Over the last 25 years, Britain has seen an unprecedented rise in net migration, from just 68,000 between 1972 and 1997 to nearly 6 million between 1997 and 2022, according to the Centre for Policy Studies.
This fast rise has raised urgent concerns about sustainability, economic contribution, and public service capacity.
While migration has traditionally played a role in Britain’s growth, the current system has become increasingly unselective. In recent years, most migrants arriving in the UK have not come for work, nor were they required to meet a minimum salary threshold. Even those on skilled worker visas often fall below average earnings.
Between 2022 and 2023, 72% of skilled workers earned less than the UK average salary and over half likely earned less than half the national average, according to researcher Karl Williams.
Meanwhile, low wages mean many migrants are unable to contribute enough in taxes to offset the long-term costs of public services, including health care, housing, and welfare. The government, for instance, spends an average of £34,000 in the last year of a person’s life, costs that only a small number of migrants will have paid for through their lifetime tax contributions.
Britain’s Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR): Gateway to lifelong state support
After just five years, most migrants qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) — a status that entitles them to: free healthcare, social housing, welfare benefits, permanent residency and citizenship.
Without sufficient contributions to the tax system, this pathway could cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of pounds in the coming decades.
However, to address the issues, the Conservative Party recently proposed, introducing a hard cap on visas, extending the ILR qualification period from 5 to 10 years, remove automatic entitlement to state support for those with ILR and refusing visa renewals for those who don’t contribute more than they cost.
Although the plan was voted down, the government has promised a consultation on ILR this autumn. This presents a critical opportunity to ensure only those who support themselves and contribute positively remain in the UK.
Basically, the effects of mass migration are visible across the country, like rising rents and housing shortages, overstretched schools and hospitals, as well as social fragmentation and division
Most significantly, continued government inaction has undermined public trust. Time and again, British voters have demanded tighter immigration controls, only to see those demands ignored. The current migration system is unsustainable and unfair to both taxpayers and migrants who contribute. The UK needs a limited, selective, and economically sound immigration policy that ensures only those who support themselves and strengthen the country are allowed to stay.
With the upcoming ILR consultation, policymakers have a final chance to act decisively and restore public trust, protect public services, and build a fairer system for the future.
