The UK government has said it is determined to bring down migration into Britain after an official estimate found it had reached a record of 745,000 in the year to December 2022, with people fleeing the war in Ukraine and China’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong cited as a factor.

A British national overseas visa scheme introduced to “reflect the UK’s historic and moral commitment” to Hongkongers received about 191,000 applications between its launch in January 2021 and September this year, with 96.7% (184,700) receiving approval.