National statistics

Why do people come to the UK? To work

Updated 14 November 2023

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Data relates to the year ending June 2023 and all comparisons are with the year ending June 2022 (unless indicated otherwise).

Summary of statistics for work visas

In the year ending June 2023:

• there were around 321,000 grants to main applicants on all work visas, 45% higher than in the previous year and almost two and a half times (+144%) the number in the year ending June 2019
• ‘Skilled Worker’ visa grants to main applicants rose by 34% to around 69,000, compared to the previous year
• ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visa grants to main applicants rose by over two and a half times (+157%) to around 120,000, compared to the previous year
• dependants accounted for around 218,000 visas granted, representing 40% of all work visas

1. Work visas granted to main applicants

There were 321,101 work visas granted to main applicants in the year ending June 2023, 45% higher than in the year ending June 2022 and almost two and a half times (+144%) the number in the year ending June 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Table 1: Work visas granted to main applicants by work visa type

Work visa type	Year ending June 2022	Year ending June 2023	Change	Percentage change
Worker (of which:)	119,180	212,551	+93,371	+78%
Skilled Worker	51,811	69,421	+17,610	+34%
Health and Care   Worker	47,194	121,290	+74,096	+157%
Other ‘Worker’ visas	20,175	21,840	+1,665	+8%
Temporary Worker	70,240	75,166	+4,926	+7%
Investor, business development and talent	3,219	5,028	+1,809	+56%
Other work visas and exemptions1	28,534	28,356	-178	-1%
Total	221,173	321,101	+99,928	+45%

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

1. The ‘Other work visas and exemptions’ category includes the ‘Frontier Worker Permit’, the ‘High Potential Individual’ visa and older routes such as the ‘European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) businessperson’, ‘Overseas Domestic Worker’, ‘UK Ancestry’, and other routes that are now closed.

Figure 1: Work visas granted to main applicants between the year ending June 2014 and the year ending June 2023, by work visa type

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Figure 1 shows that grants decreased in all work visa categories across 2020 following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel, before recovering in 2021. Grants to ‘Worker’ visas increased throughout 2022 and this growth has continued in 2023 due to increases in ‘Skilled Worker’ visas, including ‘Health and Care Worker’ visas.

Some of the increase since the pandemic will reflect a bounce back from the low level in 2020 as people have rearranged travel and work arrangements now that they are able to do so. Other increases may reflect the changes in the immigration rules following the UK’s departure from the European Union at the beginning of 2021. These various factors mean that the Home Office visa statistics include a larger degree of uncertainty around the possible future trends. For further discussion and detail, see the article ‘Recent changes to visa numbers in Home Office data’ (Home Office, February 2023).

According to the Labour Force Survey statistics from April to June 2023, published in the ONS Labour market overview, UK: August 2023 release, the number of non-UK nationals working in the UK has increased by 205,000 (+5%) in the past year to 4.17 million. There were an estimated 1.93 million non-EU nationals working in the UK, 142,000 higher (+8%) than a year earlier and an estimated 2.24 million EU nationals working in the UK, 63,000 higher (+3%) than a year earlier.

The ONS are reviewing the LFS methodology at present, so estimates of the foreign labour force from this source should be used with caution.

1.1 ‘Worker’ visas

The ‘Worker’ visa category covers sponsored work visas which typically lead to settlement. It is the main visa category for skilled workers.

‘Worker’ visas granted to main applicants have increased by 78% in the year ending June 2023 compared with the previous year, primarily due to a large increase in ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visas granted.

Figure 2: ‘Worker’ visas granted to main applicants between the year ending June 2019 and the year ending June 2023

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

1. The ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visas were introduced in 2020 and together replaced the ‘Tier 2 – General’ visa.

Figure 2 shows the growth in ‘Worker’ visas following the introduction of the ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visas in 2020. ‘Skilled Worker’ visa grants have increased by 34% (+17,610) in the past year to 69,421. ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visa grants have increased over two and a half times (+157% or +74,096) to 121,290 compared with the previous year, and in the latest year represented over half (57%) of all ‘Worker’ visas.

