Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pointed the finger at net migration, saying it leads to “unmanageable pressures on housing, schools and hospitals in many of our communities”.

Writing in The Telegraph, Sunak said that net migration needs to come down, whether illegal or legal. He said: “We cannot allow people to come here illegally at the whim of criminal gangs. It’s not fair on those who have played by the rules. We can’t have uncontrolled legal migration either. That’s unfair too. It leads to unmanageable pressures on housing, schools and hospitals in many of our communities. And when it is too high and too fast, it can make it difficult for communities to integrate new arrivals.”

Sunak said the government will reform the visa system for international students to bring migration down. In January 2024 the government will remove the right to bring dependents with student visas for all but postgraduate students on research courses. Last year 135,788 visas were granted to dependants of foreign students, nearly nine times the 2019 figure.