27 August, 2017
High rates of immigration into Britain were a major reason for the vote to leave the European Union past year.
According to the Office for National Statistics, it stood at 246,000 in the 12 months to the end of March, down 81,000 from the previous year and compared with the 336,000 record number that was published just before the Brexit referendum.
"Indian visitors, students and workers bring huge benefits to the United Kingdom economy through their purchasing power, academic contributions and skill sets - enriching our country and supporting our position as one of the most open and welcoming countries in the world", Gadhia said.
But business groups raised concerns about the fall, with the CBI saying: "The loss of these vital skills should concern us all".
Britain has said it aims to guarantee the rights of European Union citizens living in Britain - one of the key issues in divorce negotiations between the United Kingdom and Brussels.
"It is too early to tell if this is an indication of a long-term trend", she said.
The figures show that immigration from all countries has fallen - and emigration has also risen. By including students in the immigration figures, they say, Britain is failing to acknowledge the contribution they make or that most leave after finishing their studies. But many officials argue that foreign students contribute to the economy.
The biggest drop in the figures came from eight eastern European countries, including Poland and Hungary, that joined the EU in 2004, leading to a migration to Britain of many eastern Europeans hoping for better-paid jobs.
But figures showed that some 96.3% of overseas students with a visa departed before the visa expired.
This previously unknown figure runs contrary to repeated claims that worldwide students are abusing the immigration system to stay illegally in the UK.
The data released coincides with results of a new exit- check system introduced by the United Kingdom government in April 2015 with aim of building a more complete picture of whether those who entered the United Kingdom left when they were supposed to.
Labour's shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said it showed Theresa May's "long-running campaign to malign global students" was "based on fantasy".
Nicola White, head of worldwide migration figures at the United Kingdom statistics office, said the figures "indicate that the European Union referendum result may be influencing people's decision to migrate into and out of the United Kingdom, particularly European Union and EU8 citizens".
