National statistics

Why do people come to the UK? To work

Updated 4 September 2023

Back to Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2023 content page.

This is not the latest release. View latest release.

Data relates to the year ending March 2023 and all comparisons are with the year ending March 2022 (unless indicated otherwise). Additional comparisons are also provided with the pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic period and for longer-term trends.

Summary of statistics for work visas

In the year ending March 2023:

• there were around 300,000 grants to main applicants on work visas, 61% higher than in the previous year and more than double (+119%) compared to 2019
• ‘Skilled Worker’ visa grants to main applicants rose by 59% 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 (+171%) to around 102,000, compared to the previous year
• Indian nationals accounted for one third of ‘Worker’ visa grants
• dependants comprised 39% of all work-related visas granted

1. Work visas granted to main applicants

There were 299,891 work visas granted to main applicants in the year ending March 2023, 61% higher than in the year ending March 2022 and more than double (+119%) compared to 2019, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Work visa type	Year ending March 2022	Year ending March 2023	Change	Percentage change
Worker	98,571	193,892	+95,321	+97%
Temporary Worker	57,972	74,071	+16,099	+28%
Investor, business development and talent	3,282	4,365	+1,083	+33%
Other work visas and exemptions1	26,430	27,563	+1,133	+4%
Total	186,255	299,891	+113,636	+61%

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 March 2014 and the year ending March 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 have continued this into 2023.

Some of these increases since the pandemic will in part reflect a bounce back from the low levels in 2020 as people have rearranged travel and work arrangements now that they are able to do so. Other increases will 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 at present include a larger degree of uncertainty around the overall 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 January to March 2023, published in the ONS Labour market overview, UK: May 2023 release, the number of non-UK nationals working in the UK has increased by 344,000 (+9%) in the past year to 4.26 million. There were an estimated 1.98 million non-EU nationals working in the UK, 292,000 higher (+17%) than a year earlier and an estimated 2.28 million EU nationals working in the UK, 53,000 higher (+2%) than a year earlier.

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 almost doubled (+97%) in the year ending March 2023 compared with the previous year.

Figure 2: ‘Worker’ visas granted to main applicants between the year ending March 2019 and the year ending March 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 59% (+25,676) in the past year to 69,423. ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visa grants have increased over two and a half times (+171% or +64,130) to 101,570, and represented over half (52%) of all ‘Worker’ visas in the year ending March 2023.

This is in part due to the expansion in late 2021 for ‘Care Workers and Home Carers’ and ‘Senior Care Workers’. ‘Care Workers and Home Carers’ comprised around 40% of visas granted under the ‘Health and Care’ visa category.

In addition to this, there has been growth in all health professions in the past year with particularly significant rises in the number of visas granted to medical practitioners and nurses.

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

Occupation	Year ending March 2022	Year ending March 2023	Change	Percentage change
Medical practitioners	6,192	9,090	+2,898	+47%
Nurses	21,021	25,942	+4,921	+23%
Other health professionals1	1,887	4,426	+2,539	+135%
Care workers and home carers2	113	40,416	n/a2	n/a2
Senior care workers3	6,763	17,250	+10,487	+155%

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 March 2022 and year ending March 2023 are not directly comparable for this occupation.
3. Senior care workers became eligible for the Skilled Worker route when it went live in December 2020 and were added to the list of eligible occupations for the Health and Care visa in January 2021.

1.2 ‘Temporary Worker’ visas

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

Grants of ‘Temporary Worker’ visas to main applicants have increased by 28% (+16,099) to 74,071, compared to the previous year.

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

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Figure 3 shows that grants to ‘Youth Mobility Scheme’ visas have almost doubled (+91%) in the past year. 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. However, grants in the latest year have recovered and are similar to pre-pandemic levels.

Grants for Seasonal Worker visas, which allow seasonal horticulture or poultry production work, increased by 10% (+3,148) to 35,122 compared with the previous year, reflecting the increase in the route’s quota from 30,000 in 2021 to 40,000 in 2022. The increase in the quota from 2,500 in March 2019, when the route launched, accounts for the overall rise in ‘Temporary Workers’ when compared with before the pandemic.

1.3 All other work-related visas

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

• there was a 64% rise (+1,333) in ‘Global Talent’ visas to 3,404 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 a 25% rise (+82) in ‘Innovator’ visas to 404 grants, for a person seeking to establish a business in the UK which they can contribute significant funds to
• there was a 14% fall (-68) for ‘Start-Up’ visas to 421 grants, for a person seeking to establish a business in the UK for the first time

Additionally, ‘Overseas Domestic Workers’, have risen by 75% in the last year to 19,155 grants. However, they remain 9% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

1.4 The 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 92,951 Graduate route extensions were granted to previous students in the year ending March 2023. Indian nationals represented the largest group of students granted leave to remain on the Graduate route, representing 41% of grants.

