This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7737134.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
UK net migration rises to 237,000 UK net immigration up to 237,000
(30 minutes later)
Net immigration to the UK increased to 237,000 in 2007, according to the Office for National Statistics.Net immigration to the UK increased to 237,000 in 2007, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That is 46,000 more than in 2006 - as a result of emigration falling more than immigration. That is 46,000 more than in 2006 - as a result of emigration falling faster than immigration.
But the figures also show the number of people registering for work in the UK from eastern European countries such as Poland and Latvia declined. The figures also show the number of people registering for work in the UK from eastern European countries such as Poland and Latvia declined.
There were 21,000 fewer applications for work between July and September, compared with the same period in 2006. But asylum applications were up 12% between July and October this year - the fifth consecutive increase.
According to the figures, an estimated 340,000 people left the UK for twelve months or more in 2007, down from 400,000 in 2006. The emigration figures are down sharply from 2006 when a record 400,000 UK citizens left the country, mostly to live in Australia, New Zealand, Spain or France.
An estimated 340,000 people left the UK for twelve months or more in 2007, according to the latest figures.
Eastern Europe
The estimated number of people arriving to live in the UK for twelve months or more was 577,000 in 2007, compared with 591,000 in 2006.The estimated number of people arriving to live in the UK for twelve months or more was 577,000 in 2007, compared with 591,000 in 2006.
The figures mean that immigrants have added more than 1.8 million to the population since Labour came to power in 1997, when net immigration stood at 50,000.
The figures suggest the UK population was just under 61 million last year.
The figures suggest fewer people are coming to work in the UK from Eastern Europe, with 21,000 fewer applications for work between July and September, compared with the same period in 2006.
There were 6,620 asylum applications between July and September this year, compared with 5,885 in the same quarter last year.
Over the 12 months to the end of September 2008, there were 25,800 asylum applications, a 15% rise on the numbers for the preceding 12 months.
There has also been a rise in the number of people removed from the UK, with more than 17,500 ejected between July and September, 9% up on the same period last year.
Immigration minister Phil Woolas sparked controversy last month when he suggested the government's new points-based migration system, which comes into force on 27 November, would help keep it below 70 million.
The Conservatives have called for an annual limit on the number of immigrants from outside the EU.