National statistics

Overview of the immigration system

Published 23 February 2023

© Crown copyright 2023

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2022/overview-of-the-immigration-system

‘Immigration system statistics, year ending December 2022’ contents page.

This is not the latest release. View latest release.

The Home Office ‘Immigration system statistics’ series forms part of a larger cross-government statistical service transformation plan to meet changing user needs, and will begin to put administrative data at the core of evidence on migration.

‘Immigration system statistics, year ending December 2022’ provides the latest figures on persons subject to UK immigration controls. All data in this release relate to the year ending December 2022 (except data on returns which relate to the year ending September 2022). All comparisons are with the year 2019, unless stated otherwise. Before 2021, due to 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.

The ‘Immigration system 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 (UKVI), 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 publishes a range of other research and analysis on migration. Details on the developments and future plans for Home Office ‘Immigration system statistics’ can be found in Developments in migration statistics. For details of other migration outputs published across government, see the ‘About this release’ section.

Figure 1 provides a high-level overview of UK immigration control. It does not include reference to all aspects of immigration, as highlighted in the chart notes.

Figure 1: Summary of UK immigration system1,2,3

Notes:

  1. A person can cross the UK Border legally either with a visa or as a non-visa national, as regular passenger arrivals, along with those that are seeking asylum and refugees through resettlement schemes. Individuals arriving at the border may be refused entry and returned to where they travelled from. Whilst in the UK, individuals may apply: for asylum; to extend their stay; to settle permanently; or for citizenship. Individuals also enter illegally by evading border control. Where detected, these individuals would be detained and returned. Individuals can also be removed from the UK for breaching their conditions of entry (for example, persons who overstay) and foreign national offenders.
  2. The chart excludes references to appeals.
  3. Non-visa nationals seeking to enter the UK in a visa category, or for longer than 6 months, require a visa, whereas those seeking to enter the UK for 6 months or less do not.

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.

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems or have any feedback relating to accessibility, please email us.

See section 6 of the ‘About this release’ section for more details.

Back to top