National statistics

Family

Updated 3 March 2016

Valid: 25 February 2016 to 25 May 2016

Data relate to the calendar year 2015 and all comparisons are with the calendar year 2014, unless indicated otherwise.

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1.Key facts

There were 37,859 family-related visas granted in 2015. This is an increase of 9% compared with 2014 (34,876).

There was a 12% decrease in the number of visas granted to dependants (excluding visitor visas) joining or accompanying other migrants in the UK (68,699) compared with the previous 12 months (78,106).

There were 44,744 extensions of stay for family reasons in 2015. Of this total, 19,307 (43%) were granted under the Family Life (10-year) category and 25,378 (57%) were granted under the partner category.

Family-related grants to stay permanently (for settlement) fell by nearly a half (-49%) to 16,610 from the previous 12 months, continuing the downward trend since the year ending March 2010 (75,852). This reflects lower numbers granted family visas with a direct route to permanency and changes to the qualifying period for settlement. There were notable decreases in grants to partners (-50% to 14,053) in the last 12 months.

In the year ending September 2015 (the latest provisional data available), estimates from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) showed that 43,000 non-EU nationals immigrated long-term to the UK to accompany or join others, that is with the intention of staying for a year or more. This was an 11,000 decrease from 54,000 in the previous 12 months. Those arriving to accompany or join are not directly comparable with visa categories but will include both family-related migration and potentially dependants of other migrants, as explained below.

2.Family immigration: latest trends

	2014	2015	Change	Percentage change
Family-related visas granted	34,876	37,859	+2,983	+9%
of which:
Partners	26,944	29,577	+2,633	+10%
Children (1)	2,959	3,089	+130	+4%
Other dependants	4,973	5,193	+220	+4%
All dependants on other visas (excl. visitor visas)	78,106	68,699	-9,407	-12%
EEA family permits granted	24,985	30,309	+5,324	+21%
	Year ending September 2014	Year ending September 2015	Change	Percentage change
Long-term immigration to accompany or join others (2)	54,000	43,000	-11,000	-20%

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015 Visas table vi 01 q, Office for National Statistics Migration Statistics Quarterly Report
(1) This category does not include children of a parent given limited leave to enter or remain in the UK for a probationary period. They are included in ‘All dependants on other visas (excl. visitor visas)’.
(2) Immigration to accompany/join others data are estimates of the number of non-EU nationals intending to change their residence to the UK for at least 12 months based on the International Passenger Survey. Latest 12 months for long-term immigration to accompany or join others data are to the year ending September 2015 and are provisional.

3.Long-term trends in family immigration

IPS estimates of non-EU immigration of those accompanying or joining others in the UK include those arriving on family visas, as well as persons accompanying those who are arriving for other reasons, such as for work or study. In the year ending September 2015, IPS estimated that 43,000 non-EU nationals immigrated to the UK to accompany or join others.

The chart below shows that IPS estimates of immigration to accompany or join others have over the long term followed a broadly similar trend to the total number of visas granted by the Home Office through the family route and to other dependants. IPS estimates are substantially lower as they exclude people who come to the UK but intend to stay for less than a year. Both measures of immigration for family reasons/to accompany or join others have fallen over the long term since March 2007, albeit with short-term increases in 2010 and again in 2013. The estimate of long-term immigration to accompany or join rose from 35,000 in the year ending June 2013 to 54,000 in the year ending September 2014 and has since fallen to 43,000 in the year ending September 2015 bringing it more back into line with trends for visas.

The trend for IPS estimates has previously appeared to be broadly similar to figures for family visas alone; however, this is to some extent likely to be coincidental given the IPS category includes all migrants intending to stay for a year or more who describe their main reason for migration as to ‘accompany or join’, regardless of the type of visa they hold (so this would tend to include dependants of those arriving).

Long-term trends in family immigration

Chart notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015, Visas table vi 04 q; Office for National Statistics (provisional estimates for YE September 2015), Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.
(1) Includes all dependants (e.g. dependants for work and study), but excludes visitors.

