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Developments in migration statistics

Updated 26 February 2026

The Home Office publishes a range of statistics on different aspects of the immigration system in its Migration statistics collection. Home Office statisticians ensure that the migration statistics are kept under review and make continual improvements to enhance both the statistics themselves and users’ understanding of them.

This publication outlines changes made to migration statistics in 2025 and planned developments in the future. We welcome feedback on these plans.

1. Improving Home Office migration statistics

1.1 Changes to range of publications

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors, including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as the quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Over the last year there have been several changes to the migration statistics collection, including new statistics being released, existing statistics that are undergoing changes, and some statistics being discontinued. Details on the changes made in each quarterly release of the immigration system statistics can be found in the “About this release” section of each publication.

The Monthly entry clearance visa applications publication was expanded in 2025 to include additional visa routes. This provides a more comprehensive overview of the visa routes people apply to come to the UK on.

1.2 Managed migration

From November 2025 the ‘How many people are granted settlement or citizenship?’ and ‘How many grants of settlement are made via the EU Settlement Scheme?’ chapters have been consolidated into one chapter ‘How many Indefinite Leave (Settlement and EUSS settled status) and Citizenship grants have been issued in the UK?’. This provides a more comprehensive overview of the pathways to indefinite leave.

Data on the Ukrainian Permission Extension scheme was added to the Immigration System Statistics series. This included grants and refusals for Ukrainian Permission Extension applications as part of the existing in-country extensions data. The scheme opened in February 2025 and allows Ukrainian nationals, and their family members, who are already in the UK with permission under one of the existing Ukraine schemes, to apply to extend their stay for up to a further 18 months. Further information can be found in the ‘How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?’ section.

The location and structure of data tables relating to safe and legal routes was amended to reflect the structure of the publication’s chapters. Examples of this include separating asylum data from safe and legal routes and consolidating Ukraine and British Nationals Overseas (BNO’s) into safe and legal data tables. This change provides a clearer and more consistent experience for users of the statistics.

The ‘Family’ category in the entry clearance visa datasets was amended to show Refugee Family Reunion cases separately (previously these were grouped under ‘Family: Other’). This provides users with more granular insights into the topic area.

A new detailed dataset on Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) applications and outcomes, by nationality, was introduced in the February 2025 release. This provided more detailed information on applications from nationalities who were rolled onto the scheme throughout 2025.

1.3 Asylum

In response to user demand, the dataset on asylum claims awaiting an initial decision was expanded to include: a breakdown of applicants by sex; and more granular time periods for ‘duration’ (that is, time awaiting an initial decision).

New data on asylum seekers’ route of entry to the UK was included in the ‘How many people claim asylum in the UK?’ chapter of the release, and in the asylum data tables. This expands on the existing data on the number of asylum seekers that arrived via small boat and provides users with a more comprehensive view of all asylum seekers route of entry to the UK or the pre-existing leave they held prior to their asylum claim. Making this data publicly available has served to inform public debate and uphold transparency of the evidence underpinning policy decisions, for example in the ‘Restoring control over the immigration system’ white paper and the Asylum and returns policy statement, both published in 2025.

1.4 Enforcement

New data and a new chapter on ‘what is being done to stop organised immigration crime?’ was published in November 2025. This includes the number of disruptions to offences which have the effect of exploiting vulnerable migrants by smuggling them across borders for profit. These statistics were introduced to provide transparent information to the public and Parliament following the establishment of the Border Security Command in July 2024, in response to clear public interest in this area.

Over the year, several ad hoc notes were published to provide an overview of the number of people who have been returned from the UK and data on illegal working activity. This data supplements the quarterly summary in the Immigration System Statistics report, providing clear and timely statistics for an area of high public interest. This supports the Office for Statistics Regulation’s principle of intelligent transparency. A list of ad hoc publications can be found on the Home Office migration analysis collection.

1.5 Migrant Journey publication

The Migrant Journey report provides a longitudinal analysis of changes in migrants leave. The 2025 annual report included analysis for the most recent year, without any significant changes to the release.

