A group of migrants on an inflatable dinghy leave the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach Britain, in Gravelines, near Calais, France, September 27, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
LONDON (Reuters) -Long-term net migration to Britain fell to 204,000 in the year to June, around two-thirds lower than a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday, extending a downward trend driven by tougher government policies.
Immigration - both legal and illegal - has dominated political discourse in Britain for over a decade, with successive governments seeking to curb arrivals through stricter visa rules and higher salary thresholds.
