Accredited official statistics

How many people are detained or returned?

Published 28 November 2024

Back to ‘Immigration system statistics, year ending September 2024’ content page.

Data on detention and returns relates to the year ending September 2024 and all comparisons are with the year ending September 2023 (unless indicated otherwise).

1. Immigration detention

An individual may be detained under immigration powers under certain circumstances. This includes detention in support of the return of the individual with no legal right to be in the UK. In some cases, individuals may be detained whilst their identity is being established or where there is a risk of absconding.

1.1 People entering immigration detention

19,335 people entered immigration detention in the year ending September 2024.

The number of cases of people entering detention in the year ending September 2024 increased 7% compared with the previous year. This small uptick follows a long-term downward trend since 2015.

Figure 1: People entering immigration detention in the UK, year ending September 2015 to the year ending September 2024

Source: Immigration detention - Det_D01

Figure 1 shows the number of people entering detention has reduced from a peak of around 32,700 people in the year ending September 2015 to around 24,500 in 2019. The reduced use of immigration detention over this period can in part be linked to the Government’s response to the 2016 Stephen Shaw review of detention, which proposed a range of changes in the use of detention and greater use of alternatives.

While 2020 and 2021 were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the gradual fall in the number of people entering detention continued up to the year ending September 2023. This reduction in part reflects the move to process small boat arrivals outside of the detention estate, on arrival at the Manston facility. This has allowed more individuals to move directly to community-based accommodation, following the initial examination and checks, rather than be held in immigration detention, as was often the case up until early 2022.

Albanians were the most common nationality entering detention, around one-third of the total in the year ending September 2024.

Albanian nationals have been the most common nationality entering detention since the peak in Albanian arrivals by small boat in July to September 2022. An agreement between the UK and Albanian governments, the UK-Albania Joint Communique to deter and disrupt illegal migration and criminal networks, was signed towards the end of 2022. Since then numbers of Albanian returns have increased substantially, and many of these returns have been via detention.

1.2 People in immigration detention

On 30 September 2024, 1,748 people were being held in immigration detention.

The number of people held in detention (that is, either in an immigration detention facility or in prisons under immigration powers) was 5% lower on 30 September 2024 than on 30 September 2023.

Figure 2 shows that the number of people in detention decreased sharply at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since returned to levels similar to those seen just prior to the pandemic.

The vast majority of people are detained in the immigration detention estate rather than prisons. On 30 September 2024 there were 114 people detained in prisons under immigration powers. The number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) detained in prisons has been around 100 since the second half of 2023. Around this time, some FNOs who had served their sentence in prison started being transferred into the immigration detention estate if assessed suitable and low risk, to address prison capacity constraints. Prior to this change, quarter-end counts of immigrant detainees in the prison estate were typically higher, ranging between 300 and 700 in the period from late 2017 to early 2023.

Figure 2: People detained under immigration powers in the UK, by place of detention, on the last day of the quarter, 30 September 2019 to 30 September 2024¹

Source: Immigration detention - Det_D02

Notes:

1. The ‘detention estate’ comprises Immigration Removal Centres (IRC), Short-Term Holding Facilities (STHF) and Pre-departure Accommodation (PDA). It is separate to those who are detained under immigration powers in prisons – these are shown separately on the chart.

The number of people in detention is a snapshot relating to a single point in time but numbers fluctuate daily. If a large number of people enter detention just before the end of a reporting period, the number of people in detention reported in these statistics would be higher than if the same people entered a few days later.

1.3 People leaving immigration detention

Just over a quarter (27%) of people who left detention in the year ending September 2024 had been detained for 7 days or less.

Figure 3 shows that the proportion staying in detention for 7 days or less has remained stable for the past 2 years. This proportion is less than half the proportion in the year ending September 2021 (72%). This was largely due to high numbers of small boat arrivals that year who were at that time still being detained initially for short periods on arrival within the detention estate. Pandemic restrictions preventing returns may also have impacted on length of detention during that time. However, detention on arrival is now rare due to the use of the Manston facility to process people arriving on small boats.

The proportion leaving within 7 days is also lower than the years before 2018, when small boat arrivals started being recorded, when detention was more commonly used to prepare people for return.

Figure 3: People leaving immigration detention, by length of detention^1,2, year ending September 2020 to the year ending September 2024

Source: Immigration detention - Det_D03

Notes:

1. ’<’ means ‘less than’.
2. The legend follows the same order and orientation as the stacks within the bars.

The most common reason for leaving detention in the year ending September 2024 was bail (50%).

Figure 4 shows that number of detainees leaving detention on immigration bail is similar to the number being returned from the UK upon leaving. The proportion of bailed cases has been higher than the proportion of returned cases since the year ending September 2015. Nonetheless, returns from detention have been rising following the end of the pandemic. For more information, please see section 2.1 on Enforced returns.

