National statistics

Overview of the immigration system

Published 24 May 2018

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2018/overview-of-the-immigration-system

Back to ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2018’ content page.

This is not the latest release. View latest release.

The Home Office’s ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2018’ release provides the latest figures on persons who are subject to United Kingdom immigration controls. All data below relate to the year ending March 2018 (01 April 2017 to 31 March 2018) and all comparisons are with the year ending March 2017 (01 April 2016 to 31 March 2017), unless stated otherwise.

The Immigration Statistics release provides information on the Home Office’s operation of immigration control and related processes, including the work of UK Border Force, UK Visas and Immigration, and Immigration Enforcement.

Figures on performance against service standards and processing times are published as part of the Home Office Migration transparency data.

The Home Office publish a range of other research on migration, available at the Migration research and analysis page. Details on the developments and future plans for Home Office migration statistics can be found in Developments in migration statistics since 2010.

The diagram below provides a summary of immigration control for non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and does not include a reference to all aspects of immigration.

Summary of UK immigration system1,2

The chart provides a summary of immigration control for non-EEA nationals.

Chart notes:

  1. This flowchart provides a summary of immigration control for non-EEA nationals and does not include a reference to all aspects of immigration; the chart also excludes references to resettled refugees and appeals.
  2. Non-visa nationals seeking to enter the United Kingdom in a visa category or for longer than 6 months require a visa, whereas those seeking to enter the United Kingdom for 6 months or less do not.
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