Accredited official statistics

How many people come to the UK via safe and legal (humanitarian) routes?

Published 22 May 2025

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

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

This chapter covers the safe and legal humanitarian schemes allowing certain people to come to, or remain in, the UK under the following routes:

  • Ukraine Scheme visas (including Ukraine Family, Sponsorship, and Extension Schemes): introduced in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine to allow persons affected by the war to come to the UK
  • British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visas: introduced in 2021 to provide those with BN(O) status the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK
  • resettlement schemes: which allow for the transfer of refugees from other countries to the UK
  • Family Reunion visas: which allow the partners and children of refugees in the UK to join them

The number of grants of leave on safe and legal (humanitarian) routes, allowing people to come to, or remain in, the UK, has been declining since their peak in 2022.

In the year ending March 2025, there were 69,885 grants of leave on safe and legal (humanitarian) routes, allowing people to come to, or remain in, the UK. Of which, there were:

  • 17,276 out-of-country visa grants and 2,118 in-country extensions through the Ukraine schemes

  • 14,424 out-of-country visa grants and 7,739 in-country extensions through the BN(O) route.

  • 7,736 refugees resettled

  • 20,592 grants of family reunion visas

This was 26% fewer than in the year ending March 2024, largely due to the reduction in visas and extensions granted on the Ukraine Schemes.

Figure 1: Grants of leave on safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK, by route, year ending March 2019 to year ending March 2025 1,2,3,4

Source: Safe and Legal summary tables – Hum_01

Notes:

  1. Includes main applicants and dependants.

  2. ‘Hong Kong BN(O) visa’ includes both in-country and out of country visa grants.

  3. ‘Ukraine Scheme visa’ includes grants from both Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes. It does not include applications granted on the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

  4. Resettlement and relocation include the Afghan Resettlement Programme, UK Resettlement Scheme and Mandate Scheme. It also includes previous schemes such as the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme which closed in February 2021. Figures include those sponsored through Community Sponsorship.

2. Ukraine Schemes

In March 2022, the UK Government introduced the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme to allow persons affected by the war in Ukraine to come to the UK, followed in May by the Ukraine Extension Scheme, which allowed those already in the UK to remain. The Ukraine Family Scheme closed to new applications from 19 February 2024 and the Ukraine Extension Scheme closed for most new applications on 16 May 2024. The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme opened to applications on 4 February 2025 for people already legally resident in the UK on existing Ukraine Schemes who wished to remain in the UK for a further 18 months.

Applications, grants and arrivals on the Ukraine Schemes have continued to decrease since 2022.

There were 17,276 grants of out-of-country visas under the Ukraine Schemes in the year ending March 2025, bringing the total grants to 272,945 visas since they opened. Following their introduction in 2022, there were 209,706 visas granted during the first year, falling to 40,287 in the second year. Visas have continued to gradually fall over the last few years.

A further 2,118 in-country extensions were granted in the year ending March 2025, bringing the total to 34,690. Extension grants have followed the same trend as out-of-country routes but with reduced numbers.

The Ukraine Permission Extension allows those already on the Ukraine Schemes to extend their stay on the route. As of the end of March 2025, there have been 6,637 UPE applications granted. More people will become eligible for UPE in the coming months as their initial 3 year leave on the Ukraine Schemes comes to an end.

Figure 2: Applications, grants and arrivals on Ukrainian Visa Schemes, 2022 to March 2025

Source: Ukraine visa schemes summary tables - UVS_05

Notes:

  1. Applications, grants and arrivals include in-country routes only, via the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

Figure 2 shows grants on the Ukraine visa schemes peaked in April 2022 soon after their introduction, with just under 120,000 grants between April and June 2022. The number of visas granted has since fallen and has remained below 10,000 per quarter since quarter 2 (April to June) of 2023.

Not everyone granted a visa will have used it, either because they have not yet arrived in the UK or may have chosen to go elsewhere or remain in Ukraine. Figure 2 shows that the number of arrivals follows a similar trend to visas granted, peaking not long after the introduction of the schemes, at 80,000 in quarter 2 (April to June) of 2022. Visas granted were initially higher than arrivals in the first 2 quarters of the scheme opening, suggesting some people in the early days of the scheme may not have used their visa, however numbers have been broadly aligned since.

Some of those who arrived from Ukraine will have since left the UK either temporarily or permanently. Management information indicates that as of the end of March 2025, around 92,800 people (42%) who had previously arrived on the Ukraine schemes had exited the UK and were believed to be out of the country, although some may subsequently return.

As of the end of March 2025, adult females aged 18 to 64 accounted for just under half (47%) of the people who have arrived from Ukraine since the schemes began, children (aged 17 and under) accounted for a further 28%, adult males aged 18 to 64 accounted for 20% and other adults aged 65 and over accounted for 6%.

3. British National Overseas (BN(O)) route

On 31 January 2021, British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passport holders from Hong Kong were provided the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK.

BN(O) visa applications, grants and arrivals have continued to decrease since 2021.

There were 14,424 grants of out-of-country BN(O) visas in the year ending March 2025, bringing the total grants to 179,258 since the scheme opened. During the first year, visa grants peaked at 75,579. Numbers have fallen every year since.

On the BN(O) route, since its introduction on 31 January 2021 to the end of March 2025, there have been a total of:

  • 185,478 out of country visa applications, with 12,049 in the year ending March 2025

  • 179,258 out of country visas granted, with 14,424 in the year ending March 2025

  • 163,400 people have arrived in the UK (rounded), with 18,700 in the year ending March 2025

  • 47,020 in-country extension applications with 7,049 in the year ending March 2025

  • 44,646 in-country extensions granted, with 7,739 in the year ending March 2025

4. Resettlement

The number of refugees being resettled is increasing again, with most coming through the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

The UK runs a range of resettlement schemes to bring refugees from other countries to the UK. The Afghan Resettlement Programme includes those relocated after applying to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, or resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. Information on the different resettlement schemes and the differences between resettlement and relocation can be found in the user guide.

