Migration into the UK hit near-record levels just before the Brexit vote

Immigration into the UK hit record levels just before Britain voted to leave the European Union, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics show.

650,000 thousand people came to the UK in the 12 months up to the end of June 2016, with a "historically high" number of European Union citizens coming into the country prior to the Brexit vote. 284,000 EU citizens immigrated to the UK over the course of the year, something that the ONS says is the "highest estimate recorded."

The number of people immigrating into Britain from outside the EU was 289,000.

Office for National Statistics

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