Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons
Updated 7 December 2023
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Data relates to the year ending September 2023 and all comparisons are with the year ending September 2022 (unless indicated otherwise). All data includes dependants, unless indicated otherwise.
Statistics on dependants travelling with or joining family members on work and study visas are not included in this section and can be found in the relevant “Why do people come to the UK to work”, and “Why do people come to the UK to study” topics.
1. Family-related visas
Family-related visas relate to persons wishing to live with family members who are British citizens or non-British settled migrants in the UK as part of their family. It also includes people wishing to join a relative with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
There were 82,395 family-related visas granted in the year ending September 2023, more than double (117% more) the previous year. This is the highest number of family-related visas granted since the start of the time series in 2005.
In the 5 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of family visas issued averaged around 42,000 (years ending September 2015 to 2019). The significant increase in grants of family-related visas in the last year may in part reflect the greater opportunities to travel now that the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have been lifted, along with the clearance of a backlog of applications. 79% of family-related visas granted in the year ending September 2023 were to partners, with the remainder being for children or other dependants.
Those arriving on family routes are more likely to acquire indefinite leave to remain (ILR) than those arriving on work and study visas. Analysis from the Migrant Journey: 2022 report shows that of those whose first leave to enter the UK was on the family route since 2007, 65% had ILR after 5 years, increasing to 84% after 10 years. This is much higher than those starting on work and study routes, where around 22% and 8% respectively had ILR after 10 years.
Table 1: Family-related visas granted, by visa type, years ending September 2022 and September 2023
| Visa type | YE September 2022 | YE September 2023 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-related visas | 37,911 | 82,395 | +44,484 | +117% |
| of which: | ||||
| Partners | 27,982 | 65,278 | +37,296 | +133% |
| Children | 5,228 | 10,397 | +5,169 | +99% |
| Other dependants |
4,701 | 6,720 | +2,019 | +43% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Figure 1: Family-related visas granted, years ending September 2014 to September 2023
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Figure 1 shows that family-related visas had been relatively stable for a number of years up to 2018, before increasing prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, then falling in 2020. Family-related visas have increased sharply since mid-2022 and are now higher than pre-pandemic levels.
1.1 Family-related visas by nationality
Pakistani nationals accounted for 18% (15,038) of the total family-related visas issued, more than 2.5 times the number of Indian nationals (5,870), the next largest nationality on this route.
Table 2: Top 5 nationalities granted family-related visas, years ending September 2022 and September 2023
| Nationality | YE September 2022 | YE September 2023 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 6,415 | 15,038 | +8,623 | +134% |
| India | 2,563 | 5,870 | +3,307 | +129% |
| United States | 1,739 | 3,805 | +2,066 | +119% |
| Bangladesh | 1,528 | 3,716 | +2,188 | +143% |
| Nepal | 1,430 | 3,354 | +1,924 | +135% |
| All other nationalities | 24,236 | 50,612 | +26,376 | +109% |
| Total | 37,911 | 82,395 | +44,484 | +117% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
2. EU Settlement Scheme permits
EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) 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. An EUSS family permit 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.
There was a total of 22,675 EUSS permits granted in the year ending September 2023.
There were 22,675 EU Settlement Scheme permits issued in the year ending September 2023, 37% fewer than the year ending September 2022. This follows a similar fall in applications since 2021, down 22% on the year ending September 2022. A total of 127,055 EU Settlement Scheme permits have been issued since the scheme opened in March 2019. This includes both EUSS family and travel permits.
Figure 2: EUSS permits granted, years ending September 2019 to September 2023
Figure 2 shows that EUSS permits continued to increase alongside the rollout of the EU Settlement Scheme, peaking in the year ending December 2021. Grants of EUSS permits have subsequently fallen following the UK departure of the EU.
3. 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 the end of the transition period for the UK leaving the EU on 31 December 2020, EU nationals were able to come to the UK under freedom of movement and did not typically require separate permission (such as a visa). The majority of UK immigration control before 2021 related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, EEA nationals became subject to immigration controls and are now more likely to obtain permission to travel to the UK. For many this will be under the EU Settlement Scheme (see EU Settlement Scheme statistics), while others will require a visa.
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 refers to the number of entry clearance visas granted for family reasons, and EU Settlement Scheme 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.
Data in this section should be viewed in the context of wider policy and legislative changes, which can impact the number of applications and decisions. Availability and allocation of resources within the Home Office should also be considered. This can affect the number of decisions made in a given period.
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?’. Further data on the Family reunion visa category can be found in ‘Safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK’.
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. After 30 June 2021, EEA family permits were no longer valid for travel to the UK. The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit facilitates entry into the UK for 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.
More information about the statistics can be found in the user guide.
3.1 Other sources
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish long-term international migration estimates. These are statistics under development that estimate the number of people immigrating to and emigrating from the UK for 12 months or more.
4. 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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