The Economist explains: The impossibility of Britain’s net migration target

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IN THE year to September “net” migration to Britain was around 300,000. The figure is calculated by subtracting the number of people leaving the country from the number arriving. The government has wanted to cut the net-migration figure to the “tens of thousands” since the Conservatives took power in 2010, a target that has grown only more urgent after the Brexit vote, which it interprets as a vote to reduce immigration. On a legalistic reading, it is therefore targeting net migration of, at most, 99,999 (but preferably far lower). Yet without big changes to British society and the economy, meeting the target is near impossible. Why?The British government can probably rely on net emigration of British nationals of about 50,000 per year. As a result, net migration of foreign nationals could hit around 150,000 a year, and the government could still hit its target. There are three main ways that people enter Britain: to work, to study and to be part of a family. It looks hard for the British government to cut net migration of foreign family members, which numbers around 70,000 a year once you include refugees. Recent court rulings have indicated that the British government’s no-nonsense rules on family reunifications, which impose tough income requirements on visa sponsors, probably could ...