Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons
Updated 4 September 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2023/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-for-family-reasons
‘Immigration statistics, year ending March 2023’ contents page.
This is not the latest release. View latest release.
Data relates to the year ending March 2023 and all comparisons are with the year ending March 2022 (unless indicated otherwise). Additional comparisons are also provided with the pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic period and for longer-term trends. All data include dependants, unless indicated otherwise.
The number of dependants joining those on work and study visas (which are distinct from family visas) can be found in the relevant “Why do people come to the UK to work”, and “Why to people come to the UK to study” topics.
1. Immigration for family reasons
Family-related visas relate to persons wishing to live with a family member as designated within the immigration rules. They include people coming to join British citizens, for example to marry, as well as those coming to join other settled migrants in the UK as part of their family. They also include those granted a visa under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit.
There were 65,642 family-related visas granted in the year ending March 2023, 59% more than in the year ending March 2022, primarily driven by an increase in family-related visas granted to partners. Over three-quarters (79%) of family-related visas granted in the year ending March 2023 were to partners, with the remainder being for children or other dependants. The increase in family visas in recent years comes after a long period in which numbers have been relatively stable. Historically the numbers of applications and grants to partners have been similar, but between July 2021 and September 2022 the number of applications on this route has been higher than the number of grants. The increase in grants to partners over the last year is mainly due to clearing this backlog of applications.
31,550 EU Settlement Scheme permits were issued in the year ending March 2023 to family members of people from the EU, European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland, granted or eligible for settled or pre-settled status through the EUSS on the basis of residence in the UK before the end of the transition period. A total of 121,767 visas have been issued under this scheme since it opened in March 2019. This includes both EUSS family and travel permits.
Table 1: Family visas and permits granted, by visa type, years ending March 2022 and March 2023
| Visa type | YE March 2022 | YE March 2023 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-related visas | 41,326 | 65,642 | 24,316 | +59% |
| of which: | ||||
| Partners | 29,694 | 51,799 | 22,105 | +74% |
| Children | 5,640 | 8,755 | 3,115 | +55% |
| Other dependants | 5,992 | 5,088 | -904 | -15% |
| Family permits | 51,135 | 31,661 | -19,474 | -38% |
| EEA family permits | 2,296 | 111 | -2,185 | -95% |
| EUSS permits1 | 48,839 | 31,550 | -17,289 | -35% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- The EUSS family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019 for certain family members of EEA and Swiss citizens resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. There were 11,361 grants, including EUSS travel permits in the first full year of the scheme (year ending March 2020), a third of the number in the year ending March 2023.
Figure 1: Family-related visas and permits granted1, by visa type, years ending March 2014 to March 2023
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- The EUSS family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019 for certain family members of EEA and Swiss citizens resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. It can also be used by certain family members of certain British citizens returning from the EEA or Switzerland. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme once in the UK.
Figure 1 shows that all family-related visa and permit routes had been steadily increasing for a number of years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, before falling in 2020, with the exception being EUSS family permits, which continued to increase alongside the rollout of the EU Settlement Scheme, peaking in the year ending December 2021, after which the UK left the European Union. Family-related visas have increased since mid-2022.
1.1 Family-related visas by nationality
Family-related visa grants increased by 59% in the year ending March 2023 compared with the year ending March 2022, to 65,642. This is the highest level since the year ending September 2007.
Pakistani nationals were granted the highest number of family-related visas in the year ending March 2023. They accounted for 19% of the total (12,334), more than twice the number of Indian nationals (4,784), the next largest nationality on this route.
Table 2: Top 5 nationalities granted family-related visas, years ending March 2022 and March 2023
| Nationality | YE March 2022 | YE March 2023 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 7,342 | 12,334 | 4,992 | +68% |
| India | 2,639 | 4,784 | 2,145 | +81% |
| Bangladesh | 1,602 | 3,053 | 1,451 | +91% |
| United States | 2,261 | 2,998 | 737 | +33% |
| Nepal | 1,226 | 2,745 | 1,519 | +124% |
| All other nationalities | 26,256 | 39,728 | 13,472 | +51% |
| Total | 41,326 | 65,642 | 24,316 | +59% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
1.2 EUSS and EEA family permits
EUSS family permits and EEA family permits allow eligible family members of people from the EU, EEA and Switzerland (and of certain British citizens returning to the UK from the EEA or Switzerland) to travel to the UK. After 30 June 2021, EEA family permits were no longer valid for travel to the UK.
There were a total of 31,661 family and travel permits granted in the year ending March 2023, this represents a 38% decrease compared with the year ending March 2022 (down 19,474 from 51,135).
There were a total of 31,550 EU Settlement Scheme permits granted in the year ending March 2023. This is 17,289 fewer than in the year ending March 2022.
There were only 111 EEA family permits granted in the year ending March 2023, following the reduction in their use and closure of the EEA family permit route on 30 June 2021. The number recorded in the latest year is likely due to the time taken to process the remaining applications.
2. About these statistics
The statistics in this section provide an indication of the number of people who had an intention to enter the UK for family reasons.
Before 2021, due to the application to the UK of European Union (EU) free movement law, the majority of UK immigration control related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, unless otherwise stated, data in this release relate to both EEA and non-EEA nationals.
Entry clearance visas allow an individual to enter and stay in the UK within the period for which the visa is valid. From 2021, EEA nationals require a visa to enter the UK for family reasons, unless they are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme or a free EU Settlement Scheme family permit.
Data in this section refer to the number of Entry clearance visas granted for family reasons, EEA family permits and EU Settlement Scheme family permits granted, within the period. If an individual was granted a visa more than once in a given period, this has been counted as multiple grants in the statistics. If an individual entered the UK multiple times within the period for which a visa was valid, this has been counted as one grant in the visa statistics.
Year-on-year comparisons of the number of decisions can be affected by quarterly fluctuations in the data. These fluctuations can be examined in the quarterly data in the published tables.
Additional analysis on family visas was included in the ‘Immigration statistics, July to September 2014’ release to assist users in understanding the trends in family data before and after the changes to the Immigration Rules in July 2012 (updated in the ‘Immigration statistics, April to June 2015’ release).
For figures on family-related grants of settlement as well as residence documentation issued to EEA nationals and their family members, see ‘How many people continue their stay in the UK?’. Data on the Family reunion visa category can be found in the ‘How many people do we grant protection to?’.
Prior to 1 July 2021, the EU Settlement Scheme family permit operated alongside the EEA family permit, which continued to provide a separate entry clearance route for those who qualified for it. The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit facilitates entry into the UK of an eligible family member to join, or accompany, an EEA or Swiss citizen who has been granted settled status or pre-settled status under the EUSS. This is a separate entry clearance route from those applying directly to the EU Settlement Scheme. EU Settlement Scheme statistics are published by the Home Office on a monthly basis. More detailed breakdowns are provided on a quarterly basis.
2.1 Other sources
Until 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published long-term international migration (LTIM) estimates in its ‘Migration Statistics Quarterly Report’ (latest data available is for the year ending March 2020). The ONS are revising their methods for measuring population and migration but have released provisional experimental statistics for the year ending December 2022.
3. Data tables
Data on family immigration can be found in the following tables:
- Entry clearance visa summary tables
- Detailed Entry clearance visa datasets
- Extensions summary tables
- Detailed Extensions datasets
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