1. How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)?
There were an estimated 30.2 million passenger arrivals in 2021 (including returning UK residents), around a quarter (23%) less than the previous year, due to the travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were 1,311,731 visas granted in 2021, 59% less than 2019 as a result of the global pandemic, but 36% higher than 2020. Of the visas granted in the latest 12 months, 33% were for study, 31% were to visit, 18% were to work, 3% were for family, and 14% for other reasons.
There were 15,600 applications for the BN(O) route in Q4 of 2021, with 14,471 out of country applications, and 1,100 in country applications. There have been a total of 103,900 applications for the BN(O) route in 2021 since its introduction on 31st January.
2. Why do people come to the UK?
2.1 Work
There were 239,987 work-related visas granted in 2021 (including dependants). This was a 110% increase on 2020, and 25% higher than in 2019.
Skilled work, which accounts for 63% of work-related visas granted, saw the largest growth in visa numbers from 2019 and increased by 37,551 or 33%. High value, Skilled worker, Temporary worker and Other work visas and exemptions routes all rose compared to the previous year. These increases will in part reflect a recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Skilled work and Temporary work visas are also now substantially higher than the pre-COVID 19 level in 2019.
The new Skilled work routes introduced in late 2020 (Skilled worker, Skilled worker Health and Care, and Intra-company transfer) accounted for 148,240 or 62% of the total work-related visas granted and made up 98% of all Skilled work grants in 2021.
‘Seasonal Workers’ made up over half (55%) of all Temporary work grants, and saw a large increase, up from 7,211 in the previous year to 29,631 (+311%). This route came into effect in Q1 2019, and the growth in this route reflect the quota increases for the Seasonal Worker visa, which increased from 2,500 in 2019 to a current quota of 30,000 visas.
2.2 Study
In 2021, there were 432,279 Sponsored study visas granted (to both main applicants and their dependants), 89% (203,313) more than the previous year and 52% (147,558) higher than 2019.
This is the highest annual number of Sponsored study visas granted on record with the substantial increase representing both a recovery from lower numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic but also an increase on the pre-pandemic period.
Chinese nationals were the most common nationality granted Sponsored study visas in 2021, with 119,334 visas granted, similar to that seen in 2019 (119,825). This accounted for 28% of the total Sponsored study visas granted, much lower than the peak of 43% granted in the year ending September 2019. COVID-19 restrictions were implemented early in China, from January 2020, and may have disproportionately affected the number of study grants to Chinese students in 2020.
Nigerian nationals saw the largest relative increase in Sponsored Study grants compared with 2019, increasing by 34,816 (+415%) to a record high of 43,200, making them the third largest nationality group this year.
2.3 Family
There were 280,776 visas and permits granted for family reasons in 2021, 105% more than 2020. A sharp fall in grants was seen in April to June 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of grants of visas and permits has begun to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
There were 171,159 grants of visas to dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas, up 165% in the last year and up 111% since 2019; there were particularly large increases in grants to dependants of Sponsored study visa holders (from 19,139 in 2020 to 55,097 in 2021), and dependants of Skilled workers (up 34,516 to 69,488). The increase also partly reflects the introduction of the BN(O) route, the dependants of which account for 31,100 visas granted in 2021.
There were 59,254 EUSS family permits issued to family members of those EEA or Swiss citizens granted or eligible for settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme on the basis of residence in the UK before the end of the transition period at 11pm on 31 December 2020 (up 210%). This is likely to be linked to growing awareness of the route which opened in March 2019 and closure of the EEA family permit route.
3. How many people do we grant asylum or protection to?
The UK offered protection to 14,734 people (including dependants) in 2021, in the form of asylum, humanitarian protection, alternative forms of leave and resettlement. Resettlement accounted for 1,587 of those people (11%); this does not include the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, as the first eligible person was relocated under the scheme on 6 January 2022 (after the period referred to in this publication), and will be included in future releases. The number of people offered protection was 49% higher than the previous year, and similar to levels seen from 2015 to 2018.
There were 48,540 asylum applications (main applicants only) in the UK in 2021, this is 63% more than the previous year. This is higher than at the peak of the European Migration crisis (36,546 applications in 2015-2016) and the highest number of applications for almost two decades (since 2003).
