Accredited official statistics

Summary of latest statistics

Published 21 May 2020

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1. How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)?

There were an estimated 140.9 million passenger arrivals in the year ending March 2020 (including returning UK residents), a 2% (3.4 million) decrease compared with the previous year.

There were 3.1 million visas granted in the year ending March 2020, a 5% increase compared with the previous year, continuing the upward trend seen over the last decade. Of these, three-quarters (75%) were to visit, 10% were to study (excluding Short-term study), 6% were to work, 2% were for family, and 7% for other reasons.

For further details see ʻHow many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)?’.

2. Why do people come to the UK?

2.1 Work

There were 194,557 work-related visas granted in the year ending March 2020 (including dependants), 8% higher than the year ending March 2019, and the highest level since 2007, before the ‘points-based system’ (PBS) was introduced.

Most of the rise was accounted for through increases in grants of Skilled (Tier 2) work visas, which increased by 9% (up 9,332) to 115,434. The Tier 2 category accounts for 59% of work-related visas granted.

There were also increases in the number of grants of Youth mobility and temporary worker (Tier 5) visas (up 4% to 43,123) and Non-PBS work visas (up 13% to 31,088). There was a fall in the number of High value (Tier 1) visas granted, down 12% to 4,912.

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK? To work’.

2.2 Study

In the year ending March 2020, there were 299,023 Sponsored study (Tier 4) visas granted (including dependants), a 23% increase on the year ending March 2019, and the highest level since the year ending June 2011.

Chinese nationals were the most common nationality granted Tier 4 visas in the year ending March 2020, up 18% compared with the year ending March 2019 to 118,530 (accounting for 40% of the total). Indian nationals also saw a notable increase, more than doubling (up 136% to 49,844) compared with the year ending March 2019, continuing an increase seen since 2016.

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK? To study’.

2.3 Family

There were 194,746 visas and permits granted for family reasons in the year ending March 2020, 21% more than the year ending March 2019. There were increases in family-related visas granted (up 19% to 56,908) and dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas (up 17% to 85,536).

There were also 40,232 EEA Family permits granted, and 12,070 EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permits granted since the scheme was launched on 30 March 2019.

For further details see ʻWhy do people come to the UK? For family reasons’.

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

The UK offered protection – in the form of asylum, humanitarian protection, alternative forms of leave and resettlement – to 20,339 people in the year ending March 2020, 17% higher than the previous year and similar to levels seen in 2003.

The Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) accounted for over three-quarters (4,030) of those resettled in the UK in year ending March 2020. 19,768 refugees have been resettled since the government announced the target of resettling 20,000 refugees under the scheme.

There were 35,099 asylum applications (main applicants only) in the UK in the year ending March 2020, 11% more than the previous year, but lower than the recent peak in the year ending June 2016 (36,546). In the year ending March 2020, 54% of initial decisions on asylum applications were grants of asylum, humanitarian protection or alternative forms of leave (such as discretionary leave or UASC leave). This was the highest initial decision grant rate on record, up from 39% in the previous year.

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

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

4.1 Extension of temporary stay in the UK

There were 367,827 decisions on applications to extend a person’s stay in the UK in the year ending March 2020, 32% more than in the previous year. The largest contribution to this increase was from extensions to leave provided to Chinese nationals who were unable to return home due to coronavirus restrictions.

4.2 Settlement

There were 95,120 decisions on applications for settlement in the UK from non-EEA nationals in the year ending March 2020, a 2% increase on the year ending March 2019. Of these, 92,031 (97%) resulted in a grant.

4.3 EEA nationals and their family members

In the year ending March 2020, there were 44,956 registration certificates issued to EEA nationals and registration cards issued to non-EEA family members, down 53% on the previous year.

There were 28,402 documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards issued in the year ending March 2020, 71% fewer than the previous year.

4.4 Citizenship

There were 165,693 applications for British citizenship in the year to March 2020, 6% fewer than the previous year.

Applications for citizenship by EU nationals fell by 20% compared to the previous year to 44,078. Applications made by non-EU nationals increased by 1% in the year ending March 2020 to 121,615.

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

5. How many people are detained or returned?

5.1 Immigration detention

The number of people entering detention in the year ending March 2020 (23,075) was 5% less than the previous year. This continues a general downward trend since 2015.

As at 31 March 2020, there were 895 people in immigration detention, down from 1,637 as the end of December 2019 and less than half the number as at 31 March 2019 (1,839).

In the year ending March 2020, 23,942 people left the detention estate (down 5%), a similar number to those entering. Almost two-fifths (38%) had been detained for 7 days or less, and three-quarters (74%) detained for 28 days or less. There has been an increase in the proportion of people leaving detention within 28 days, from 69% in 2018 to 74% in the year ending March 2020.

5.2 Returns

In the year ending March 2020, enforced returns from the UK decreased to 6,778, 21% lower than the previous year and the lowest number since records began in 2004. The fall was largely accounted for by the fall in enforced returns of people who were in detention prior to their return (down 19% to 4,644).

Over the same period, there were 10,421 voluntary departures. Although these data are not directly comparable over time (as voluntary returns are subject to upward revision, as in some cases it can take time to identify people who have left the UK without informing the Home Office) the numbers recorded have fallen since 2015.

For further details see ʻHow many people are detained or returned?’.

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