Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons
Published 24 November 2022
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Data relate to the year ending September 2022 and all comparisons are with the calendar year 2019 (unless indicated otherwise), reflecting a comparison with the period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Year ending comparisons that follow will include impacts resulting from the restrictions in place during this period of the pandemic. All data include dependants, unless indicated otherwise.
The number of dependants joining those on work and study visas (which are distinct from family visas) can be found in the relevant “Why do people come to the UK to work”, and “Why to people come to the UK to study” topics.
1. Immigration for family reasons
‘Family’ related visas relate to persons wishing to live with a family member as designated within the immigration rules and will include people coming to join British citizens as well as those coming to join another settled migrant in the UK as part of their family. They also include those granted a visa under the EU Settlement Scheme family permit.
There were 38,597 family-related visas granted in the year ending September 2022, almost one third (31%) fewer than 2019. Nearly three quarters (73%) of family-related visas granted in the year ending September 2022 were to partners, with the remainder being for children or other dependants.
37,779 EU Settlement Scheme permits were issued in the year ending September 2022 to family members of people from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland granted or eligible for settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme on the basis of residence in the UK before the end of the transition period. A total of 106,524 visas have been issued under this scheme since it opened in March 2019.
Table 1: Family visas and permits granted, by visa type, 2019, and year ending September 2022
| Visa type | Year 2019 | Year ending September 2022 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-related visas | 55,643 | 38,597 | -17,046 | -31% |
| of which: | ||||
| Partners | 40,317 | 28,257 | -12,060 | -30% |
| Children | 7,574 | 5,330 | -2,244 | -30% |
| Other dependants | 7,752 | 5,010 | -2,742 | -35% |
| Family permits | 52,303 | 37,815 | -14,488 | -28% |
| EEA family permits | 45,692 | 36 | -45,656 | -100% |
| EU Settlement Scheme family permits1 | 6,611 | 37,779 | - | - |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- The EU Settlement Scheme permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019 for certain family members of EEA and Swiss citizens resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. Data for 2019 relate to a 9-month period (30 March to 31 December), therefore changes with the year ending September 2022 (a 12-month period) have not been provided in the table. There were 11,361 grants in the first full year of the scheme (year ending March 2020), just over a quarter of the number in the year ending September 2022.
Figure 1: Family-related visas and permits granted1, by visa type, year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2022
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- The EU Settlement Scheme permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019 for certain family members of EEA and Swiss citizens resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. It can also be used by certain family members of certain British citizens returning from the EEA or Switzerland. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make an 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, peaking in the year ending December 2021.
1.1 Family-related visas by nationality
Family-related visa grants were almost one third (31%) lower in the year ending September 2022 compared with 2019, the last full year prior to the pandemic.
In the year ending September 2022, the top 5 nationalities together accounted for almost two fifths (37%) of all family-related visas granted.
Pakistani nationals were granted the highest number of family-related visas in the year ending September 2022, as was the case prior to the pandemic. They accounted for 17% of the total (6,464), more than twice the number of Indian nationals (2,576), the next largest nationality on this route. The third largest nationality were Americans, with 1,752 visas granted, and all 3 of the top nationalities saw larger than average reductions in family visa numbers compared to the year immediately prior to the pandemic.
Table 2: Top 5 nationalities granted family-related visas, 2019, and year ending September 2022
| Nationality | Year 2019 | Year ending September 2022 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 9,507 | 6,464 | -3,043 | -32% |
| India | 4,276 | 2,576 | -1,700 | -40% |
| United States | 2,795 | 1,752 | -1,043 | -37% |
| South Africa | 1,804 | 1,708 | -96 | -5% |
| Nigeria | 1,963 | 1,625 | -338 | -17% |
| All other nationalities | 35,298 | 24,472 | -10,826 | -31% |
| Total | 55,643 | 38,597 | -17,046 | -31% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
1.2 EUSS and EEA family permits
EUSS family permits and EEA family permits allow eligible family members of people from the EU, EEA and Switzerland (and of certain British citizens returning to the UK from the EEA or Switzerland) to travel to the UK. After 30 June 2021, EEA family permits were no longer valid for travel to the UK.
There was a total of 37,815 family permits granted in the year ending September 2022, this represents a 28% decrease since 2019 (down 14,488 from 52,303).
There was a total of 37,779 EU Settlement Scheme permits granted in the year ending September 2022. While this is 31,168 more than in 2019, the scheme started in March 2019 which will affect this comparison. Comparing to the year ending September 2021, a period which shows the effect of the global pandemic in a pronounced way, we see that there has been an 26% decrease over the last year.
There were only 36 EEA family permits granted in the year ending September 2022, following the sharp reduction in their use and closure of the EEA family permit route on 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 the application to the UK of European Union (EU) free movement law, 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 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 but have released provisional experimental statistics for the year ending June 2021.
3. Data tables
Data on family immigration can be found in the following tables:
- Entry clearance visa summary tables
- Detailed Entry clearance visa datasets
- Extensions summary tables
- Detailed Extensions datasets
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