Accredited official statistics

Why do people come to the UK - Family?

Published 21 August 2025

Back to ‘Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025’ content page.

Data relates to the year ending June 2025 and all comparisons are with the year ending June 2024 (unless indicated otherwise).

Statistics on dependants travelling with or joining family members on work and study visas are not included in this section and can be found in the relevant ‘Why do people come to the UK - Work?’, and ‘Why do people come to the UK - Study?’ topics.

1. Family-related visas

Family-related visas may be granted to persons wishing to live with family members, who are British citizens or non-British settled migrants in the UK, as part of their family. This will include people coming to marry and includes people wishing to join a relative with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.

Family visa grants fell in the latest year, following increases between 2021 and 2024, largely due to a decrease in Partner visas.

Figure 1: Family visa applications and grants, year ending June 2011 to year ending June 2025

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D01 and Vis_D02

Figure 1 shows Family visa applications remained broadly stable between mid-2015 and early 2020 at around 50,000 to 60,000 applications per year. Applications increased from 2021 to a record 98,859 in the year ending June 2024. The growth between 2023 and early 2024 was driven by a rise in Partner visa applications submitted ahead of the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) increase from £18,600 to £29,000 in April 2024. However, application numbers had already been increasing for at least 2 years prior to the announcement.

In the latest year, the number of Family visa applications was 76,327, nearly a quarter (23%) lower than the previous year. This decline was due to a 33% fall in Partner visa applications, returning to levels observed prior to the Minimum Income Requirement increase being announced in late 2023. Child and Other Family visa applications also decreased. In contrast, Refugee Family Reunion applications increased by 5% in the latest year.

Figure 2: Family-related visa grants by visa type, year ending June 2011 to year ending June 2025

Source: Entry clearance visa outcomes: Vis_D02 and; Fam_D01

Family visa grant trends over recent years have been shaped by both operational and policy drivers. Grants increased from 42,182 in 2021 to 85,161 in 2024. This was due to an increase of Partner visa grants between 2022 and 2023, reflecting operational efforts to reduce backlogs, following the reallocation of operational teams onto Ukraine scheme case working in early 2022. Refugee Family Reunion visas also increase from 4,118 in 2022, to 19,258 in 2024, reflecting a higher number of individuals granted refugee status in the preceding years, now able to sponsor family members to come to the UK. For further details on the Refugee Family Reunion route, see How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?.

In the latest year, 70,961 Family visas were granted, a 15% decrease compared with the previous year. Partner visa grants declined by 27% in the latest year to 42,251, reflecting the recent fall in Partner visa applications. The Minimum Income Requirement increase is likely to have reduced the number of applicants and sponsors able to meet the higher financial threshold for eligibility.

There has been a 30% increase in Refugee Family Reunion grants, which reached 20,817 in year ending June 2025. This is the highest number recorded across the published time-series (since 2005) and accounted for over a quarter (29%) of all Family visas in the latest year. The increase follows a rise in the numbers of individuals granted refugee status since late 2023, many of whom are eligible to sponsor family members to come to the UK through this route.

Family visa trends vary by nationality, with Partner visas dominant for Pakistani, United States and Indian nationals, Refugee Family Reunion visas for Syrian, Iranian and Afghan nationals, and Child visas for Nepal due to veteran settlement policies.

Figure 3: Top 10 nationalities for family-related visas granted, by family visa type, year ending June 2025

Source: Entry clearance visa outcomes: Vis_D02

Figure 3 shows that Pakistani nationals accounted for over one-tenth (14%, or 9,647) of all family visas granted in the latest year, with more than 82% issued through the Partner visa route. United States nationals were the next highest recipients of Partner visas (2,802), followed by Indian nationals (2,629).

Iranian nationals were the second largest nationality group overall (4,268), with grants increasing by 76% in the latest year, the majority of which were for Refugee Family Reunion visas. Syrian (3,808) and Afghan (2,569) nationals were also granted a high number of Refugee Family Reunion visas. There has also been a notable increase in applications from Sudanese and Ethiopian nationals, corresponding with a rise in asylum grants to these nationalities over the past 2 years.

Nepal continues to record a high proportion of Child visa grants, reflecting a policy that extends settlement eligibility to pre‑1997 Gurkha and Hong Kong military unit veterans and their families, recognising their historic service to the UK.

EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) Family Permits

In the latest year, 9,045 EUSS Family Permits were granted, a 33% decrease from the previous year, continuing the decline since the peak of 54,973 in 2021. These permits allow eligible family members of an EEA or qualifying British citizen (if applied for by 8 August 2023) to join or accompany them in the UK. For further information on EUSS family permits, see ‘How many grants of settlement are made via the EU Settlement Scheme?’.

2. Extensions for family reasons

Extensions of stay for family-related reasons relate to people wishing to extend their stay in the UK for family reasons. It covers extensions where an individual is applying based on their relationship to a person settled in the UK or a British citizen. An individual is required to apply for an extension before their existing permission to enter or stay expires and may make more than one application in any given year.

Family-related extensions have increased due to a rise in the number of Family Life (10-year route) and Partner extension grants.

There were 126,600 extensions of stay granted for family reasons in the year ending June 2025, an 8% increase compared with the previous year, although 6% lower than the peak in 2022 (135,288). The Family Life (10-year route) accounted for 54% of grants (68,411), followed by the Partner route at 45% (56,947). Refugee Family Reunion visas are generally granted for the same duration as the sponsor’s leave, often up to 5 years or indefinitely, and therefore typically do not require extension.

The Family Life (10-year route) enables individuals with strong family or private life ties in the UK to remain, even where they do not meet the requirements of the standard five-year family route. Leave is granted in 30‑month periods, with eligibility for settlement after 10 years of continuous residence. Indian, Nigerian and Pakistani nationals were the three largest nationality groups granted Family Life (10-year route) extensions, together accounting for 44%.

Previous category of leave analysis (see EXE_D02 of the extensions detailed tables) indicates that among main applicants granted a Family visa extension in the latest reported calendar year (2024), the majority (76%) previously held another Family visa before their current extension was granted. 13% previously held a visa in one of the ‘Other’ leave categories, while a further 8% previously held a work visa, and 4% held a study visa.

Indefinite leave to remain: Migrant Journey

Those arriving on family routes are historically more likely to seek to remain permanently in the UK, and acquire indefinite leave to remain (ILR), compared with those arriving on work and study visas. Analysis from the Migrant Journey: 2024 report shows that since 2007, of those whose first leave to enter the UK was on the family route, 61% had ILR after 5 years, increasing to 82% after 10 years. This is much higher than those starting on work and study routes, where 21% and 7% respectively had ILR after 10 years.

3. About these statistics

The statistics in this section provide an indication of the number of people who had an intention of entering the UK for family reasons.

Before the end of the transition period for the UK leaving the EU on 31 December 2020, EU nationals were able to come to the UK under freedom of movement and did not typically require separate permission (such as a visa). The majority of UK immigration control before 2021 is related to non-EEA nationals. From 2021, EEA nationals became subject to immigration controls and are now more likely to obtain permission to travel to the UK. For many this will be under the EU Settlement Scheme (see ‘How many grants of settlement are made via the EU Settlement Scheme?’), while others will require a visa.

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.

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.

For figures on family-related grants of settlement, as well as the residence documentation issued to EEA nationals and their family members, see ‘How many people are granted settlement or citizenship?’.

From quarter 1 2025 (January to March) onwards, Refugee Family Reunion visas have been disaggregated from the ‘Other’ family visa type and will be reported separately. The ‘Other’ category will now primarily reflect the small numbers of Family Parent visas or Adult Dependent Relatives applications and decisions.

Trends in Refugee Family Reunion visas may reflect changes in the number of people granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in previous years, many of whom may now be eligible to bring family members to UK. Further data on the Refugee Family Reunion visa category can be found in ‘How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?’.

More information about the statistics can be found in the user guide.

3.1 Extension of temporary stay in the UK

Extensions of temporary stay in the UK relate to individuals inside the UK extending or changing the status of their right to stay in the UK. An individual is required to apply for an extension or change in status before their existing permission to enter or stay in the UK expires.

The statistics do not show the number of people applying to extend their temporary stay in the UK, nor do they show how long an individual stayed in the UK following their extension.

Further information on the statistics in this section can be found in the extension section of the user guide.

3.2 Other sources

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish long-term international migration estimates. These are statistics under development that estimate the number of people immigrating to and emigrating from the UK for 12 months or more.

4. 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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