In 2021, there were 14,572 initial decisions made on asylum applications, 2% more than in the previous year. Almost three quarters (72%) of the initial decisions in 2021 were grants (of asylum, humanitarian protection or alternative forms of leave), up substantially from the previous year (46%) and the highest since 82% in 1990. The rise in grant rate is in part because of the low number of third country refusals (affected by the UK leaving the EU), although the overall grant rate can vary for a number of reasons.
4. How many people continue their stay in the UK or apply to stay permanently?
4.1 Extension of temporary stay in the UK
Excluding extensions granted to individuals who were unable to leave the UK because of travel restrictions or self-isolation related to COVID-19, there were 406,410 decisions on applications to extend a person’s stay in the UK (including dependants) in 2021, 75% more than a year earlier and 32% more than in 2019.
4.2 Settlement
There were 107,976 decisions on applications for settlement in the UK in 2021, a 24% increase on the previous year and 14% more than in 2019. Of these, 106,192 (98%) resulted in a grant.
4.3 EEA nationals and their family members
Documents issued under European law are no longer valid as evidence of a right of residence in the UK. However, applications received before 1 January 2021 are still being processed. More information is available on the relevant visas and immigration pages on GOV.UK.
In 2021, there were a total of 8,428 decisions in applications for EEA residence documents, less than one fifth of the number in the previous year. This included 2,833 registration certificates and registration cards issued, and 1,191 documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards issued.
The Home Office publishes updates to headline EU Settlement Scheme numbers on a monthly basis, with more detailed statistical reports published quarterly. The latest data show that 6.44 million applications to the EU Settlement Scheme had been received up to 31 January 2022.
4.4 Citizenship
There were 179,968 applications for British citizenship in 2021, 5% more than in 2020, and 3% more than in 2019.
Applications for citizenship by EU nationals fell by 3% compared to 2020, to 57,604, but rose by 16% compared with 2019. The number of non-EU applications has remained broadly stable since 2014, whilst EU applications have increased up to mid-2021. EU nationals account for almost a third (32%) of all citizenship applications compared with 12% in 2016. Increases in citizenship applications from EU nationals since 2016 are likely to reflect more people seeking to confirm their status in the UK following the EU referendum and the UK’s exit from the EU.
There were 190,175 grants of British citizenship in 2021, 46% more than in 2020, and 19% more than in 2019. This was due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic response and comes after a period of relative stability since 2014.
5. How many people are detained or returned?
5.1 Immigration detention
24,497 people entered immigration detention in 2021, 65% higher than the previous year when there was a large fall following the COVID-19 outbreak. Although in part affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, this continues a general downward trend since 2015 when the number entering detention peaked at over 32,000.
At the end of December 2021, there were 1,179 people in immigration detention (including those detained under immigration powers in prison), 69% more than at the end of June 2020 (698) when the impact of the pandemic was most pronounced, but 28% fewer than pre-pandemic levels at the end of December 2019 (1,637).
24,280 people left detention in 2021 which is 57% more than the previous year. Around three-quarters (76%) had been detained for seven days or fewer, compared with 54% in 2020 and 39% in 2019 pre-pandemic. This is in part due to an increasing proportion of detainees being those detained for short periods on arrival to the UK before being bailed, typically while their asylum (or other) application is considered.
5.2 Returns
In the year ending September 2021, enforced returns from the UK decreased to 2,830, around a third (35%) fewer than the previous year and 61% fewer than pre-pandemic levels in the year ending December 2019. The vast majority of enforced returns in the latest year were of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs).
Enforced returns have been declining since the peak in 2012 with the recent sharp fall related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of enforced returns were very low during quarters that coincided with lockdowns starting in late March 2020 and early January 2021 (362 and 422). Numbers have increased to around 800 per quarter, however this is still below pre-pandemic levels (which saw around 1,800 returns per quarter).
In the year ending September 2021, there were 2,732 FNOs returned from the UK, 20% fewer than the previous year and 47% fewer than the year ending December 2019 before the pandemic began. FNO returns had fallen to 5,128 in 2019, following a steady increase between 2011 and 2016 due to more FNOs from the EU being returned.
FNO figures are a subset of the total returns figures and constitute 33% of enforced and voluntary returns, with the majority being enforced returns.
National statistics:Summary of UK Immigration statistics, year ending December 2021.
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