There were 7,736 people resettled in the year ending March 2025. This is 17% higher than the year ending March 2024, bringing the total number of Afghan nationals resettled to the UK since the Taliban takeover in August 2021 to 33,128.

Of those resettled in the latest year ending March 2025:

  • 90% (6,936) arrived through the Afghan Resettlement Programme and 10% (800) through the UK Resettlement Scheme and Mandate Scheme; these figures include those on Community Sponsorship schemes
  • the most common nationality was Afghan (89%), whereas prior to 2021 the most common resettled nationality was Syrian most of whom were resettled under the now closed Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS)

Figure 3: People resettled and relocated, by scheme, year ending March 2015 to year ending March 2025 1,2

Source: Resettlement – Res_D02

Notes:

  1. Date at which the refugee arrived in the UK.
  2. ‘Other resettlement schemes’ include the Gateway Protection Programme and the Mandate Scheme.

Between 2015 and 2021, the VPRS and VCRS resettled a total of 22,014 people, mainly Syrian nationals. Since the first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan Resettlement Programme has resettled a total of 34,208 people while the UK Resettlement Scheme has resettled 3,987 refugees since its launch in 2021. Out of the 34,208 people resettled on Afghan schemes, almost half (14,842) were brought to the UK in July to September 2021, in response to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021.

4.1 International comparisons of refugee resettlement

International resettlement data is sourced from UNHCR and is accurate as of April 2025.

International comparisons should be made with caution as available data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) relates only to UNHCR resettlement schemes (the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship Scheme, Mandate Scheme and ACRS Pathway 2). The UNHCR data does not include ARAP or ACRS Pathway 1 and 3 cases, meaning it is an undercount for the UK in terms of total resettlement and relocation. Information on the different resettlement schemes can be found in the user guide.

Between 2010 and December 2024, the UK resettled over 35,000 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes – the sixth largest number in the world (after the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and Sweden) and third in Europe (after Germany and Sweden).

5. Family reunion

The number of people coming to reunite with established refugee family members in the UK has been increasing since year ending December 2022.

In the year ending March 2025, 20,592 people were granted family reunion visas. This is a 72% increase from year ending March 2024, when 11,971 visas were granted.

A family reunion visa allows partners and children of individuals previously granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to reunite with them here.

The most common nationalities granted family reunion in the year ending March 2025 were Syria (23%), Iran (19%) and Afghanistan (11%). Trends in family reunion visas may reflect the increase 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.

The increase seen in family reunion grants may partly be explained by trends in decisions on asylum claims. There was a notable increase in the number of people granted refugee status in late 2023 (nearly 55,000 in July to December 2023), which meant an increased number of people eligible to then apply for family reunion.

6. About these statistics

Arrival figures linked to a Ukraine visa scheme or an out-of-country BN(O) visa are rounded to the nearest 100. Where individuals have multiple visits, only the first arrival after the visa grant has been counted. This data therefore counts people, rather than arrivals. Individuals arriving during the latest quarter may have received their grant in an earlier quarter.

The data used to record arrivals may undercount the total number of arrivals. For example, arrivals of those travelling into the UK from the Common Travel Area (from Ireland) will not be captured in the data. See the Home Office statistics on exit checks: user guide for more details.

6.1 Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes

During March 2022, the UK government introduced 2 new visa routes to allow persons affected by the crisis in Ukraine to come to the UK. Introduced on 4 March 2022, the Ukraine Family Scheme allows applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK. The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme was introduced on 18 March 2022 and allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

The Ukraine Family Scheme closed to new applications from 19 February 2024 and the Ukraine Extension Scheme closed for most new applications on 16 May 2024, however children who are born in the UK can apply for permission to stay after this date.

On 4 February 2025, the UK government launched the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme. If you’re a Ukrainian national, or family member of Ukrainian nationals, who are living in the UK with existing permission on one of the Ukraine schemes, you may be eligible to apply to continue living in the UK for up to a further 18 months through this scheme.

6.2 British National Overseas (BN(O)) route

In January 2021, the UK government introduced a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders, providing the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK. This route opened on 31 January 2021 and is open to individuals who hold a BN(O) passport and are, or have recently been, resident in Hong Kong, and their dependants.

6.3 Resettlement

Refugees in other countries can be given protection in the UK via resettlement schemes. The UK works with the UN Refugee Agency (the ‘UNHCR’) to arrange for the transfer of refugees from an asylum country to the UK, with the aim of ultimately granting them permanent residence. Information on the different resettlement schemes can be found in the user guide.

6.4 Family reunion

Family reunions visas allow partners and children aged 17 and under to join those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK if they formed part of the family unit before their sponsor fled their country.

The family members do not receive refugee status themselves. Leave is given in line with the sponsor, so that the family member’s leave will expire at the same time as the sponsor. Individuals are allowed to work, study and have recourse to public funds.

7. Data tables

Data referred to here can be found in the following tables:

Further information on the latest data on applications to come to or stay in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) or Ukraine Extension Scheme is available in Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data. The data includes totals for visa applications received and visas issued to people.

Sponsorship Scheme data split by parts of the UK and local authorities, provided by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is available.

Demographic Data for Ukraine Visas Schemes, split by parts of the UK, is provided by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Regional and local authority data, for individuals on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, those under the Afghan resettlement Programme, and asylum seekers receiving support, is published by the Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

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