Figure 4: People leaving detention by reason for leaving^1,2,3,4, year ending September 2011 to year ending September 2024

Source: Immigration detention - Det_D03

Notes:

1. Bailed Secretary of State (SoS) and Immigration Judge (IJ).
2. Other reasons for leaving detention include being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, entering criminal detention, being granted leave to enter (LTE) or remain (LTR) in the UK, being detained in error and people whose reason for leaving was not available at the time of publication. See the user guide for more details.
3. The legend follows the same order and orientation as the stacks within the bars.
4. The numbers above each column refer to the numbers of people of that nationality leaving detention during the period.

The proportion of people leaving detention to be returned has increased from 32% in the year ending September 2023 to 44% in the year ending September 2024.

The proportion of returns amongst people leaving detention is now at a similar level to where it was in the years 2015 to 2019, when it averaged 44%. However, the number of detainees leaving due to removal in those years was substantially higher over that time – averaging around 12,000 compared with around 7,000 in the latest 2 years. This may reflect the fall in the use of detention mentioned earlier, following the response to the 2016 Stephen Shaw enquiry.

The longer term fall in the numbers of returns from detention may also be linked to increasing numbers of detainees raising issues that prevented their return, as described in the Home Office research paper ‘Issues raised by people facing return in immigration detention’ (2021). This research showed that 73% of people detained within the UK following immigration offences in 2019 were recorded as having raised one or more issues that may have delayed or prevented their return. These issues included raising an asylum claim, making a legal challenge, or a claim to be a potential victim of modern slavery or human trafficking.

2. Returns

The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have a legal right to stay in the UK. Returns are reported in 3 main groups:

• enforced returns (people subject to administrative removal or deportation action which is carried out by the Home Office)
• voluntary returns (people who were liable to removal action or subject to immigration control but have left of their own accord, sometimes with support from the Home Office)
• port returns (people who are refused entry to the UK and have subsequently departed)

Figure 5 shows that the majority of returns in the year ending September 2024 were voluntary or port returns. Below we also comment on the return of Foreign National Offenders and asylum-related returns, which include returns of Failed Asylum Seekers (for example, those whose claims are not accepted). It should be noted that both FNOs and asylum-related returns can appear in enforced, voluntary and port return categories, so are counted in those numbers as well as being reported separately.

Figure 5: Returns from the UK, by type of return, year ending September 2011 to year ending September 2024

Source: Returns - Ret_D01

2.1 Enforced returns

In the year ending September 2024 there were 7,708 enforced returns, an increase of 41% on the previous year (5,456).

Enforced returns have increased over the last 3 years, as shown in Figure 5, with the total for the year ending September 2024 (7,708) now at a similar level to the numbers seen prior to the pandemic.

The increase in enforced returns in the latest year, shown in Figure 6, was dominated by the increase in the returns of Albanian nationals which increased from 1,898 in the year ending September 2023 to 2,822 in the year ending September 2024 (accounting for 37% of returns in that period). This follows the signing of the UK-Albanian Joint Communique in December 2022.

Figure 6: Enforced returns from the UK, by nationality¹; for the year ending September 2022 to the year ending September 2024

Source: Returns - Ret_D01

Notes:

1. Nationalities shown are the top 5 nationalities for enforced returns over the past 3 years.

The data in this section includes enforced returns of FNOs and enforced asylum-related returns. For further information on trends in FNO and asylum-related returns (including non-enforced returns) see section 2.4 and section 2.5 respectively in this chapter.

2.2 Voluntary returns

In the year ending September 2024 there were 23,803 voluntary returns, up by 32% compared to the year ending September 2023.

As shown in Figure 5, voluntary return numbers have continued to rise following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and are now above pre-pandemic levels, although still 23% below the peak in the year ending March 2016.

Together, voluntary returns of Indians (6,098), Albanians (3,190) and Brazilians (3,728) accounted for just over half of voluntary returns in the year ending September 2024. All of these nationalities have seen a substantial increase (India up from 3,354; Albania up from 2,944; and Brazil up from 2,245).

The number of voluntary returns of all types has increased during the last 2 years. This has been the case across voluntary returns made with assistance from the Home Office, including via the Voluntary Returns Service (‘assisted returns’) and returns made independently, in the form of self-funded (‘controlled’) returns and those discovered through matching our database against passenger departures data (‘other verified returns’).

2.3 Refusals of entry at port and subsequent return (Port returns)

23,179 passengers were refused entry at port and subsequently departed (‘port returns’) in the year ending September 2024, compared to 24,883 in the year ending September 2023.

Port returns fell 7% in the year ending September 2024, with a decrease in the number of Romanians refused entry and subsequently returned (6,059), which fell by 14% compared to the year ending September 2023 (7,019).

Border Force take decisions to stop arriving passengers based on the information that they provide. Nationality does not play a part in these decisions, but the nationalities of those refused entry at ports and subsequently returned has changed in the last few years.