1.6 Data tables and accessibility

Spreadsheet formatting was updated following a review of the data tables released as part of the Immigration System Statistics. This update brings table accessibility and usability in line with best practice, outlined by the Analysis function.

The names, content and structure of the data tables have has been changed throughout 2025 to reflect the structure of the wider Immigration System Statistics releases, and support users of the statistics to find and use the relevant statistics.

2. IT systems development work

The UK’s immigration system and the routes migrants can take to the UK are subject to change. New routes are reflected in Home Office caseworking and reporting systems. Any changes, including new routes or schemes, will be clearly signposted in relevant statistical publications.

Home Office IT systems are undergoing significant transformation, including the replacement of legacy case working systems, from which administrative data used in the migration statistics are derived. This case working system transformation, along with the supporting data infrastructure changes that must follow, will continue during 2026. We expect to maintain use of the core functions of the systems over this period, including the development and publication of new migration statistics.

3. Data sharing and working with the Office for National Statistics and other parts of government

The Home Office is committed to supporting the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) cross-government programme of work on developing population and migration statistics. This includes working together, alongside our partners from the Government Statistical Service in other departments, to ensure that the statistical information on migration in the public domain is coherent and helps to inform both policy development and public debate. In addition to sharing expertise, the Home Office enables ONS analysts to access a range of immigration and borders data.

The Home Office have continued to support the ONS in developing their methods for improving migration estimates of EU nationals. The ONS reached the milestone of producing published estimates for EU nationals using Home Office Borders and Immigration data for the first time in their November 2025 release. More information on the implementation of their new method can be found at: ‘Implementing new methods for estimating the international migration of EU+ nationals, progress update’.

As part of the Refugee Integration Outcomes (RIO) project in collaboration with the ONS, Home Office refugee data has been shared and linked with data from the NHS, DWP and HMRC, with more linkages planned. The resulting dataset provides information to help researchers understand more about the outcomes of refugees in the UK. This information is informing operations and policy development to ensure the successful integration of this vulnerable population into communities for the benefit of all. Several reports utilising this work have been published in the Home Office migration analysis collection.

Home Office analysts worked with HMRC to develop insights on migrant earnings and employment, by linking Home Office visa records to HMRC earnings data. This collaboration led to new insights being published several reports within the Home Office migration research and analysis collection.

Home Office statisticians worked closely with DWP and MHCLG on publications with insight based on immigration status, such as DWP’s Universal credit statistics and MHCLG’s Rough sleeping data framework. This cross-government working allowed for consistency and coherence in how immigration status is reported across publications and departments.

ONS analysis of Home Office Borders and Immigration data continues to be a key aspect of their migration statistics development programme. The Home Office provides both data and advice to support ONS analysts in their understanding of immigration and help shape the development of new ONS migration statistics.

4. Future plans

At the end of 2025, the Office for Statistics Regulation and UK Statistics Authority released the updated Code of Practice for Statistics version 3.0. In 2026 the Home Office will continue to produce its migration statistics in line with the new Code of Practice.

Home Office statisticians are committed to continually improving the user experience and accessibility of the migration statistics publications for all users. This includes adapting the style of chapters and reports to support users and increase accessibility of key information.

An announcement made by the Home Office on 22nd April 2025 outlined measures the department are taking to improve the quality of information held and reported on Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) in the immigration system, including on convicted crime type, sentence length and nationality. Once this work has progressed, the Home Office proposes to publish additional statistical reporting on FNOs.

Home Office statisticians ensure that the migration statistics are kept under review and make continual improvements to enhance both the statistics themselves and users’ understanding of them.

5. Accredited Official Statistics

The immigration system statistics and other migration statistics releases are ‘Accredited Official Statistics’ (formerly known as ‘National Statistics’) or ‘Official statistics’. National Statistics is the legal term set out in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 for ‘Accredited Official Statistics’ that have been judged by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics. This means these statistics meet the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value as set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Further information about accredited official statistics can be found on the OSR’s website.

The UK Statistics Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation undertook a full assessment of the Home Office immigration statistics in February 2012. The continued designation of these statistics as National Statistics was again confirmed in September 2018, following a further compliance check by the Office for Statistics Regulation.