Figures published by the Office for National Statistics this morning reveal net migration rocketed to 672,000 in the year to June, up from the previous peak of 606,000.
This has been driven by increases in the number of foreign health and care workers and the number of “dependants” immigrants are bringing with them.
The latest figures will prompt fresh fury from members of the Conservative Party – including from within the Cabinet.
The ONS said the increase in net migration has been driven by an increase in arrivals from outside of the EU.
Statisticians said: “This has increased from 179,000 in the year ending June 2019 to 768,000 in the year ending June 2023.”
Migrants moving to the UK to work accounted for one in three arrivals, figures show.
Some 322,000 arrived in the year to June. Health and care visas “were the most common type of work visa that dependants came to the UK on and is driving the increase in immigration of those on work dependant visas”.
“Home Office data show that Indian nationals represented 38% of all dependants issued a work visa alongside main applicants, followed by Nigerian and Zimbabwean nationals (17% and 9% respectively).”
The 2019 Tory Party manifesto promised the “overall numbers will come down” on migration.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman are said to have given Rishi Sunak “comprehensive reforms” to tackle the record high levels of legal migration “some time ago”.
But allies have accused Downing Street of “dragging their heels” and failing to address growing concerns.
Allies of former Home Secretary Suella Braverman accused the Prime Minister of rejecting an annual cap on overall migration.
The proposal was put forward in a letter to No 10 last November as one of a series of proposals to reduce net migration to its pre-Brexit total of 226,000.
A source said: “It was rejected and didn’t get beyond the concept stage.”
Mrs Braverman and Mr Jenrick also proposed a cap on visas for foreign care workers and a ban on their right to bring dependents in a bid to encourage companies to train more domestic workers.
They also suggested increasing the salary threshold for skilled worker visas. Mr Jenrick, speaking at Conservative Party conference, claimed the threshold should be “more akin to the median salary” of £34,528.
The issue of reducing net migration has been a long-standing problem for the Tories, with then-prime minister David Cameron promising to bring it down to the “tens of thousands” in 2010.
The New Conservatives group on the Tory right has called for ministers to close temporary visa schemes for care workers and cap the number of refugees resettling in the UK at 20,000 as part of an effort to slash net migration to 226,000 by the time of the election expected next year.
The Government has introduced measures to prevent overseas students bringing dependants with them to the UK but while those “will lead to a significant reduction” over time, the changes “won’t impact the figures this week”, a spokesman said.
He said the Government “obviously” wants to see legal migration fall, but added that “our priority still remains small boats crossings”.
Mr Sunak is said to be “actively looking” at what more can be done to reduce legal migration.
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