum seekers to come to the UK through its own decisions. She said the decision-making totally collapsed by more than 70% in the last months before the 2024 election, causing the backlog now.
As a result, the growing challenge of the UK’s immigration polices has multiplied. The number of work visas was cut in 2024, but asylum claims soared to record levels. The issue of immigration in the UK has become increasingly fraught.
