"The impact of immigration on the size of the UK population is substantially greater than is generally realized. The total contribution of migration to UK population growth over the period from 2001 to 2012 was between 83% and 85%," the report stated.
The watchdog challenged ONS' official figures, which estimated that only 57 percent of the population growth over the same 11-year period was due to migration. MigrationWatch argued that more than 1.3 million children were in fact born in immigrant families, but obtained UK citizenship by birth, leading to the ONS numbering them among the remaining 43 percent.
In response to criticism regarding the definition of children born to immigrants within the United Kingdom as migrants and not citizens, the think tank took to Twitter to reiterate that the report "was not a comment on citizenship or identity" but rather on the "impact of immigration on population growth."
Soaring population is ‘almost entirely’ fuelled by migrants http://t.co/UGwxk25SAG
— migrationwatch (@migrationwatch) 26 ноября 2014
UK Prime Minister David Cameron declared he would cut immigration to "tens of thousands" in April 2011. Recent reports in the UK media suggest Cameron will deliver a speech on EU immigration next week.
