Back in 2019, Boris Johnson came into power with one loud and clear pledge — Britain would “take back control” of its borders.
The Conservatives promised fewer low-skilled migrants, a points-based immigration system like Australia’s, and a big overall reduction in numbers.
But what happened? Quite the opposite. Between 2022 and 2024, the UK saw the largest wave of immigration in its history — more than three million people arrived.
That’s bigger than the combined populations of Birmingham and Manchester.
Some left, yes, but the net effect was still a huge increase. For many, it felt like the Tories had promised one thing and delivered another.
Farage’s Answer to the Immigration Timebomb
Nigel Farage and Reform UK have been trying to tap into that frustration.
Just last week, Farage promised that if his party came to power, he would scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) — a status migrants can apply for after five years that grants access to social housing, NHS care, benefits, pensions, and automatic British citizenship for their children.
A think tank calculated that over 800,000 migrants could soon qualify for ILR, with the lifetime benefits bill hitting £234 billion.
Spread across households, that’s about £8,200 each.
Farage says letting ILR continue unchecked is a fiscal timebomb, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed his plan as “racist” and “immoral.”
The Graduate Job Crunch
For young Brits, the fallout of mass migration is being felt directly in the job market.
Universities are bursting with 750,000 international students — the same as the entire population of Leeds.
Many of them now stay on after graduating. In 2019, only 18% stayed; by 2023 it had jumped to 56%.
A lot of these students use the study route as a stepping stone to work visas.
Almost half of non-EU students who came with family members in 2024 switched into jobs, and around 40% of those ended up in care work, not high-skill sectors like tech or engineering.
Meanwhile, British graduates are struggling. According to High Fliers Research, only 27% of final-year students had secured a job by February this year — the lowest since the pandemic.
On top of that, they’re applying for record numbers of jobs, averaging 21 applications each.
Combine that with AI taking over roles in law and finance, plus Labour’s rise in employer National Insurance contributions, and young jobseekers are feeling squeezed like never before.
Labour’s Plan to Open the Door Even Wider
You might think Labour would try a different path after young people rejected the Tories at the ballot box.
But instead, Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer seem ready to double down.
Reeves backs a EU “youth mobility scheme” that would let thousands more young Europeans work in Britain, while selling it to British voters as an opportunity to live in Paris or Berlin.
In reality, it could mean an influx of cheap labour from places like Spain, where youth unemployment is nearly 30%.
The maths is simple: more workers chasing the same jobs usually means wages fall.
Wages in Britain have already been flat or falling since 2008, and one in four graduate jobs now pays only the minimum wage or just above.
The Global Talent Visa Controversy
Labour also plans to relax rules on the so-called Global Talent visa, which was originally meant for the brightest innovators and leaders in science, tech, and culture.
But critics say the scheme has already been watered down.
One example often cited is a Turkish drag performer who entered under the visa but was later found advertising escort services — hardly the “world-class” talent the programme was designed for.
Instead of tightening standards, Labour wants to slash the already low £766 fee, making it even easier for businesses to hire cheap overseas workers rather than train British ones.
What’s Happening Across the Atlantic
In the U.S., the mood is very different. Donald Trump has raised the cost of America’s skilled worker visa to around $100,000 per employee — a move designed to push firms to hire locally.
Whatever people think of him, it’s a stark contrast to the UK, where both Labour and the Tories seem locked into policies that make immigration easier and wages weaker.
A Generation Left Behind
For young Britons, the picture is bleak: debt averaging £53,000, jobs that pay little more than the minimum wage, and tougher competition against a flood of international workers.
Reform UK argues the solution is simple but tough: abolish ILR, dramatically raise visa costs, restrict immigration, and invest in British workers instead.
Whether you agree with Farage or not, the frustration is clear.
Many young people feel betrayed — first by the Conservatives who broke their promises, and now by Labour who seem ready to repeat the same mistakes.
What’s next? Unless Britain changes course, a whole generation could be locked out of the opportunities they were promised.