National statistics

Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons

Published 21 May 2020

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Data relate to the year ending March 2020 and all comparisons are with the year ending March 2019, unless indicated otherwise. A more detailed annual summary can be found in ‘Immigration statistics, year ending June 2019 second edition’.

This section contains data on:

• family-related entry clearance visas
• dependants on other types of visas (excluding visitor visas)
• European Economic Area (EEA) family permits
• EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permits

1. Immigration for family reasons

There were 194,746 visas and permits granted for family reasons in the year ending March 2020, 21% more than the year ending March 2019. The total included:

• 56,908 family-related visas, 19% higher than the previous year, with a notable increase in grants to partners of British citizens or people already settled in the UK (up 14% to 40,784)
• 85,536 dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas (excluding Visitor visas), up 17%; the increase was partly due to more grants to dependants of those on Tier 4 (Sponsored study) visas (up 38% to 18,609)
• 40,232 EEA family permits, down less than one percent
• 12,070 EUSS family permits issued to non-EEA close family members of those granted settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme

Table 1: Family visas and permits granted, by visa type

Visa type	Year ending March 2019	Year ending March 2020	Change	Percentage change
Family-related visas granted	47,636	56,908	+9,272	+19%
of which:
Partners	35,748	40,784	+5,036	+14%
Children1	6,113	7,678	+1,565	+26%
Other dependants	5,775	8,446	+2,671	+46%
Dependants on other visas2	73,169	85,536	+12,367	+17%
Total family visas	120,805	142,444	+21,639	+18%
EEA Family permits	40,412	40,232	-180	0%
EU Settlement Scheme family permits3	z	12,070	z	z
Total family permits	40,412	52,302	+11,890	+29%

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02

Notes:

1. From December 2017, data on ‘Family-related visas granted’ to children include children of a parent given limited leave to enter or remain in the UK for a probationary period. These were previously included as ‘Dependants on other visas (excl. Visitor visas)’. The increase in grants to children in the year ending September 2019 reflects this change.
2. Excludes dependants of those on Visitor visas.
3. The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make a further application to the EU Settlement Scheme once in the UK.
   z = not applicable.

Figure 1: Family-related visas and permits granted, by visa type, years ending March 2011 to March 2020

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02

Notes:

1. Includes dependants of those coming on other visa categories (such as work and study) but excludes dependants of those on Visitor visas.
2. From 29 November 2010, all non-EEA nationals applying to enter or extend their stay as a partner of a British citizen, or settled person, were required to demonstrate a level of English, except in certain circumstances. This change coincided with a fall in family-related visas granted.
3. Several changes to the Immigration Rules came into effect on 9 July 2012. Further details on the rule changes can be found in the user guide and in the additional analysis provided in ‘Immigration statistics, July to September 2014’.
4. The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make a further application to the EU Settlement Scheme once in the UK.

1.1 The effects of COVID-19 on immigration for family reasons

The Home Office is publishing a separate report on 28 May 2020, which will provide a statistical overview of COVID-19 impacts on the immigration system through into April. However, some changes were already visible in the period to the end of March 2020.

In the first quarter of this year (January to March 2020), the number of applications for all family visas and permits was 23% higher than Q1 2019, however applications fell in March 2020 compared with March 2019, which is likely to be related to the effects of the COVID-19, in particular for Chinese nationals.

At the same time, the number of family visas and permits issued in the first quarter of 2020 increased by 9% compared with the same quarter in the previous year, although there was also a reduction towards the end of March 2020.

2. About these statistics

The statistics in this section provide an indication of the number of people who had an intention to enter the UK for family reasons.

Entry clearance visas allow an individual to enter and stay in the UK within the period for which the visa is valid. EEA nationals do not require a visa to enter the UK.

Data in this section refer to the number of Entry clearance visas granted for family reasons (including those issued to dependants of those travelling on other types of visas, excluding Visitor visas), EEA Family permits and EU Settlement Scheme family permits granted, within the period. If an individual was granted a visa more than once in a given period, this has been counted as multiple grants in the statistics. If an individual entered the UK multiple times within the period for which a visa was valid, this has been counted as one grant in the visa statistics.

The data do not show whether, or when, an individual arrived in the UK, what they did on arrival to the UK, or how long they stayed in the UK.

Year-on-year comparisons of the number of decisions can be affected by quarterly fluctuations in the data. These fluctuations can be examined in the quarterly data in the published tables.

Additional analysis on Family visas was 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 (updated in the ‘Immigration statistics, April to June 2015’ release).

For figures on family-related grants of settlement as well as residence documentation issued to EEA nationals and their family members, see ‘How many people continue their stay in the UK?’. Data on the Family reunion visa category can be found in the ‘How many people do we grant asylum or protection to?’ section.

The EU Settlement Scheme family permit operates alongside the EEA family permit, which continues to provide a separate entry clearance route for those who qualify for it. The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit facilitates entry into the UK of an eligible non-EEA citizen family member in order to join, or accompany, an EEA or Swiss citizen who has been granted settled status or pre-settled status under the EUSS. This is separate entry clearance route from those applying directly to the EU Settlement Scheme. EU Settlement Scheme statistics are published by the Home Office on a monthly basis. More detailed breakdowns are provided on a quarterly basis.

2.1 Other sources

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes long-term international migration (LTIM) estimates in its ‘Migration to and from the UK report’. The report includes estimates from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) on the number of people coming to the UK with the intention of staying for 12 months or more for work, study, family and other reasons. Estimates are available for EU, non-EU and British nationals. IPS data are not directly comparable with Home Office visa data for several reasons. See the ONS article ‘Comparing sources of international migration statistics’ for details.

3. Data tables

Data on family immigration can be found in the following tables:

• Entry clearance visa summary tables
• Detailed Entry clearance visa datasets
• Admissions tables
• Extensions summary tables
• Detailed Extensions datasets .

We welcome your feedback

If you have any comments or suggestions for the development of this report, please provide feedback by emailing MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please include the words ‘PUBLICATION FEEDBACK’ in the subject of your email.

See section 7 of the ‘About this release’ section for more details.