4.Visas

There were 37,859 family-related visas granted in 2015. This number does not include dependants of other migrants who are discussed below. The number of family visas show a 9% increase compared with the previous year (34,876). Over three-quarters (78%) were granted to partners. Compared with 2014, the number of family visas granted to partners has increased by 10%. Forty per cent of family visas are accounted for by five nationalities (see table below).

Nationalities with the highest number of visas granted for family reasons in 2015

	Total	Partners	Children (1)	Other dependants (2)
Family-related visas granted	37,859	29,577	3,089	5,193
of which:
Pakistan	5,474	5,096	60	318
India	3,676	3,302	329	45
United States	2,091	2,049	23	19
Syria	1,933	88	6	1,839
Bangladesh	1,867	1,778	55	34

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015 Visas table vi 06 q f
(1) This category does not include children of a parent given limited leave to enter or remain in the UK for a probationary period.
(2) Includes family reunion cases (pre-existing partners and minor children of persons granted refugee status or humanitarian protection). The relatively high numbers for Syrian nationals reflects large numbers of family reunion cases.

Other dependants on non-family-related visas can be granted a visa to join or accompany migrants who have been granted the right to enter the UK for other purposes, such as to work or to study. In 2015, 68,699 of these visas (excluding visitors) were granted, a decrease of 12% compared with 2014 (78,106) and 36% lower than the peak of 106,723 in the year ending March 2007. Of the 68,699 visas granted, 63% (43,551) were granted to other dependants of workers, 22% (15,347) to other dependants of students and 14% (9,801) to other dependants accompanying or joining a migrant in the UK.

5.Admissions

Admissions for family reasons fell to 20,500 in the year ending June 2015 (compared with 24,600 in the previous 12 months), continuing the overall trend since 2006.

6.Extensions of stay

Statistics on extensions of stay relate to people wishing to extend or change the status of their stay in the UK. One of the ways that people can do this is for family reasons, including by applying to remain through the Family Life (10-year) route.

There were 44,744 grants of extension for family-related reasons in 2015, an increase from 36,634 in 2014, which was mainly accounted for by a 6,174 rise in grants to partners. This is likely to reflect the increase in the probationary period before an individual can apply to stay in the UK permanently (settlement) and a requirement for individuals to renew their temporary leave after two and a half years under the new family Immigration Rules implemented from 9 July 2012. Those granted an extension will therefore include those granted an initial period of limited leave to remain as a partner on the family route as well as those granted a subsequent period of limited leave to remain. For further details see the family section of the user guide.

Grants of extension for family-related reasons

	2014	2015	Change	Percentage change
Total grants of extension for family-related reasons	36,634	44,744	+8,110	+22%
of which:
Family Life (10-year route) (1)	17,341	19,307	+1,966	+11%
Partner	19,204	25,378	+6,174	+32%

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015 Extensions table ex 01 q
(1) Partners and parents who apply in the UK and are granted leave to remain on a 10-year route to settlement on the basis of their family life where the relevant provisions in Immigration Rules Appendix FM apply.
(2) Total grants also include Fiancé(e)s, UK Born children and Other relatives.

Dependants of migrants in other routes, for example workers and students, excluding visitors, can also apply to extend their stay in the UK. In 2015, 48,632 extensions were granted to dependants (excluding visitors), a decrease of 5,156 (-10%) from 2014.

Analysis of extensions of stay by previous category shows that the 32,715 extensions granted in 2014 for family reasons (to main applicants only) included 10,639 people previously in the family route (33%), 3,957 former students (12%), and 3,195 previously in the work category (10%). Of the other family extensions, in most cases the previous category was unknown or unrecorded.

7.Settlement

Family-related grants of settlement (to allow individuals to stay permanently) fell by nearly a half (-49%), to 16,610 in 2015. This continues the overall downward trend since the year ending March 2010 (75,852). The majority of settlement grants were for partners (14,053; 85%), with the remainder for children (2,338; 14%), parents and grandparents (60; 0%) and other or unspecified dependants (159; 1%).

