Ben Brindle

I hadn't realised until writing this briefing that Skilled Worker grants had fallen so much that it's now no longer the biggest route for new arrivals. The Seasonal Worker route now holds that title (41,800 grants in YE June 2026 vs 34,100 for Skilled Worker).

There's a special place in hell reserved for whoever designed Scotland's Census data builder

To Rob Beckett. Incredible. #CelebrityTraitors

The ONS estimates that the UK population increased by 228,000 between mid-2024 and mid-2025. Births only outnumbered deaths by 5,000. As a result, migration accounted for 98% of the increase (223,000). Here's the full publication 👉 www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...

Applications are open for the next @ukdsimpact.bsky.social Data Impact Fellows cohort! As a former Fellow, I highly recommend it: £3,500 to support your impact activities, plus opportunities to build networks and develop new skills. Apply by 30 November 👇 ukdataservice.ac.uk/impact/data-...

Nobody who regularly goes to football matches wants this changed I don't want to be covered in beer every time we score because people are performatively doing "limbs"

Make sure you sign up for this year's Migration Stats User Forum, which will be chaired by none other than me. As always, there will be some really interesting discussions about migration data.

In July, 43% of the public said immigration was an important issue affecting the UK, more than any other topic. Take a look at our updated public attitudes briefing to see how views vary towards different migrant groups and who is more likely to hold positive/negative attitudes toward immigration.

@mark-heath.bsky.social @alexnljones.bsky.social Up the Town, from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Very happy to have contributed the chapter on migration with Peter Walsh. We outline the political debate around asylum and discuss how the fall in net migration may affect the UK economy

Great album. The Other Side of Make Believe was a letdown, but this is a real return to form open.spotify.com/album/2LgXUD...

Reports that small shops and takeaways have hired migrants on Skilled Worker visas have appeared in several media outlets recently. Our new Q&A explains why these employers were able to sponsor migrants, how many actually did, whether the government could ban them from using the visa system + more.

@mark-heath.bsky.social Looks like you'd better start writing a CV. You're gonna need it when Chat KOA takes over next season

Brilliantly comprehensive analysis of migration & crime from @benbrindle.bsky.social I learnt all sorts of things, eg that 60% of Albanians' criminal convictions were drug offences, non-citizens rarely get bail, and there's almost zero data on how many ppl liable for deportation aren't removed

We've updated our briefing on migrants and crime in the UK It looks at whether foreign nationals are more or less likely to be convicted than British citizens, and how many foreign national offenders are removed after serving their sentences Here are the key points.

This week's newsletter is out. What zero-sum thinkers get wrong about migration (with the help of some friendly stereotypes about British Poles); the wonder of the pineapple; the economic importance of silver; and the latest in the great UK productivity debate. Sign up: observer.co.uk/newsletters

Which sports use International Sportsperson visas? Cricket clubs, by quite some distance. They made up 57% of sponsors in the year ending June 2025. Note that this is the number of organisations sponsoring, not the number of IS visas granted. The Home Office wouldn't give me that info.

Interesting piece from BBC on vape shops & others still registered to sponsor migrant workers I was on Radio 4 at 6.45am to explain why. It's an unintended consequence of post-Brexit expansion that made mid-skilled jobs (eg electricians etc) eligible www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

There can be no let-up now. Infantino must stand down or be removed: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

The Migration Advisory Committee has published its recommendation on which middle-skill jobs should be eligible for temporary work visas via the Temporary Shortage List. The headline? Welders and other more technical jobs are in. Jobs that are more generic (e.g., Business sales executives) are out.

33% of the half added on. How?!

What's great about VAR is that it makes the matchday experience worse while we still have clear and obvious errors.

A World Cup final in daylight just doesn't look right

England

Since 2021, 160,000 Hong Kongers have migrated to the UK via the humanitarian BNO visa route. Our new briefing looks at BNOs’ characteristics, their economic outcomes, and how many expect to stay in the UK long term. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

Turns out that inviting pressure from the best player who has ever lived isn't a great tactic

Since 2021, 160,000 Hong Kongers have migrated to the UK via the humanitarian BNO visa route. Our new briefing looks at BNOs’ characteristics, their economic outcomes, and how many expect to stay in the UK long term. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

In 2025, just over 100,000 people claimed asylum in the UK. Our updated briefing explains who claims asylum, how these people come to the UK, whether their claims are successful, and much more. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

Really interesting piece by Martin Samuel in The Times related to the fact that almost a quarter of players at this World Cup are foreign-born. He says it's evidence that the international game now behaves much more like the club game. www.thetimes.com/article/b0d2...

This. Is. England.

ELEVEN?!

The ONS Research Excellence Awards 2026 are open! The awards recognise and celebrate innovative work led by researchers, so make sure you apply if your work uses secure ONS data. More info here:

How does migration affect the UK’s public finances? Overall, the impacts are small, but people on different immigration routes have significantly different impacts. Here’s why, in 3 posts…