DAVID Cameron was urged to redouble his efforts to control immigration to Britain after new figures showed net migration was still more than double his target.
The Prime Minister has pledged to reduce net migration – the number of people entering the UK minus those leaving – to below 100,000 by 2015.
However, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics showed net migration in the year to December 2011 was 216,000, some 36,000 lower than the previous year, but not a statistically significant difference, the agency said.
Long-term immigration fell slightly to 566,000 from 591,000, while emigration rose from 339,000 to 350,000. Study was the most common reason for those coming to Britain with figures showing 232,000 came last year, similar to the 238,000 in the year to December 2010.
There were 282,833 visas issued for study, a fall of 21% compared with the previous 12 months.
Damian Green, the Immigration Minister, said: "We are now starting to see the real difference our tough policies are making with an overall fall in net migration and the number of visas issued at its lowest since 2005."
However, the Institute for Public Policy Research, a left-of-centre think-tank, said the figures showed "the folly of the Government's target to reduce net migration to less than 100,000 a year".
Sarah Mulley, its associate director, said: "The combination of recession and immigration policy changes may be starting to have an impact but more than one-third of the fall is due to a rise in emigration. The statistics show the Government remains a long way from its goal."
Meanwhile, the ONS said a record number of babies were born to mothers who came from outside the UK.
Some 25.5% of all children born in 2011 had foreign-born mothers compared to 25.1% the year before.
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