FOI release

SIA licensing of foreign nationals over the past 20 years

Published 10 April 2026

Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the SIA licensing of foreign nationals over the past 20 years. Specifically, I would like to know:

1. The number of foreign nationals who have been granted an SIA licence during this period.
2. The countries of origin of these foreign nationals.
3. The religion and ethnicity of these individuals.
4. The procedures used to vet and verify their identities.
5. The standards and requirements for passing the English language proficiency tests.

Response

We confirm that the SIA holds this information. The information relating to questions 2 and 3 has been provided in CSV files.

For context, a total of 1,241,496 SIA licences were granted from October 2005 until 6 November 2025. This total figure includes all nationalities.

Question 1

A total of 462,210 SIA licences were granted to foreign nationals from October 2005 until 6 November 2025. There were 2,264 licences granted where the individual had a blank Nationality field during this period. The blank fields are likely to be due to the limitations of our previous licensing system, before we launched our current system in 2016, where the information was either not captured or was unavailable.

For clarity, the figures are not cumulative across the years as the same individual may have applied in multiple years.

Question 2

The CSV file ‘Q2. Foreign Nationals’ shows the number of SIA licences granted by nationality from October 2005 until 6 November 2025. There were 3,439 licences granted where the individual had a blank Country of Birth field during this period. The blank fields are likely to be due to the limitations of our previous licensing system, before we launched our current system in 2016, where the information was either not captured or was unavailable.

The figures are not cumulative across the years as the same individual may have applied in multiple years.

For confidentiality reasons, data counts below 10 have been suppressed and presented as “<10”.

Question 3

The CSV file ‘Q3. Foreign Nationals Ethnicity’ shows the number of SIA licences granted by ethnicity from 24 March 2022 until 6 November 2025.

The CSV file ‘Q3. Foreign Nationals Religion’ shows the number of SIA licences granted by religion from 24 March 2022 until 6 November 2025.

The figures contained in these CSV files are not cumulative across the years as the same individual may have applied in multiple years.

This timeframe reflects the period from which applicants were required to provide protected characteristics data as part of the application process, which became a mandatory requirement from 24 March 2022.

The blank fields are mainly for applications submitted by businesses on behalf of individuals, where the provision of protected characteristics data, including ethnicity, remains optional.

For confidentiality reasons, data counts below 10 have been suppressed and presented as “<10”.

Question 4

The SIA does not vet applicants and instead applies rules called “criteria” to decide whether or not to grant an individual a licence. A document called SIA: Get Licensed - GOV.UK sets out our licensing criteria and processes.

To qualify for a licence to work in any front line licensable activity, an individual must:

• be aged 18 or over
• pass an identity check
• pass a criminal record check
• have the appropriate, SIA recognised, licence-linked qualification
• have the right to work in the United Kingdom (UK)

To qualify for a licence to operate in a non-front line role, such as a manager or supervisor, an individual must:

• be aged 18 or over
• pass an identity check
• pass a criminal record check
• have the right to work in the UK

Please note that the SIA may grant a non-front line licence to an applicant if they do not have the right to work in the UK, but they are a Director of a UK-registered company or one of its parent companies.

The process for verifying an applicant’s identity is set out online under our guidance: Apply for an SIA licence. For ease of navigation please refer to the relevant section under this guidance: ‘Check you have the right documents to prove your identity’.

For clarity, the SIA generally requires first time licence applicants to visit the Post Office to prove their identity.

Question 5

A prerequisite to obtaining a qualification to apply for a SIA licence is that all learners should, as a minimum, have language skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening equivalent to the following:

• a B2 Level qualification on the Home Office’s list of recognised English tests and qualifications
• a B2 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
• an ESOL qualification at (Level 1) on the Ofqual register taken in England, Wales or Northern Ireland
• an ESOL qualification at Scottish Credit and qualifications Framework Level 5 awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and taken in Scotland
• Functional Skills Level 1 in English
• SQA Core Skills in Communication at Scottish Credit and qualifications Framework Level 5
• Essential Skills Wales Communication Level 1

This prerequisite ensures that individuals applying for an SIA licence possess the necessary level of English to effectively perform the role of a security operative.

[Ref: FOI 0588]