There were decreases in all the family categories: a 50% fall (-14,177) in grants to partners, a 43% fall (-1,763) in grants to children, a 68% fall (-127) in grants to parents and grandparents and a 52% fall (-169) in grants to other or unspecified dependants.

These decreases may partly reflect changes to the family Immigration Rules in July 2012, including how quickly partners qualify for settlement, as well as changing levels of grants for entry clearance visas and of extensions in previous years. Details of the July 2012 rule changes are included in the family section of the user guide.

8.Staying in the UK

Analysis of administrative records for migrants granted visas in 2009 is presented in the Migrant Journey Sixth Report and shows that around three-quarters of people (77%) issued a family visa in the 2009 cohort had been granted settlement 5 years later, with a further 4% recorded as still having valid leave to remain in the UK. The proportion of family visa holders remaining in the UK legally 5 years after arrival has risen in each successive cohort between 2004 and 2008, while the 2009 figure is the same as that for the 2008 arrivals. This is an increase from 2004 when 68% of migrants granted family visas still had legal leave to remain 5 years after their arrival.

The proportion who had achieved permanent settlement within 5 years of being issued a family visa also differs by nationality. For example, a lower proportion of American (63%) or Somali (62%) nationals were settled after 5 years, compared with nationals from Bangladesh (92%), Pakistan (86%) and India (84%). Further information can be found in the Home Office Migrant Journey Sixth Report.

9.Residence document decisions

Under European law, EEA nationals do not need to obtain documentation confirming their right of residence in the UK. However, if they want to support an application for a residence card for any non-EEA family members, they must provide evidence to demonstrate they are residing in the UK in accordance with the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006.

In 2014 there were 100,667 decisions on applications for EEA residence documents, slightly lower than in 2013 (102,088), the highest year on record (i.e. since this series began in 2004).

Grants of documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards have risen in recent years to 19,749 in 2014. This may reflect the increasing numbers living in the UK under the EEA Regulations for 5 years or more who choose to obtain a right of permanent residence and become eligible to apply for permanent residence documentation. Since 2010 Poland has been the top nationality granted documents certifying permanent residence (3,066 in 2014). Before 2010 Portugal was the top nationality.

Grants of registration certificates and registration cards rose by 10% to 42,638 in 2014, but had shown a generally falling trend between 2007 and 2012. Nationals of Portugal were granted the most registration certificates in 2012, 2013 and 2014 with nationals of Poland granted the most in 2006 to 2011.

Data on grants and refusals of residence documentation in 2015 are planned to be published in Immigration Statistics January to March 2016, due to be released on 26 May 2016.

10.Data tables

Data on family immigration, sourced from Home Office administrative systems, can be found in the following tables:

Visas vol. 1: Tables vi 01 q, vi 04 and vi 04 q
vi 01 q Entry clearance visa applications and resolution by category
vi 04 Entry clearance visas granted by category
vi 04 q Entry clearance visas granted by category

Visas vol. 3: Table vi 06 q f
vi 06 q f Entry clearance visas granted by category and country of nationality: Family

Admissions: Tables ad 02 to ad 03 f
Extensions: Tables ex 01, ex 01 q, ex 02, ex 02 f and expc 01 f
Settlement: Tables se 02 to se 04
European Economic Area: Table ee 02
Family: Tables fa 01 to fa 04.

11.Background information

This section includes figures on family-related visas granted, passenger arrivals, extensions granted and permissions to stay permanently (settlement) for non-EEA nationals. It also includes estimates of long-term immigration (i.e. those intending to stay for at least 12 months) from the ONS International Passenger Survey (IPS) and on residence document decisions covering EEA nationals and their family members.

People can come to the UK for a range of family reasons, such as to join or accompany family members who are either British citizens or settled in the UK, mainly partners, as ‘other dependants joining or accompanying’ those working or studying in the UK, or as visitors.

Data include dependants unless otherwise stated.

More detailed analysis on family visas and extensions and additional tables for years ending June were 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. Updates of the additional tables and analysis were included in the ‘Immigration Statistics April to June 2015’ release.

The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of those coming to join or accompany others.Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.