The line graph illustrates the intended length of stay of immigrants to the UK between 2000 and 2008, measured in thousands of people, while the pie chart shows the reasons for migration in 2008.
Overall, the largest proportion of immigrants planned to stay in the UK for up to two years throughout most of the period, whereas the number intending to remain for four or more years stayed virtually unchanged. In terms of migration motives, work was by far the most common reason in 2008, followed by study.
Looking first at the line graph, around 150,000 immigrants intended to stay in the UK for up to two years in both 2000 and 2001, which was the same figure as those planning to remain for four years or more. From 2002 onwards, however, the number of short-term migrants rose steadily, reaching a peak of approximately 250,000 in 2004. It then remained broadly stable until the end of the period, consistently exceeding the figures for the other two categories. By contrast, the number of immigrants intending to stay for four or more years remained almost unchanged at around 150,000 throughout. Meanwhile, the figure for those planning to stay for two to four years fluctuated slightly at around 50,000 during the first half of the period before increasing gradually to 100,000 in 2008, which was twice the initial figure.
Turning to the pie chart, work accounted for the largest share of immigration in 2008, at 38%, followed by study, which represented 32%. Accompanying or joining family members was the third most common reason, making up 16% of all immigrants, exactly half the proportion recorded for study. By comparison, other reasons and no reason stated were the least common categories, each accounting for just 7% of the total.