Equi, the British Muslim-led think tank, has called for migration history to be embedded in the national curriculum as part of Department for Education reforms, as Andy Burnham’s government prepares to introduce ‘earned settlement’ rules this autumn.
The report, Stronger Together: How Migration has Shaped Britain, draws on 31 in-depth interviews with NHS workers, business owners, community organisers, politicians and cultural figures, alongside analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics, the Office for Budget Responsibility, the Migration Advisory Committee and the Migration Observatory.
Equi identifies a “migration perception gap” at the heart of the national debate. Despite a sharp fall in net migration, 67% of the public believe it is rising. Small boat crossings accounted for less than 2% of total immigration between 2018 and 2024, and arrivals in the first seven months of 2026 were down 44% on the previous year — yet they still dominate public concern. The report warns the gap is not harmless: the 2024 summer riots, driven by false narratives, cost more than £240 million.
Key findings also underline migrants’ fiscal and workforce contribution: migrant nurses and doctors contribute an estimated £166,000 more in tax over their lifetimes than they take out; skilled migrants pay £15,500 a year more in net tax than the average UK-born worker; one in five UK workers and one in five NHS staff were born abroad; and 42% of doctors qualified overseas.
Khan: ‘Migration is a British success story’
Professor Javed Khan OBE, Managing Director of Equi, said an honest, evidence-led conversation must sit alongside a fair, managed immigration system.
“Migration is a British success story. Migrants have helped build the NHS, defended us in times of war, kept the country moving during a pandemic and pay in more than they ever take out. Yet two-thirds of the public believe migration is rising when it has fallen sharply.
“Britain is stronger together. The country needs a fair, managed immigration system alongside an honest, evidence-led national conversation. Our landmark new report provides that honest, evidence led approach to a much needed national conversation.”
Nelson: ‘A call for clarity’
Fraser Nelson, columnist at The Times, who wrote the report’s foreword, said the paper is not a defence of the status quo.
“This report does not offer a defence of the status quo, but a call for clarity. It argues for a managed, fair immigration system that commands public confidence and for a national narrative that recognises the contributions migrants make. Above all, it argues for leadership. Britain needs a politics that can hold two ideas at once: that migration has brought enormous benefits, and that people’s concerns deserve to be heard rather than dismissed.”
Alongside curriculum reform, Equi recommends an MHCLG-led national action plan building on the government’s social cohesion strategy to tackle anti-migrant misinformation; measures to unlock migrants’ economic potential through recognition of overseas qualifications and pathways into high-need sectors; a unified ONS migration data platform; and a DCMS-backed programme to document migration histories.
The full report is available at equi.org.uk.