The latest increase is in part due to the expansion in late 2021 for ‘Care workers and home carers’ and ‘Senior care workers’. In the year ending June 2023, ‘Care workers and home carers’ comprised around 50% of visas granted under the ‘Health and Care Worker’ visa category.

Table 2: Visas granted in health and care occupations under the ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visa

Occupation	Year ending June 2022	Year ending June 2023	Change	Percentage change
Medical practitioners	6,940	9,495	+2,555	+37%
Nurses	23,555	24,689	+1,134	+5%
Other health professionals1	2,340	4,683	+2,343	+100%
Care workers and home carers2	1,982	59,996	n/a2	n/a2
Senior care workers3	10,294	17,666	+7,372	+72%

Source: Sponsored work entry clearance visas by occupation and industry – Occ_D02

Notes:

1. Based on the occupation sub-major group ‘health professionals’, excluding ‘medical practitioners’ and ‘nurses’.
2. ‘Care Workers and Home Carers’ became eligible for the ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visa in February 2022, following a recommendation by the Migration Advisory Committee in their annual report for 2021. Therefore, the year ending June 2022 and year ending June 2023 are not directly comparable for this occupation due to an incomplete comparison year.
3. Senior care workers became eligible for the ‘Skilled Worker’ visa when it went live in December 2020 and were added to the list of eligible occupations for the ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visa in January 2021.

1.2 ‘Temporary Worker’ visas

The ‘Temporary Worker’ category relates to short-term work visas which do not typically lead to settlement.

Grants of ‘Temporary Worker’ visas to main applicants in the year ending June 2023 increased by 7% (+4,926) to 75,166, compared to the previous year. The overall rise in ‘Temporary Worker’ visas when compared with before the pandemic is largely accounted for by the increase in ‘Seasonal Worker’ visas, which allow seasonal horticulture or poultry production work. The route launched in March 2019 with a yearly quota of 2,500, which has since increased to 47,000 in 2023.

Grants for ‘Seasonal Worker’ visas decreased by 18% (-7,122) to 32,750 compared with the previous year, primarily due to a fall in Ukrainian nationals. See section 1.5 for more details.

Figure 3: ‘Temporary Worker’ visas granted to main applicants between the year ending June 2019 and the year ending June 2023

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Figure 3 shows that grants to ‘Youth Mobility Scheme’ visas have increased by 71% (+9,427) in the past year and have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. The scheme provides a cultural exchange programme that allows young people from participating countries and territories to experience life in the UK and was significantly impacted by global travel restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

1.3 All other work-related visas

The ‘Investor, business development and talent’ category includes the ‘Global Talent’, ‘Innovator Founder’, and ‘Start-up’ visas, and the closed Tier 1 routes. In the year ending June 2023:

• there was a 76% rise (+1,679) in ‘Global Talent’ visas to 3,901 grants, a route for people who have exceptional talent or exceptional promise in the field of science, engineering, humanities, medicine, digital technology or arts and culture
• there was an 88% rise (+231) in ‘Innovator Founder’ visas to 494 grants, for a person seeking to establish a business in the UK based on a business idea they have either generated or significantly contributed to
• there was a 19% rise (+79) for the ‘Start-Up’ visa with 492 grants, for a person seeking to establish a business in the UK for the first time, which subsequently closed in July 2023 following the expansion of the ‘Innovator’ route in April 2023

Additionally, ‘Overseas Domestic Worker’ visas granted rose by 14% in the last year to 19,780 grants.

1.4 Graduate route

The Graduate route was introduced on 1 July 2021 and allows students who have successfully completed a bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course to stay in the UK for a period after their studies to work or look for work. It is an in-country visa and therefore allows the student to apply for a visa extension from the UK, without returning overseas.

A total of 98,394 Graduate route extensions were granted to previous students in the year ending June 2023, 74% (+41,936) higher than in the year prior. Indian nationals represented the largest group of students granted leave to remain on the Graduate route, representing 42% of grants.

