Net migration falls by a third Our tough reforms are having an impact in all the right places - we have tightened the routes where abuse was rife and overall numbers are down as a result. But sponsored student visa applications for our world-class university sector are up and the numbers of skilled people being sponsored by UK employers in sectors such as IT and science have also increased. We will continue to work hard to bring net migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament and to create a selective immigration system that works in our national interest. Net migration has been falling constantly in recent months and was down 20,000 in June last year from the previous quarter. Study remains the most common reason for migrating to the UK, but the numbers fell to 197,000 from 239,000 the previous year. The fall in net migration was also driven by a significant decrease in the number of immigrants arriving from New Commonwealth countries, which includes African countries such as Botswana, Kenya and Malawi and Indian subcontinent countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Immigration from Poland and other new EU countries also fell, from 86,000 the previous year to 62,000 - the lowest level since they joined the EU in 2004.