LONDON: Net migration to Britain hit a record of more than 900,000 in 2023, much higher than original estimates, although tougher visa rules have started to reduce the number of arrivals, official data showed.

Immigration is a big political issue in Britain, where voters worry that already stretched public services cannot cope with such large numbers arriving, but sectors such as health care say they cannot function without foreign workers.

Data from the Office for National Statistics on Thursday showed net migration of 906,000 for the year to the end of June 2023, revised up from the previous estimate of 740,000, in what the ONS described as “unprecedented levels” since 2021.

Numbers did fall 20 percent from the record high to 728,000 for the year to the end of June 2024, the ONS said, driven by declining numbers of dependents coming with those on study visas after the rules were changed.

The jump to a record level in 2023 came under the previous Conservative government’s watch. It had promised to cut immigration and introduced measures to curb students and care workers bringing in family members.

The current Labour government, elected in July, has also said it wants to reduce numbers by training workers to fill skills gaps.

The big jump to 2023 numbers was attributed to more available data, more information on Ukraine visas and improvements to how it estimates migration, the ONS said.

High levels of legal migration in 2016 was one of the driving forces behind Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

While post-Brexit changes to visas saw a sharp drop in the number of European Union migrants to Britain, new work visa rules led to a surge in immigration from India, Nigeria and Pakistan, often to fill health and social care vacancies.