Skilled migrants contribute more to public finances than working Britons, report finds | Migration Advisory Committee figures highlight trade-offs of tighter UK immigration policy

> Migrants coming to Britain on skilled worker visas contribute almost 15 per cent more to public finances than the average UK-born working adult, according to analysis by the government’s independent migration advisers.

> The average person arriving on a skilled worker visa in 2022-23 made a net contribution of about £16,300 to the UK finances in their first year, the Migration Advisory Committee’s annual report showed on Tuesday. This compared with about £14,400 generated by a working British adult.

> The figures highlight the trade-offs of a tighter immigration policy pursued by the Labour government. It has retained visa measures introduced by the previous Conservative administration, at a time of tight public finances, as cutting back on skilled migrant labour is likely to reduce state revenue.

> The Treasury also wants to keep doors open to skilled migrants to plug labour gaps, while home secretary Yvette Cooper is insisting that they should be mainly filled by British workers. Construction industry leaders warned this month they did not have enough workers to build the 1.5mn homes promised by the government.

> The report comes amid a fierce debate about migration in the UK, with both Labour and the Tories taking a hardline approach as they try to neutralise a political threat from the populist right.

> The MAC found that the average Briton — including those in full-time education, the employed, retired and economically inactive — contributed on average £800 to the public purse. The figure was about 20 times less than a migrant on a skilled worker visa, the most popular category used by people coming to Britain to work.

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