Name: Britons wrongly assume most migration arrivals are irregular
Uploaded: 2025-11-28T01:29:53.554Z
Duration: 2 min 55 s
Description: New UK migration data shows legal arrivals far outnumber irregular ones, challenging widespread misconceptions among British voters.

New UK migration data shows legal arrivals far outnumber irregular ones, challenging widespread misconceptions among British voters.

Wales

Recent reporting highlights a widespread misconception among Britons, who believe that a large proportion of migrants arrive in the UK through irregular means. However, official statistics for the year ending June 2025 show that only about 6% of arrivals were irregular, with overall net migration falling by 69%.

Despite these figures, sensationalist media coverage and political rhetoric continue to fuel public fears about migration. Experts and some residents are calling for the government to provide clearer information to counteract misinformation and prevent it from dominating the national conversation.

Britons wrongly assume most migration arrivals are irregular

Here in quiet Cumbria a once populist now mainstream narrative has taken hold that uncontrolled migration is pushing the UK to breaking point. It's an opinion that's growing across the country. In response the left of centre Labour government is tightening migration rules to ease voter worries about the economy and keep pace with a populist turn. Here in the Lake District migrant numbers are low yet worries about a regular migration run deep. This gap between perception and reality is more than just a political talking point it's shaping the way people see their country. How many would you say in your mind are coming over illegally? I don't know maybe 30 40 percent it depends what the tides like and what the weather is but yeah it's it's all wrong. I'm not a racist but I think you know there are too many people coming into the country. The reality is that 898,000 people immigrated to the UK in the year ending June 2025 while 693,000 left so net migration is down 69%. As of September 51,000 people came by irregular routes like in small boats across the channel that's less than 6% of the total. This is where reality is being replaced by the so-called invasion narrative. Sensationalist reporting in the right wing press. I predicted it would lead to an invasion of course I was absolutely demonized. They're actively putting our young girls and our women in danger by housing these undocumented unvetted men. We want them to be detained and deported and removed from the country. We are now letting in tens of thousands of undocumented young males. But also in the wider news media and in parliamentary debate where research finds the word illegal is among the most common terms paired with immigrant. Some here do realize they're being fed falsehoods. What impression do you get? That they're all coming in on small boats. It's just not the case is it? You know there's so much you know I hate to say fake news but when people say they're you know living in hotels and getting free iPhones it's it's not true and it's really perpetuating hatred and a separation that is not fair. It's time to replace misconceptions with hard data says think-tank director Sundar Katwala. I think the government should be doing more to explain immigration partly because having inherited record levels of immigration we've actually seen very significant falls in net migration. It's already come down over half by two-thirds it's going to be falling again and yet people don't know that. Here in Westminster the Labour government is delighted with the new figures showing overall migration is falling. Its supporters say it now needs to broadcast this message because if the debate around migration stays misinformed it could overshadow everything else. Charlie-Angela Aljazeera, Westminster

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