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A fugitive with a small child on their way to a rubber dinghy that will take them from France across the English Channel to Britain
Photo: SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP
The Russian attack on Ukraine has been raging for nine months, and many people have fled to Western Europe.
Quite a few have sought protection in the UK.
Because of the high number of people seeking protection from Ukraine, more people have immigrated than at any time since the Second World War.
All in all, in the twelve months to June, a good 500,000 more people moved to the United Kingdom than left it, the British statistics office ONS announced today.
This does not include the approximately 35,000 migrants who crossed the English Channel to Britain illegally up until June.
According to the information, the United Kingdom has a total of a good 67 million inhabitants.
More immigration from Hong Kong
In addition to around 89,000 people from Ukraine, 76,000 people from the former crown colony of Hong Kong, for whom the British government has set up a special visa program because of the Chinese leadership's repressive policy, and 21,000 refugees from Afghanistan came into the country.
In addition, numerous international students returned after the end of the strict corona rules.
In the comparative period up to June 2021, net immigration was 173,000 people.
Most immigrants came from non-EU countries.
On the other hand, many EU citizens are still leaving Great Britain because of Brexit.
It is estimated that 51,000 fewer people from the EU lived in the country.
The conservative government had promised to significantly reduce immigration after Brexit.
mrc/dpa
