National statistics

Returns

Updated 26 May 2016

Valid: 26 May 2016 to 24 August 2016

Data below relate to year ending March 2016 and all comparisons are with year ending March 2015, unless indicated otherwise.

The term ‘return’ has been used extensively in place of removal or departure, where possible, in order to simplify the language used and bring the terminology in line with operational use and international definitions.

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1. Key facts

Enforced removals from the UK decreased by 8% to 11,637 in year ending March 2016 compared with the previous 12 month period (12,661).

In the year ending March 2016, there were 13,193 enforced returns. This includes 11,637 enforced removals and 1,556 other returns from detention. For more information see the Enforced returns section below.

The number of passengers refused entry at port and who subsequently departed has increased by 9% in year ending March 2016, to 17,752 from 16,302 in year ending March 2015. The number of passengers refused entry at port and subsequently departing has been increasing slowly since 2012.

In the year ending March 2016, provisional data show there were 5,692 returns of foreign national offenders (FNOs), using enforcement powers or via deportation. This was an 8% increase on the previous year (5,277).

2. Returns by type

Year	Total enforced removals	Total refused entry at port and subsequently departed	Total voluntary returns (1)
Year ending March 2012	14,855	14,999	27,164
Year ending March 2013	14,345	13,872	30,038
Year ending March 2014	12,893	14,551	32,396
Year ending March 2015	12,661	16,302	26,292
Year ending March 2016	11,637	17,752	28,236
Change: latest 12 months	-1,024	+1,450
Percentage change	-8%	+9%

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics January to March 2016, Returns table rv 01.
(1) The figures for total voluntary returns are particularly subject to upward revision as matching checks are made on travellers after departure (see the section ‘About the figures’), so care should be taken when interpreting these figures. Comparisons with the previous 12 months for voluntary returns have not been included here due to the retrospective nature of data-matching exercises. These figures will be subject to upward revision in future releases.

The number of people refused entry at port and subsequently departed has been lower in recent years compared to when the current data series began (in 2004). There was a sharp decrease from 31,859 in the year ending June 2009 to 13,871 in the year ending September 2012. There is no single cause identified for this fall, but it will in part reflect differing mix in arrivals. For example, one fifth (21%) of the decrease was due to a fall in the number of nationals of Afghanistan being refused entry and subsequently removed (-3,720). The overall falls are likely to be due to a combination of factors, including tighter screening of passengers prior to travel, increased use of voluntary return and changes in visa processes and regimes; for example, South African nationals have been required to have a visa for any length or type of visit to the UK since July 2009.

In the year ending March 2016, there were 28,236 voluntary returns. This category has represented the largest proportion of returns since June 2010. In the same period there were 1,860 voluntary returns of people who had sought asylum at some stage.

The number of voluntary returns had been growing for most of the past decade until the year ending March 2014. This coincides with the Home Office improving its contact management with migrants and its ability to track those that are leaving the UK. The figures include individuals who have been identified by administrative exercises as those who have overstayed their leave, and then subsequently left the UK without informing the Home Office. This identification process allows the Home Office to focus better its resources on those who remain in the UK. Due to the retrospective nature of data-matching exercises, the data on voluntary returns are particularly subject to upward revision as additional checks are made on travellers after departure.

3. Long-term trends in returns by type, by rolling year

Chart notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics January to March 2016, Returns table rv 01 q.

4. Enforced returns (including returns from detention)

As a result of feedback from users of the Returns statistics, Home Office statisticians have revised the existing terminology and category groupings to better reflect categories used operationally, as presented in the Summary table below.

Summary table: New returns categories

	2015
Total enforced returns	13,613
Detained enforced returns	12,070
Enforced removals from detention	10,513
Other returns from detention	1,557
Non-detained enforced removals	1,543
Voluntary returns (excludes returns from detention)	27,283
Total refused entry at port and subsequently departed	17,279

The aim of these changes are to produce a set of categories and naming that more accurately represent the types of returns taking place in practice. As a result, a number of categories have been renamed:

• other verified returns (previously ‘Other confirmed voluntary departures’) relate to persons who it has been established have left or have been identified leaving the UK without formally informing the immigration authorities of their departure; these persons can be identified either at embarkation controls or by data-matching
• since January 2016, the support formerly described as an Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) has been replaced with support provided by the Home Office’s Voluntary Returns Service (VRS); these are referred to in the tables as ‘Assisted returns’; the term ‘Assisted returns’ relates to support provided under AVR up to Q4 2015 and support under VRS from Q1 2016

Also from May 2016, separate categories have been added to Returns table rv_sum for the following:

• enforced removals from detention include all those who were subject to enforced removal either from detention or up to 2 days after leaving detention; there may be delays with flight arrangements or recording on the case-working system and a 2 day lag period will ensure most of the returns occurring following a period in detention are now included here
• non-detained enforced removals include all enforced removals taking place more than 2 days after leaving detention, or where there was no period of detention prior to the enforced removal
• other returns from detention relate to those returns occurring either from detention or up to 2 days after leaving detention AND where it had been established that a person has breached UK immigration laws and / or have no valid leave to remain in the UK; removal directions may or may not have been set but the person has notified the Home Office that they wish to make their own arrangements to leave the country and has provided evidence to this effect; the Home Office will have been required to facilitate or monitor the return
• enforced returns covers enforced removals from detention, non-detained enforced removals and other returns from detention where the Home Office will have been required to facilitate or monitor the return; this new grouping has been created to reflect the likely level of enforcement activity that led to these returns
• controlled returns relate to those returns occurring more than 2 days after leaving detention or where there was no period of detention prior to the return AND where it had been established that a person has breached UK immigration laws and / or has no valid leave to remain in the UK and the Home Office has actively facilitated or monitored the return; removal directions may or may not have been set but the person will have notified the Home Office that they intend to make their own arrangements to leave the country and provide evidence to this effect

In addition, the term ‘return’ has been used extensively in place of removal or departure, where possible, in order to simplify the language used and bring the terminology in line with operational use and international definitions. The underlying statistics collected have not been changed as a result of these clarifications, and appropriate comparisons are provided in the text below.

