Net migration even HIGHER in 2023 than first thought after ONS missed 181,000 people from initial figure

However, the ONS has since confirmed the figure actually stood at 866,000, revising the previous number up by a city the size of Oxford.

A similar statistical blunder was made in the year to June 2023, with the ONS upgrading its estimate from 740,000 to 906,000.

They also revised the figures from 12 months to December 2022, increasing the number of migrants from 764,000 to 873,000.

Alongside the revisions, the ONS said the the UK has seen a 20 per cent fall in UK net migration, standing at an estimated 728,000 in the year to June 2024.

The ONS sets out that these numbers are "official statistics in development", meaning that they could be changed again as more data becomes available.

It said that while remaining high by “historic standards”, net migration is now “beginning to fall”.

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Mary Gregory, ONS director, said the decline has come as a result of a fall in the numbers of dependants on study visas coming from outside the EU.

In the first nine months of 2024, visas issued to dependants of students fell by 84 per cent to 17,978 compared to the same period in 2023, where there were 16 per cent fewer main applicants across the same period.

The previous Conservative government, which left office in July, tightened controls on international students and care workers.

Starting from January, students (bar PHD students) coming from outside the UK could not bring dependants with them.

And in March, care workers were also prohibited from bringing independents with them.

Announcing the figures, Gregory, said: "Since 2021, long-term international migration to the UK has been at unprecedented levels.

"This has been driven by a variety of factors, including the war in Ukraine and the effects of the post-Brexit immigration system.

"Pent-up demand for study-related immigration because of travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic also had an impact."

She said that a large part of that fall was due to declining numbers of dependants being brought over with those on student visas.

Gregory continued: "Over the first six months of 2024, we are also seeing decreases in the number of people arriving for work-related reasons.

"This is partly related to policy changes earlier this year and is consistent with visa data published by Home Office.

"We are also starting to see increases in emigration, most notably for those who came to the UK on study-related visas. This is likely to be a consequence of the higher numbers of students coming to the UK post-pandemic who are now reaching the end of their courses."

There were 36,949 illegal arrivals detected in the year ending September 2024, 18 per cent less than the previous year.

Small boat arrivals have also soon a decrease, going down by 21 per cent from the year prior to 29,851.