Non-visa nationals such as those from EU countries can be refused entry because they do not have the necessary immigration permission to carry out the activities they intend to undertake while they are here. During the grace period following the end of Freedom of Movement with the EU, port returns of EU nationals in 2020 accounted for only one-sixth (17%) of all port returns. However, in the year ending September 2024 EU nationals accounted for more than half (55%) of all those refused entry and subsequently returned. Almost half (48%) of EU port returns in the latest year were Romanians, while the next most common nationality were Bulgarians (12%).

2.4 Returns of foreign national offenders (FNOs)

Total FNO returns include enforced, voluntary and port returns, unless stated otherwise.

There were 4,674 FNO returns made in the year ending September 2024, an increase of over a quarter (29%) compared to the previous year.

Figure 7 shows that the number of returns of Albanian FNOs, following the UK-Albania Joint Communique in December 2022, accounted for a large proportion (36%) of FNO returns during the latest year ending September. Among other things, this agreement strengthened data sharing between the UK and Albania to identify Albanian FNOs living in the UK.

The Early Removal Scheme (ERS) enables the removal or deportation of FNOs at an earlier point in their sentence than would otherwise be possible. This scheme was extended in January 2024 to include FNOs who had up to 18 months remaining on their sentence, rather than those with just 12 months or less, increasing the pool of FNOs eligible for return. For more information please see the policy timeline document accompanying this release.

Figure 7: Returns of FNOs¹ from the UK, by nationality²; for the year ending September 2022 to the year ending September 2024

Source: Returns - Ret_D03

Notes:

1. An FNO is someone who is not a British citizen and is, or was, convicted in the UK of any criminal offence, or convicted abroad for a serious criminal offence.
2. Nationalities shown are the top 5 nationalities for enforced returns over the past 3 rolling years.

Returns of FNOs decreased between 2016 and 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic reducing the capability to return FNOs as with other returnees. Since then, returns of FNOs have been gradually increasing, though in the latest year they were still 29% lower than the recent peak of 6,628 in the year ending March 2017.

2.5 Asylum-related returns

Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim or further submission at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been withdrawn, refused and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third-country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection but removed for other reasons (such as criminality).

Asylum-related returns include enforced, voluntary and port returns, unless stated otherwise.

In the year ending September 2024, there were 8,519 asylum-related returns, 52% more than the year ending September 2023 (5,617).

This increase is mainly due to a rise in the number of Albanian asylum-related returns (from 2,933 to 4,067). This follows the UK-Albania Joint Communique made in December 2022 and a general rise in initial decisions on asylum applications during the last year.

The number of people whose asylum claim was decided or withdrawn increased by 72% in the year ending September 2024. For more information on the reasons for this, please see the ‘How many cases are in the UK asylum system?’ topic. This may have led to the increase seen in the number of asylum-related returns in the latest year.

In the year ending September 2024, around a quarter (26%) of enforced and voluntary returns were asylum-related.

2.6 Small boat returns

Between 2018 and September 2024, there have been 4,420 returns of people who arrived by small boat, 3% of all small boat arrivals during this time.

In the year ending September 2024, there were 2,376 returns of people who had arrived by small boat, of these returns, 87% were of Albanian nationals (Figure 8).

This is a 53% increase on the number of small boat returns in the year ending September 2023 (1,551).

Small boat returns represent 8% of all enforced and voluntary returns during the year ending September 2024.

Further information about small boat arrivals can be found in the ‘How many people come to the UK irregularly?’ chapter.

Figure 8: Returns of small boat arrivals, by nationality, by return date, January 2018 to September 2024

Source: Subset of data in Irregular migration to the UK - Irr_02e

3. About the statistics

3.1 Immigration detention

The statistics in this section relate to detention solely under immigration powers. Statistics on foreign nationals held in prison for criminal offences are published by the Ministry of Justice in ‘Offender management statistics quarterly’.

One individual may enter or leave detention multiple times in a given period and will therefore have been counted multiple times in the statistics.

3.2 Returns

We revise the latest 8 quarters of data as part of each quarterly release. Therefore, data for the most recent 8 quarters should be considered provisional.

Data on voluntary returns is subject to upward revision, so comparisons over time should be made with caution. In some cases, individuals who have been told to leave the UK will not notify the Home Office of their departure from the UK. In such cases, it can take some time for the Home Office to become aware of such a departure and update the system. As a result, data for more recent periods will initially undercount the total number of returns. ‘Other verified returns’ are particularly affected by this. Further details on the revisions can be found in the returns section of the user guide.

The statistics in this section show the number of returns from the UK. One individual may have been returned more than once in a given period and, if that was the case, would be counted more than once in the statistics.

The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have a legal right to stay in the UK. This includes people who:

• enter, or attempt to enter, the UK illegally (including people entering irregularly and by means of deception on entry)
• are subject to deportation action; for example, due to a serious criminal conviction
• overstay their period of legal right to remain in the UK
• breach their conditions of leave
• have been refused asylum

The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily.

4. Data tables

Data referred to here can be found in the following tables:

• Immigration detention summary tables
• Detailed immigration detention datasets
• Returns summary tables
• Detailed returns datasets

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