Accredited official statistics

Summary of latest statistics

Published 24 May 2019

Back to ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2019’ content page.

This is not the latest release. View latest release.

1. How many people come to the UK each year?

There were an estimated 143.9 million passenger arrivals in the year ending March 2019 (including returning UK residents), a 4% increase compared to the previous year and the highest number on record. Arrivals from British, other European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals increased by 6% to 124.3 million, while arrivals from Non-EEA nationals decreased by 7% to 19.6 million

There were nearly 3.0 million visas granted in the year ending March 2019, a 9% increase of 252,338 compared with the previous year, continuing the upward trend seen over the last decade. Of these, over three-quarters (77%) were to visit, 8% were to study (excluding short-term study), 6% were to work and 2% were for family reasons.

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK each year?’ and the data tables.

2. Why do people come to the UK?

2.1 Visit

In the year ending March 2019 there were 2.3 million Visitor visas granted (including dependants), an increase of 9% to the highest level on record, following a general upward trend over the last 10 years.

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK? (1) To visit’ and the data tables.

2.2 Work

The total number of work-related visas granted (including dependants) in the year ending March 2019 increased by 11% (or 18,461) to 181,093. Around three quarters of the increase can be accounted for by the increase in Skilled (Tier 2) work visas. This category accounts for the majority (59%) of work-related visas granted.

There was an increase in Tier 2 work visas granted in the year ending March 2019, up 15% to 106,524.

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK? (2) To work’ and the data tables.

2.3 Study

In the year ending March 2019, there were 243,937 Sponsored study (Tier 4) visas granted (including dependants), a 9% increase, or 20,363 more than the previous year, and the highest level since 2011.

Over the same period, Sponsored study visa applications for the Higher education (university) sector increased by 10% to 196,350, the highest level on record, accounting for 85% of all Sponsored study visa applications.

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK? (3) To study’ and the data tables.

2.4 Family

There were 162,254 visas granted for family reasons in the year ending March 2019, 21% more than in the previous year. The total included:

• 48,313 visas for family-related reasons, 20% higher than the previous year, which partly reflects the inclusion of children of a parent given limited leave to enter or remain in the UK for a probationary period in this category from December 2017 (previously included as ‘dependants on other visas’)
• 73,333 dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas (excluding Visitor visas), up 11%
• 40,608 EEA Family permits, up 46% compared with the previous year following a fall in the year ending March 2018

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK? (4) For family reasons’ and the data tables.

3. How many people do we grant asylum or protection to?

The UK offered protection – in the form of grants of asylum, humanitarian protection, alternative forms of leave and resettlement – to 17,304 people in the year ending March 2019 (up 22%). This was the highest number of people granted protection in the UK in a single year since the year ending September 2003.

The Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) accounted for three-quarters (4,328) of the 5,794 refugees resettled in the UK in the year ending March 2019. Since it began in 2014, 15,977 people have been resettled under the scheme. A further 687 were resettled under the Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) over the last year.

There were 31,589 asylum applications in the UK (main applicants only) in the year ending March 2019, 18% more than the previous year but below the level seen in the year ending March 2016 during the European migration crisis.

The grant rate (percentage of initial decisions which were grants of asylum, humanitarian protection or alternative forms of leave) was 39%, compared with 30% in the previous year.

For further details see ʻHow many people do we grant asylum or protection to?’ and the data tables.

4. How many people continue their stay in the UK?

4.1 Extension of temporary stay in the UK

There were 189,739 main applicants granted an extension to their stay in 2018 (the latest available data by previous reason for stay). Of these:

• 26% were for work (49,556)
• 21% were for study (39,254)
• 43% were for family reasons (82,018)
• 10% were for other reasons (18,911)

4.2 Settlement

There were 92,636 decisions on applications for settlement in the UK in the year ending March 2019, 21% more than in the previous year.

Of these, 89,146 resulted in a grant, a grant rate of 96%. In particular, grants for family reasons more than doubled, reflecting family rule changes in July 2012 that increased the qualifying period for settlement from 2 to 5 years. Individuals on a 5-year route to settlement following the rule change are now becoming eligible to apply.

4.3 EEA nationals and their family members

In the year ending March 2019, there were 95,900 registration certificates and registration cards issued, 15% fewer than in the previous year. This fall followed the large increases seen in the period immediately following the referendum on membership of the EU in June 2016. There were 37% fewer registration certificates issued to EU nationals (down 26,777 to 45,812), while documents issued to non-EU nationals increased by 23% (up 9,412 to 50,088).

There were 98,856 documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards issued in the year to March 2019, 30% fewer than the previous year. Although having fallen since the peak of 168,406 in 2017, current levels remain considerably higher than prior to the EU referendum.

4.4 Citizenship

There were 175,891 applications for British citizenship in the year to March 2019, 24% more than in the previous year.

In the last 12 months, applications for citizenship by EU nationals increased by 35% to 55,301. EU nationals now account for 31% of all citizenship applications, compared with 12% in 2016.

Applications made by non-EU nationals increased by 19% in the most recent year to 120,590, following falls in the previous 2 years.

For further details see ʻHow many people continue their stay in the UK?’ and the data tables.

5. How many people are detained or returned?

5.1 Immigration detention

At the end of March 2019, there were 1,839 people held in the detention estate, a third (33%) less than a year earlier.

In the year ending March 2019, 24,333 individuals entered the detention estate, 8% fewer than the previous year and the lowest level since comparable records began in 2009.

Over the same period, 25,201 left the detention estate (down 8%). Over two-thirds (71%) of these were detained for less than 29 days and 4% were detained for more than 6 months. The Home Office would usually only detain someone for more than 6 months if they are a foreign national offender (FNO), or if they have subsequently claimed asylum while in detention.

5.2 Returns

There were 8,637 enforced returns from the UK in the year ending March 2019, 25% fewer than the previous year (11,509). The fall was largely accounted for by falls in:

• Enforced returns of people who were in detention prior to their return, which fell by 23% to 7,699 compared with 9,963 in the previous year
• Enforced returns for both EU nationals (down 883 to 3,637) and non-EU nationals (down 1,989 to 5,000). EU nationals accounted for 42% of enforced returns throughout the year and the majority (56%) of these were Romanian and Polish nationals

For further details see ʻHow many people are detained or returned?’ and the data tables.

We welcome your feedback

If you have any comments or suggestions for the development of this report, please provide feedback by emailing [email protected]. Please include the words ‘PUBLICATION FEEDBACK’ in the subject of your email.

See section 7 of the ‘About this release’ section for more details.