Elsa Maishman (Reporter)
THE net migration to the UK has dropped following the Brexit vote.
Net migration refers to the total change in population, that is to say the total immigration minus emigration.
For the first time in 10 years net migration has fallen by 49,000, from 322,000 in 2015 to 273,000 in 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The number of Spaniards registering as UK residents has also fallen, from 50,000 in both 2014 and 2015 to 48,000 in 2016.
In terms of people emigrating from the UK, the number of EU citizens leaving has risen 17% from 85,000 in 2015 to 103,000 in 2016.
The total number of emigrants has risen 9%, from 297,000 in 2015 to 323,000 in 2016.
Spain is the most popular EU destination for British expats, with almost 310,000 settled here.
My niece, holding Greek and US passports and her UK born husband, both with masters degrees from Kings College, both with very successful technology careers, jumped at the opportunity to transfer out of UK. They sold their house and left finding the ascending xenophobic and narrow-minded nationalism unbearable.
My friends very recently moved out of the US for the same reasons too.
Only 15%. That means still big net immigration, despite Brexit. The UK is still very attractive for work opportunities and schools. A free education in English and better life chances for your children.
The current mood music in the UK is very negative and EU nationals probably don’t feel welcome there anymore. The ongoing skills shortage means that many EU workers will be replaced by people from the Commonwealth post Brexit – I wonder how the frothing Kippers feel about that?
If Spain could get its act together and sort out their dubious property laws and draconian tax regime, they could capitalise on Brexit because there are thousands of Brits who would love to relocate to Spain bringing their spending power with them – it would mean shifting some of those empty properties too. The proposed EU passport scheme and Rajoy’s apparent enthusiasm to seal an early UK/Spanish deal would see large numbers of Brits on the move.
Sounds idyllic Jane. But those who need to work for a living would struggle against heavy odds. It’s easy to see the attraction for retired people, at least those with a hefty private pension, though the bog-standard ones would find it increasingly difficult to cope with the shrinking quid.
Leaving aside the grim financial statistics, it still may be better to take the Spanish bull by the horns, if only to escape the climate in Blighty and I don’t just refer to the weather, but the increasing teeth-baring by the Bulldog Breed, who now “have their country back”. One may be tempted to tell them they are welcome to it, if one didn’t actually love their unfortunate country.
Stefanjo, good point regarding finances. Lack of employment opportunities in Spain mean that most people of working age will struggle. I have met some younger retirees and self employed people (who are able to work from home) who have rented out their houses in the UK to fund their lives in Spain. Rents in Spain are comparatively low and plentiful meaning they can find a fairly cheap apartment and live on the excess, perhaps propped up by a small pension/modest income. It works now but will it work post Brexit? I think the answer depends on the proposed EU passport scheme and the future UK/Spanish deal.
Spot on Jane G – my hubby and I are one of those couples who need to get out whilst still alive and mobile. Illustration He- an Englishman, me and ex- Eastern Block now naturalised Brit. No children, did not take a penny from the NHS or treasury (JSA etc) yet I’ll be always a foreigner to the “natives”. In 2015 we bought a house in Spain, hoping to retire at mid 50s, than BREXIT took place. We pay Spanish taxes to use our house for 28 days of the year (until we “retire”) on the full rate plus LUXURY tax (Modelo 210). These taxes are not part of double taxation treaty, so cannot reclaim them here. We are just an ordinary people working for a living in an ordinary jobs in Wilts, so not RICH by any means. Living in UK on £900 pcm is impossible, council tax £150, food, insurances, heating, water blablabla… you get the jist). In the coming years pound will collapse, but that will not help exports, think tariffs import docs etc, UK imports most fresh foods and what it does grow, will rot in fields unless North Koreans or refugees pick, as “natives” will still see it underpaid and not making any economic sense. This latter is totally TONY BLAIR’s legacy. Instead of DWP hand-outs and generations of Vicky Pollards,given flats they can buy and sell on the open market (we bough a house in Hants from a woman who bought it from council for £90k, we paid £158k, her boyfriend did the same), they bought brand new house we could not afford back in 2005 on our joint income of £65k p.a. Those unemployed and 12 year old mums should have been provided with training and upskilled. Blair never brought any major decisions to the Parliamentary vote, but instead EU Directives were ratified and implemented in the law. MPs said noting as they were all claiming expenses and had good jobs-for-life! Than the population had to side to those who will “save the NHS” the model that exists nowhere on the planet as it is not sustainable as the communism was not. So overall, decade of labour caused all of this. I watched it as it developed and became British for the many good reasons, but felt that injustice and disservice was done to those “left behind” – give man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him how to fish….I told my husband how things work in “Eastern Block”> wanna see a GP – pay a fee, there is nothing free! That is why the EAST Block loves coming here!
Chas,
I’ll take your post with a pinch of salt You don’t say where they lived as if the UK was all the same which it most definitely is’nt. If their house was in London/ South East/Oxford/Cambridge, then they have sold their house at the top of the market, if they held it for some time they have made a small fortune.
Jane G, the Nasty party who control British industry, have never liked having to pay to train people, in the UK training is a dirty word. The NHS has trained an awful lot of doctors and nurses at the tax payers expense and as I know personally through my wife who was a lecturer/teacher in paediatric nursing an awful lot get their papers and are off like a shot to Australia/New Zealand/USA and Canada. Of course this could easily have been stopped by clauses in their training contracts so that the tax payer got a return on their investment.
There does not exist any party in the UK prepared to invest in meaningful training schemes ot technical colleges as have existed in Germany since before the end of the 19th century.
You also forget to take into account that the deliberate policy of the ECB to keep the Euro at a low value will one day have to end – how do you feel about a Euro up 45-50% in value against all major currencies.
Forgot to mention that the figure was 300,000 EU immigrants almost entirely from Albania and Romania.
310.000 british immigrants in Spain??
Those are the REGISTRADOS.
Add the NO REGISTRADOS and the real number is 1.2 MILLION
Don’t worry Pablo, America will be sorting out you clan next. Interesting to see how many millions of your NO REGISTRADOS will be effected.
Don’t worry Pablo, America will be sorting out your clan next. Interesting to see how many millions of your NO REGISTRADOS will be effected.
Carlos you are a bit repetitive and boring.
Anyway, who in his / her right mind wants to live in Britain, appart from the refugees?
I mean you have to be a masochist or a pelotudo.
Bet you meet both requierements.
I lived in Spain between 2006 – 2011 and set up a
successful business in Andalusia. The Spanish
authorities made it very difficult to succeed by
their ridiculous demands and biased desicions.
This was mainly because I am British . I learned
Spanish ,paid my taxes and did everything by
the book despite this they discriminated against
me because of my nationality.
I sold my business and returned to the UK .
Setting up business in the U.K. is a walk
in the park compared to ES .
Don’t be fooled , the Spanish authorities don’t like
us Brits despite the €’d we generate into their
Exchequer!
I was thinking the same about Argentina, where you live Pablo. A recent crime report puts its crime rate levels as “critical”. Who in their right mind would want to live there?
Fred, didn’t realize Pablo was an Argie, well, that say’s it all. Waste of space. Is that the land mass that had been formed into a country named Argentina a few centuries ago. Didn’t even exist until discovered by the Europeans. Argentina, the place that harbored the remains of the Nazi empire and it’s army woken from a deep sleep by the S.A.S. Ah well.
No problem Pablo, I don’t have a chip on my shoulder but it would appear you have tree trunk on yours.
Carlos,
he’s descended from murderous conquistadores, their greatest attribute by far is denial syndrome. I was going to say it was their only attribute bit of course it is’nt – corrupcion y envidioso, y esta