Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons
Updated 26 August 2021
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Data relate to the year ending June 2021 and all comparisons are with the year ending June 2020, unless indicated otherwise.
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic. A range of restrictions were implemented in many parts of the world, and the first UK lockdown measures were announced on 23 March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the UK immigration system, both in terms of restricting migrant movements to and from the UK and the impact on operational capacity.
Year ending comparisons that follow will reflect the restrictions in place during this period of the pandemic.
This section contains data on:
- Family-related Entry clearance visas
- Dependants on other types of visas
- European Economic Area (EEA) family permits
- EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permits
1. Immigration for family reasons
There were 215,746 visas and permits granted for family reasons in the year ending June 2021, 40% more than the year ending June 2020 largely due to increases in dependants of people coming on work or study visas. A sharp fall in grants was seen in April to June 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of grants of visas and permits has begun to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
The year ending June 2021 total included:
- 47,833 family-related visas, 5% more than the previous year; almost three quarters (72%) of family-related visas granted in the year ending June 2021 were to partners, with the remainder comprising children or other dependants
- 97,189 dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas, up 46%; there were particularly large increases in grants to dependants of Sponsored study visa holders (up 13,423 to 29,967), and dependants of Skilled workers (up 13,479 to 50, 671)
- 18,910 EEA family permits, down 36%
- 51,814 EUSS family permits issued to non-EEA close family members of those granted settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme (up 307%); this increase is likely to be linked to publicisation of the EU Settlement Scheme deadline of 30 June 2021 for EEA citizens and their family members resident in the UK before the end of the transition period at 11pm on 31 December 2020.
Table 1: Family visas and permits granted, by visa type, years ending June 2020 and June 2021
| Visa type | Year ending June 2020 | Year ending June 2021 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-related visas | 45,350 | 47,833 | +2,483 | +5% |
| of which: | ||||
| Partners | 32,807 | 34,577 | +1,770 | +5% |
| Children | 5,999 | 6,416 | +417 | +7% |
| Other dependants | 6,544 | 6,840 | +296 | +5% |
| Dependants on other visas | 66,672 | 97,189 | +30,517 | +46% |
| Total family visas | 112,022 | 145,022 | +33,000 | +29% |
| EEA family permits | 29,527 | 18,910 | -10,617 | -36% |
| EU Settlement Scheme family permits1 | 12,733 | 51,814 | +39,081 | +307% |
| Total family permits | 42,260 | 70,724 | +28,464 | +67% |
| Total family visas and permits | 154,282 | 215,746 | +61,464 | +40% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019 for non-EU members of an EU family. 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.
Figure 1 shows that all family related visa and permit routes had been steadily increasing for a number of years prior to the pandemic, before falling sharply in 2020, with the exception being EUSS family permits, which continued to increase with 51,814 grants in the year ending June 2021. In Q2 2021, grants for all family-related visas and permits increased, with the number of grants for dependants on other visas increasing above pre-pandemic levels to 97,189.
Figure 1: Family-related visas and permits granted, by visa type, years ending June 2012 to June 2021
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- 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’.
- 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.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all visa application centres were closed at the end of March 2020 and only gradually reopened from June 2020. As a result, visa grant numbers were much lower than usual in April to June 2020, but significantly recovered in the second half of the year. Figure 2 shows that the recovery continued in Q1 2021 (January to March) and Q2 2021 (April to June) with monthly numbers of visas granted reaching higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Figure 2: Number of family visas and permits granted, by month, 2019, 2020 and 2021
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02 and underlying data
1.1 Family-related visas by nationality
There was a 5% overall increase in grants in the year ending June 2021 compared with the same quarter a year earlier, including increases for the top two nationalities: Pakistan (up 1,208 or 16%) and India (up 249 or 7%). This contrasts with the decreases in the previous two quarters due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pakistani nationals were granted the highest number of family-related visas in the year ending June 2021, accounting for just over one sixth (18%) of the total. In the year ending June 2021, the top five nationalities together accounted for two fifths (40%) of all family-related visas granted.
