Accredited official statistics

How many people are returned from the UK?

Published 21 May 2026

Back to ‘Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2026’ contents page.

This release goes up to the year ending (YE) March 2026. The “year ending” period includes the 12 months up to and including the YE month. For example, YE March 2026 includes the 12 months between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.

1. Returns

A total of 39,000 returns from the UK were recorded in the YE March 2026 (including both enforced and voluntary returns). This is a 7% increase on the 36,500 returns in the same period 12 months prior.

The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have a legal right to stay in the UK to another country. Returns are reported in 3 main groups:

• enforced returns include people subject to administrative removal or deportation action which is carried out by the Home Office
• voluntary returns include people who were liable to removal action or subject to immigration control but have left of their own accord, sometimes with support from the Home Office
• port returns include people who are refused entry to the UK at a place of arrival and have subsequently departed

Of the 39,007 returns from the UK in the latest year, three-quarters returned voluntarily and one-quarter were enforced by the Home Office. In addition to those returned from the UK, 17,623 were refused entry on arrival and subsequently departed (see Section 4).

Foreign national offenders (FNOs) and asylum-related returns (including failed asylum seekers) can appear in enforced, voluntary and port return statistics. Return of small boat arrivals are included in voluntary and enforced return statistics. These are counted in those numbers as well as being reported separately in Section 5 and Section 6 respectively.

Figure 1: Returns from the UK, by type of return, YE December 2010 to YE March 2026

Source: Returns - Ret_D01

2. Enforced returns

There were over 9,700 enforced returns in YE March 2026, continuing an upward trend since 2021.

There were 9,723 enforced returns recorded in YE March 2026, 13% higher than the previous year (8,595). Figure 1 shows that enforced returns have increased steadily following the low number of returns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The increase in enforced returns has been partially driven by increases in asylum-related returns (see Section 6). Other factors driving the increase in enforced returns include returns agreements with countries outside the UK, schemes to remove foreign offenders (see Section 5) and schemes to return small boat arrivals (see Section 6.1). More generally, 1,000 staff were reallocated to immigration enforcement in 2024 to strengthen the government’s Plan for Change, aiming to ‘secure borders’ through increasing the number of returns. For more information on these, please see the policy timeline document.

Albanian nationals have consistently been the most common nationality of enforced returns over the last 5 years, accounting for nearly a quarter of all enforced returns (2,247) in the latest 12 months. This is attributed to a large number of enforced removals of Albanian Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) over the last 5 years as well as large number of returns following withdrawn and refused asylum claims (see Section 6). Enforced returns of Albanian nationals increased following the signing of the UK Albanian Joint Communique in December 2022, which was a response to the high numbers of Albanian small boat arrivals in 2022 (see the ‘How many people come to the UK via illegal entry routes?’).

Despite their prominence for enforced returns, the numbers of Albanian nationals subject to an enforced return have fallen since January 2024. There was an 11% decrease (from 2,536 to 2,247) in the YE March 2026 compared with the previous year. Romanian nationals remain as the second most common nationality with 1,681 enforced returns in the YE March 2026, unchanged compared with the previous year. Albanian and Romanian nationals are prominent for FNO returns, accounting for just under half.

Enforced returns of Brazilians have increased by 18% (from 690 to 813) with enforced returns of Indians up 31% (from 538 to 703). However, the majority are non-FNO with Brazilian and Indian nationals accounting for just 4% of FNO returns.

Figure 2: Enforced returns from the UK, by nationality¹; YE March 2022 to YE March 2026

Source: Returns - Ret_D01

Notes:

1. Nationalities shown are the top 5 most common nationalities for enforced returns in the latest 12-month period.

Detention was used to facilitate the vast majority (95%) of enforced returns in the YE March 2026. The number of individuals who have left detention and then were subsequently returned from the UK has increased by 13%. For information about detention statistics and trends please see ‘How many people are detained under immigration powers in the UK?’.

3. Voluntary returns

Voluntary returns from the UK increased in the YE March 2026, driven by a large increase in asylum related returns and returns assisted by the Home Office.

These statistics categorise voluntary returns in 3 different ways: those made with assistance from the Home Office, including via the Voluntary Returns Service (‘assisted returns’); returns made where the Home Office was notified of the departure, in the form of self-funded (‘controlled’) returns; and those discovered through matching our database against passenger departures data (‘other verified returns’). Definitions of returns subcategories can be found in the glossary section of the user guide.