Further information on the number of extensions granted in this category can be found in the ‘How many people continue their stay in the UK or apply to stay permanently’ topic.

1.5 Work visas by nationality

Indian nationals were the top nationality for visas in the ‘Worker’ category, representing one third (33%) of grants, and were by far the top nationality for both the ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visas.

Table 3: Top 3 nationalities¹ of selected visas granted to main applicants

Work visa group	Year ending March 2022	Year ending March 2023	Change	Percentage change
Worker
Skilled worker	43,747	69,423	+25,676	+59%
India	13,390	21,837	+8,447	+63%
United States	3,222	3,848	+626	+19%
Philippines	967	3,124	+2,157	+223%
Skilled worker - Health and   Care	37,440	101,570	+64,130	+171%
India	14,485	29,726	+15,241	+105%
Nigeria	5,009	17,596	+12,587	+251%
Zimbabwe	2,630	17,421	+14,791	+562%
Temporary worker
Seasonal worker	31,964	35,112	+3,148	+10%
Ukraine	19,589	5,503	-14,086	-72%
Kyrgyzstan	461	5,420	+4,959	+1,076%
Uzbekistan	848	4,808	+3,960	+467%

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

1. Top 3 nationalities in the most recent year.
2. 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.

Ukrainian nationals applying for Seasonal Worker visas have seen a notable fall in the latest year following the war in Ukraine. However, the total number of granted Seasonal Worker visas has increased by 10% with large increases in the number of grants issued to nationals from Central Asia.

For further details on Ukrainian nationals, see the Statistics on Ukrainians in the UK topic.

1.5.1 Work visas granted to EEA and Swiss nationals

From 1 January 2021, changes in the immigration rules resulting from the UK’s departure from the European Union mean that EEA and Swiss (excluding Irish) nationals now require a visa to work in the UK.

In the year ending March 2023, there were 26,800 work-related visas granted to main applicants from EEA and Swiss nationals, 8% lower (-2,348) than compared with the previous year.

The top 3 EEA nationalities granted work visas and permits were:

• French with 4,424 grants (17% of EEA and Swiss work visas)
• German with 3,694 (14% of EEA and Swiss work visas)
• Italian with 3,234 grants (12% of EEA and Swiss work visas)

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 March 2023 there were 187,880 grants to dependents of people who had been granted a work visa. This was more than double (+108%) the number of grants compared to the year ending March 2022, broadly in line with the growth in main applicants.

The proportion of all work-related visas granted to dependants was 39%, compared to 33% in the preceding year.

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 March 2019 and the year ending March 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 March 2023, there were 159,528 grants to both dependants of ‘Skilled Worker’ (50,486) and ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visas (109,042).

Dependents of people granted a ‘Skilled Worker – Health and Care’ visa comprised 58% of all the dependents on work visas in the year ending March 2023.

2.1 Nationalities of dependants on work-related visas

Indian nationals represented 42% 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.

Table 4: Top 5 nationalities¹ of visas granted to dependants of work visa holders

Nationality	Year ending March 2022	Year ending March 2023	Change	Percentage change
India	43,256	78,448	+35,192	+81%
Nigeria	7,360	28,734	+21,374	+290%
Zimbabwe	2,655	14,830	+12,175	+459%
Pakistan	3,375	7,321	+3,946	+117%
Philippines	3,703	6,196	+2,493	+67%
Other nationalities2	29,882	52,351	+22,469	+75%
Total	90,231	187,880	+97,649	+108%

Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes – Vis_D02

Notes:

1. Top 5 nationalities in the most recent year.
2. ‘Other nationalities’ includes those that do not feature in the top 5 in 2022.

The top 3 nationalities of visas granted to dependants of ‘Skilled Worker’ visa holders were Indian nationals, accounting for 46% (23,151), Pakistani nationals with 6% (2,851) and United States nationals with 5% (2,419).

The top 3 nationalities of visas granted to dependants of ‘Skilled Worker - Health and Care’ visa holders were Indian nationals, accounting for 37% (39,932), Nigerian nationals with 24% (26,263) and Zimbabwean nationals with 13% (14,236).

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 March 2023, there was a total of 251,478 Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) ‘used’ for (main applicant) ‘Worker’ and ‘Temporary Worker’ visa applications, 77% (+109,495) more than in the year ending March 2022.

Of these there were 192,086 CoS used for ‘Worker’ visas, which accounted for 76% 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, March 2022, and March 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 March 2023 for ‘Worker’ visas, representing over half (51%).

‘Human Health and Social work’ CoS used for ‘Worker’ visas have almost tripled (+194%) in the last year, while they are almost six and a half times larger (+544%) 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

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