Net migration stood at 171,000 in the year ending December 2025, down from an updated estimate of 331,000 in the previous year.

The ONS said the latest level was last seen when the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system was introduced in early 2021, while Covid-19 travel restrictions were still in place.  

The fall was mainly driven by a sharp drop in people arriving from outside the EU for work-related reasons.

The number of non-EU+ nationals moving to the UK for work fell by 47% in 2025, according to the ONS.  

Overall long-term immigration was provisionally estimated at 813,000 in the year ending December 2025, down 20% from the updated estimate of 1.01 million in the previous year.

Immigration has continued to fall since its peak of 1.47 million in the year to March 2023.  

Most people moving to the UK long term were non-EU+ nationals, who accounted for 627,000 arrivals. British nationals accounted for 110,000 arrivals, while EU+ nationals accounted for 76,000.  

Among non-EU+ nationals, study remained the most common reason for immigration.

The ONS estimated that 294,000 people came for study-related reasons, while around 146,000 arrived for work-related reasons. 

A further 88,000 people immigrated for asylum, broadly stable compared with 87,000 the previous year.  

The ONS said rule changes introduced in 2024 and 2025 may partially explain the fall in work- and study-related immigration. 

These included restrictions on most overseas students bringing family members to the UK, rules stopping care workers bringing dependants, higher salary thresholds for Skilled Worker visas, the closure of the Health and Care route to overseas care workers, and the removal of some middle-skilled jobs from the Skilled Worker route.  

Long-term emigration was estimated at 642,000 in the year to December 2025, slightly lower than the updated figure of 680,000 for the previous year.

The ONS said 278,000 non-EU+ nationals left the UK, with just over half having originally arrived on study-related visas.  

Net migration among non-EU+ nationals was provisionally estimated at 350,000, down from 511,000 a year earlier.

On the other hand, Net migration among British nationals remained negative, at minus 136,000, which means that more British nationals left the UK long term than returned.

Net migration among EU+ nationals was also negative, at minus 42,000, continuing a trend seen since June 2022.  

The ONS said the figures are provisional and classed as “official statistics in development”.

It also noted that estimates may be revised as more complete data becomes available and as methods continue to improve.  

The latest figures are likely to shape political debate over immigration, work visas, international students and asylum policy, as the Government continues to face pressure over migration levels and public services.