By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON (AA) – Net migration to the U.K. fell to 230,000 in the year to June, according to data revealed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.
The net migration figure is down by 106,000 in year to June, in first full annual data release after last year’s Brexit referendum.
Three quarters of the drop was accounted for by EU citizens leaving Britain following the EU referendum held on June 16, 2016.
The ONS’s international statistics head Nicola White said that although net migration was still adding to the U.K. population, there had been “statistically significant” decreases.
“The decline follows historically high levels of immigration and it is too early to say whether this represents a long-term trend,” she said.
“These changes suggest that Brexit is likely to be a factor in people's decision to move to or from the U.K. — but decisions to migrate are complex and other factors are also going to be influencing the figures,” she added.
A final deal on the future of EU citizens living in the U.K. is still to be reached. The U.K. is set to leave the EU in March 2019, ending its 44-year membership of the bloc.