1.5 Work visas by nationality

Indian nationals were the top nationality for visas in the ‘Worker’ category, representing almost one-third (31%) of grants, and were by far the top nationality for both the ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visas.

In the year ending June 2022, Ukraine was the largest nationality granted ‘Seasonal Worker’ visas, representing 35% of grants. However, applications from Ukrainians have seen a notable drop following the war in Ukraine, with grants falling by 10,966 (-78%) in the latest year to 3,171. Additionally, grants to Russian nationals have fallen from 1,621 to 29, and grants to Belarusian nationals have fallen from 357 to 6, due to a fall in applications from travel restrictions. For further details on Ukrainian nationals, see the ‘Statistics on Ukrainians in the UK’ topic.

Table 3: Top 3 nationalities¹ of selected visas granted to main applicants in the year ending June 2023

Work visa group	Year ending June 2022	Year ending June 2023	Change	Percentage change
Worker
Skilled Worker	51,811	69,421	+17,610	+34%
India	17,256	20,228	+2,972	+17%
United States	3,412	3,772	+360	+11%
Pakistan	1,180	3,394	+2,214	+188%
Health and Care Worker	47,194	121,290	+74,096	+157%
India	18,570	33,669	+15,099	+81%
Nigeria	6,125	22,278	+16,153	+264%
Zimbabwe	4,270	20,152	+15,882	+372%
Temporary Worker
Seasonal Worker	39,872	32,750	-7,122	-18%
Kyrgyzstan	2,732	7,460	+4,728	+173%
Tajikistan	3,852	4,974	+1,122	+29%
Kazakhstan	1,921	4,893	+2,972	+155%

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

1. Top 3 nationalities in the most recent year.

In the year ending June 2023, there were 27,209 work-related visas granted to main applicants from EEA and Swiss nationals, 3% lower (-876) than compared with the previous year.

2. Dependants of work visa holders

For most types of work visas, visa holders are able to bring partners and children (‘dependants’) to the UK.

In the year ending June 2023 there were 217,786 grants to dependants of people who had been granted a work visa. This was almost double (+99%) the number of grants compared to the year ending June 2022.

The proportion of all work-related visas granted to dependants was 40%, compared to 33% in the preceding year. On average, there were 0.7 dependants granted per main applicant on a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa, whilst there were 1.1 dependants granted per main applicant on a ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visa.

Figure 4: Visas granted to dependants of work visa holders by visa route, and the proportion of all work-related visas granted to dependants between the year ending June 2019 and the year ending June 2023

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

1. The ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visas were introduced in 2020 and together replaced the ‘Tier 2 – General’ visa.

Figure 4 shows that in the year ending June 2023, there were 189,629 grants to both dependants of ‘Skilled Worker’ (51,630) and ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visas (137,999).

2.1 Nationalities of dependants on work-related visas

Indian nationals represented 38% of visas granted to dependants of work visa holders. This is reflective that India was the top nationality granted ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visas for main applicants, with the majority of work-related dependants being granted on these 2 routes.

Table 4: Top 3 nationalities¹ of dependants granted ‘Skilled Worker’, ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visas, and of the total work dependants granted

Nationality	Year ending June 2022	Year ending June 2023	Change	Percentage change
Skilled Worker	35,172	51,630	+16,458	+47%
India	16,851	22,799	+5,948	+35%
Pakistan	1,375	3,564	+2,189	+159%
United States	2,205	2,396	+191	+9%
Health and Care Worker	48,973	137,999	+89,026	+182%
India	24,348	45,943	+21,595	+89%
Nigeria	7,452	35,330	+27,878	+374%
Zimbabwe	3,451	17,870	+14,419	+418%
Total work dependants	109,419	217,786	+108,367	+99%
India	55,753	83,073	+27,320	+49%
Nigeria	8,945	37,978	+29,033	+325%
Zimbabwe	3,772	18,546	+14,774	+392%

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

1. Top 3 nationalities in the most recent year.

3. Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) used for sponsored work visas (main applicants)

A CoS is considered ‘used’ when an applicant receives a decision on their visa application.