In the year ending March 2016, there were 13,193 enforced returns. This includes 10,021 enforced removals (from detention), 1,556 other returns from detention and 1,616 non-detained enforced removals. Voluntary returns (from detention) occur where an individual has been detained, but have made their own travel arrangements to leave the UK, and do so either from detention or up to 2 days after leaving detention. The Home Office may have been required to facilitate or monitor the return.

Users with any comments, suggestions or questions are encouraged to provide feedback, specifically on the new returns definitions by the end of June 2016, to the statistics team at: MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gsi.uk.

5. Asylum and non-asylum enforced removals

In the year ending March 2016, there were 2,811 enforced removals of people who had previously sought asylum, down 36% from the previous year (4,383). This figure is 76% lower than the peak in 2004 (11,743) when this data series began. This long-term decrease in the enforced removal of those who had sought asylum reflects the lower number of asylum applications since 2002.

Of the 11,637 total enforced removals, 76% were non-asylum cases (8,826), up from the previous year (8,278) but down from the peak of 10,070 in 2008.

6. Returns by nationality

The highest number of enforced removals in the year ending March 2016 was for Albanian nationals (1,288; 11% of the total) who have also shown the largest increase (+296; +30%) compared to the previous 12 months. The second highest was for Romanian nationals (1,169; 10% of the total) some of which may relate to specific enforcement activity related to groups of individuals from these countries.

The largest number of passengers refused entry at port and subsequently departed were United States nationals (1,755; 10% of the total), although their number also showed the largest decrease compared with the previous year (-263; -13%). United States citizens (and Brazilian nationals, the fourth largest number) who are not coming to the UK for work or for 6 months or more do not need to apply for, and be issued with, a visa prior to arrival. Therefore the first time that they can be refused entry will be on arrival in the UK.

The second largest number were nationals of Iraq (1,207; 7% of the total) who were also the nationality recording the largest increase compared with the previous year (+1,130; +1,468%). The increase in Iraqi nationals refused entry at the border and subsequently removed may be related to higher than average levels of refusals for asylum and visa applications associated with this nationality. In addition, Border Force have been working closely with the French authorities to reinforce security and support traffic flow at the juxtaposed ports since June 2015, which may have also resulted in an increase in the number of those refused at the border.

The highest number of voluntary returns in the year ending March 2016 was for Indian nationals (6,920; 25% of the total), which also showed the largest increase (+596; +9%), and the second highest number was for Pakistani nationals (3,677; 13% of the total).

For nationals of the European Union there were 25% more enforced removals (4,019) in the year ending March 2016 compared with the previous 12 months (3,218); 27% more passengers refused entry at port and subsequently departed (1,935 compared to 1,526); and 41% more voluntary returns (695 compared to 492). Increases in returns of EU nationals are accounted for by the return of people convicted of criminal offences and those not exercising their Treaty Rights.

7. Returns by ‘harm’ assessment

A harm matrix was introduced in 2007 and was introduced to assess whether the Home Office was removing the most harmful people; ‘higher harm’ assessments include people who have committed serious criminal and immigration offences. More information on the harm matrix is available in the User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics.

In the year ending March 2016, 11,637 enforced removals and 28,236 voluntary returns were subject to an assessment for a harm rating, of which 20% (2,346) and 1% (195) respectively were assessed as ‘highest harm’. This is compared to the previous year, with 16% (1,965) of total enforced removals and 1% (204) of total voluntary returns being assessed as ‘highest harm’.

8. Foreign national offenders

The Home Office also removes foreign national offenders (FNOs) using enforcement powers or via deportation. In the year ending March 2016, provisional data show that 5,692 FNOs were returned, an 8% increase on the previous year (5,277). This number is now the highest number since the series began in 2009.

9. Data tables

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

Returns vol. 1: tables rv sum to rv 03 q
The following tables are included in this volume:
rv_sum Summary: Returns by type
rv 01 Returns by type and asylum / non-asylum
rv 01q Returns by type and asylum / non-asylum
rv 02 Returns by type, asylum / non-asylum, age at departure date and sex
rv 03 Returns by country of nationality and type
rv 03q Returns by country of nationality and type

Returns vol. 2: Tables rv 04 to rv 04 q
The following tables are included in this volume:
rv 04 Returns by country of nationality, age and sex
rv 04 q Returns by country of nationality, age and sex

Returns vol. 3: Tables rv 05 to rv 08 q
The following tables are included in this volume:
rv 05 Returns by country of nationality and destination
rv 05 q Returns by country of nationality and destination
rv 06 Returns by country of destination and type
rv 06 q Returns by country of destination and type
rv 07 Returns of foreign national offenders
rv 08 Returns by harm assessment category
rv 08 q Returns by harm assessment category

10. Background information

The figures in this section relate to numbers of people, including dependants, leaving the UK either voluntarily when they no longer had a right to stay in the UK or where the Home Office has sought to return them to their own country, an EU Member State, or a third country where they are permanently admissible. While individuals refused entry at port and subsequently departing have not necessarily entered the country, their return requires action by the UK Border Force and Home Office, such as being placed on a flight, and is therefore included above.

10.1 Migration Transparency Data webpage

A range of key input and impact indicators are currently published by the Home Office on the Migration transparency data webpage.