Table 2: Top five nationalities granted family-related visas, years ending June 2020 and June 2021
| Nationality | Year ending June 2020 | Year ending June 2021 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 7,477 | 8,685 | +1,208 | +16% |
| India | 3,372 | 3,621 | +249 | +7% |
| United States | 2,156 | 2,439 | +283 | +13% |
| Bangladesh | 2,143 | 2,423 | +280 | +13% |
| South Africa | 1,517 | 1,968 | +451 | +30% |
| All other nationalities | 28,685 | 28,697 | +12 | 0% |
| Total | 45,350 | 47,833 | +2,483 | +5% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Hong Kong nationals saw a rise in grants in the year ending June 2021 to 816 (up 315 or 63%). For information on the new British National Overseas (BN(O)) visa route please see the “How many people come to the UK each year” topic.
1.2 Dependants on other visas
In addition to family-related visas, other dependants can be granted visas to join or accompany migrants with visas for other purposes, such as work and study.
In the year ending June 2021, there were 97,189 visas granted to dependants on other visas, 46% higher than the previous year. This increase was largely due to an increase of 13,423 grants to dependants of those on sponsored study visas, and an increase of 13,479 to dependants of those in skilled worker visas.
Table 3: Visas granted to dependants on other visas1, years ending June 2020 and June 2021
| Visa category | Year ending June 2020 | Year ending June 2021 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Study | 16,544 | 29,967 | +13,423 | +81% |
| Skilled Work | 37,192 | 50,671 | +13,479 | +36% |
| Other Work Visas | 4,381 | 5,572 | +1,191 | +27% |
| Other Visas | 8,555 | 10,979 | +2,424 | +28% |
| Total | 66,672 | 97,189 | +30,517 | +46% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- Not all visas have a dedicated dependant visa, dependants on those routes are instead granted a general joining or accompanying visa which are contained in this category.
The change in the number of visas granted to dependants of migrants on work and student visas reflects the overall change in those routes – for more information, see the “Why do people come to the UK? To work” and the “Why do people come to the UK? To study” sections.
1.3 Family permits
EU Settlement Scheme and EEA family permits allow family members of EEA and Swiss nationals to live in the UK. The migrant joining should apply for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit if the family member they are joining has settled or pre-settled status under the scheme, otherwise prior to 1 July 2021 they could apply for an EEA family permit.
There was a total of 70,724 family permits granted in the year ending June 2021, 67% more than the previous year. From April to June 2021, there were 18,268 family permits granted, 16,197 more than in the same period a year earlier.
When split by route, there were 18,910 EEA family permits granted in the year ending June 2021, a decrease of 36%, following a downward trend since Q3 2019.
A further 51,814 EUSS family permits were granted in the year ending June 2021, up from 12,733 a year earlier. This increase is likely to be due to the EU Settlement Scheme deadline of the 30 June 2021.
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.
Before 2021, due to European Union (EU) freedom of movement principles, the majority of UK immigration control related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, unless otherwise stated, data in this release relate to both EEA and non-EEA nationals.
Entry clearance visas allow an individual to enter and stay in the UK within the period for which the visa is valid. From 2021, EEA nationals require a visa to enter the UK for family reasons, unless they are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme or a free EU Settlement Scheme family permit.
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), 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?’.
Prior to 1 July 2021, the EU Settlement Scheme family permit operated alongside the EEA family permit, which continued to provide a separate entry clearance route for those who qualified for it. The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit facilitates entry into the UK of an eligible 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 a 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
Until 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published long-term international migration (LTIM) estimates in its ‘Migration Statistics Quarterly Report’ (latest data available is for the year ending March 2020). The ONS are currently reviewing their methods for measuring population and migration; see their blog post for more information on the latest developments to ONS population and migration data.
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 summary tables
- Extensions summary tables
- Detailed Extensions datasets
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