In the year ending June 2023, there was a total of 271,523 Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) ‘used’ for (main applicant) ‘Worker’ and ‘Temporary Worker’ visa applications, 57% (+98,760) more than in the year ending June 2022.

Of these there were 213,280 CoS used for ‘Worker’ visas, which accounted for 79% of the total CoS used for visas.

Figure 5: Top 5 work sectors¹ for Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) used as part of visa applications for ‘Worker’ visas, in the year ending September 2019², June 2022, and June 2023

Source: Work Sponsorship (Certificate of Sponsorship) – CoS_D01

Notes:

1. Top 5 work sectors in the most recent year.
2. Pre-pandemic comparisons are made with the year ending September 2019, due to data quality issues between October to December 2019 and April to June 2020. See section 4.3 for details.

Figure 5 shows that ‘Human Health and Social Work Activities’ was the largest sector for CoS used in the year ending June 2023 for ‘Worker’ visas, representing over half (56%).

‘Human Health and Social work’ CoS used for ‘Worker’ visas have almost tripled (+182%) in the last year, while they are almost 8 times larger (+682%) than in the year ending September 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. About these statistics

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

Before 2021, due to freedom of movement for European Union (EU) nationals, the vast majority of UK immigration control statistics related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, unless otherwise stated, the statistics 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. Data in this section refer to the number of Entry clearance visas granted for work reasons 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.

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. Year ending comparisons will also include impacts resulting from the travel restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

4.1 Worker

The ‘Worker’ visa category includes sponsored work visas which typically lead to settlement, and is the main visa category for skilled workers.

These visas are Tier 2 routes from the Old Points Based system and their successors: the Skilled Worker, Skilled Worker - Health and Care, ‘Intra-company Transfer’ and International Sportsperson visas. The Senior or Specialist Worker visa, introduced in April 2022 as part of the new Global Business Mobility routes, has also been included as the successor to the ‘Intra-company Transfer’ visa. Additionally, the Scale-up Worker visa, which launched in August 2022, is included in this category.

4.2 Temporary Worker

The ‘Temporary Worker’ visa type includes shorter-term work visas which do not typically lead to settlement.

Tier 5 was implemented in November 2008 to provide a route for those coming to the UK for primarily non-economic reasons. The Tier 5 routes were then closed at the end of 2020 and replaced by equivalent ‘Youth Mobility Scheme’ and ‘Temporary Worker’ routes.

The Seasonal Worker route was opened to new applicants from January 2019. The quota has increased in each year from 2,500 visas in 2019 to a current quota of 47,000 visas in 2023.

The Creative Worker visa launched in October 2021 and replaces the creative element of the Tier 5 (Creative and Sporting) visa.

The UK Expansion Worker, Secondment Worker, Service Supplier, and Graduate Trainee visas from the Global Business Mobility routes, launched in April 2022, are also included in this visa category.

4.3 Certificate of sponsorship (CoS)

From October to December 2019, the method for extracting in-country and out-of-country Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) data changed. Data quality issues identified as part of this change in methodology has meant that some cases from October to December 2019 onwards are unable to be separately identified as either a visa or extension case, and so have been categorised as ‘unknown’.

Applicants for ‘Worker’ and ‘Temporary Worker’ visas (and extensions) must obtain a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) from a registered employer. Any organisation that wishes to sponsor a worker must be registered on the Home Office’s Register of Sponsors.

Further information about the CoS allocation process is given in the user guide and on the UK visa sponsorship for employers section of GOV.UK.

4.4 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 revising their methods for measuring population and migration but have released provisional experimental statistics for the year ending December 2022.

5. Data tables

Data on immigration for work can be found in the following tables:

• Sponsorship summary tables
• Detailed sponsorship datasets
• Detailed occupation datasets
• Entry clearance visas summary tables
• Detailed Entry clearance visas datasets
• Admissions summary tables
• Extensions summary tables
• Detailed Extensions datasets

We welcome your feedback

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