In YE March 2026, there were 29,284 voluntary returns, an increase of 5% compared with the YE March 2025. This was partly driven by an increase in asylum-related voluntary returns (up 14%). As shown in Figure 1, voluntary return numbers have risen substantially since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and now exceed pre-pandemic levels, although are still below the levels in the first half of the previous decade.

Together, voluntary returns of Indians (9,473), Brazilians (4,794) and Albanians (1,921) accounted for just over half (55%) of all voluntary returns in YE March 2026. Indian voluntary returns increased by 22%, of which, almost two-thirds returned voluntarily departing the UK without informing the Home Office (‘other verified returns’). Voluntary returns of Brazilian nationals remain high but are unchanged in the YE March 2026 compared with the previous year. Voluntary returns of Albanians decreased by 28% over the same period.

‘Assisted returns’ made up 36% (10,476) of voluntary returns in the YE March 2026, a 26% increase compared to YE March 2025, of which nearly half (42%) were Brazilian nationals. ‘Other verified returns’ (those who departed the UK without informing the Home Office) are down 8% in the same period, but make up 44% of all voluntary returns, which is the largest proportion of the return types within voluntary returns.

4. Refusals of entry at port and subsequent return (port returns)

Port returns have declined over the last 3 years, following a sharp increase between 2020 and 2023.

There were 17,623 port returns in the YE March 2026, 21% fewer than the previous year. The decline in port returns over the last 3 years follows what was a sharp increase following 2020 when most forms of travel were more viable after restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic were eased.

UK Border Force take decisions to stop passengers on arrival based on the information that they receive. Non-visa nationals such as those from EU countries can be refused entry because they do not have the necessary immigration permission to carry out the activities they intend to undertake while they are in the UK. Nationality does not play a part in these decisions, but the nationalities of those refused entry at ports and subsequently returned has changed since 2020.

Prior to the end of Freedom of Movement with the EU, nationals of EU countries accounted for between 6% and 21% of annual port returns from 2012 to 2020. However, in YE March 2026, EU nationals accounted for over half (55%) of port returns.

Romanians have been the most common EU nationality refused entry at port and subsequently returned since 2012. In the YE March 2026, Romanians represented over a quarter (26%) of the total port returns.

Of the top 20 most common nationalities to be refused entry at the border and subsequently returned in the YE March 2026, 14 have seen decreases in numbers compared to the previous year. The volume of port returns of Romanians has fallen more than any other nationality, by 25% (from 6,052 to 4,545). Colombian and Jordanian nationals have seen some of the largest percentage decreases in these returns in the YE March 2026, with Colombian port returns down 88 (from 572 to 71) and Jordanian port returns falling by 98% (from 681 to 11).

5. Returns of foreign national offenders

Data on offence group and sentence length group of returned FNOs is classified as ‘official statistics in development’. The reporting period is limited to the year ending December 2025. See the user guide for more details

Total FNO returns include enforced, voluntary and port returns. FNOs that are returned may have arrived in the UK some years earlier, may have claimed asylum and may have lived in the UK for some time prior to their conviction and subsequent return.

Returns of FNOs in the YE March 2026 are the highest observed since 2017.

There were 5,858 FNO returns in the YE March 2026, an increase of 13% compared to the previous year.

In the latest calendar year (YE December 2025), drug-offences were the most common conviction of FNOs returned (41%). More than half (51%) of FNOs returned during this period were sentenced to prison terms of 2 years or over.

FNO returns in the YE March 2026 were evenly split between EU and Non-EU nationals. Figure 3 shows that Albanian nationals have been the most common nationality for FNO returns in each of the last 5 years. The UK-Albania Joint Communique signed in December 2022 strengthened cooperation between the UK and Albania and has supported the removal of Albanian national offenders.

Of the Albanian FNOs returned in YE December 2025, the majority (80%) were convicted of drug-related offences.

In addition to Albanians, Romanian, Polish, Lithuanian and Bulgarian nationals make up the remaining top 5 most common nationalities of foreign offenders returned from the UK in the YE March 2026 (See Figure 3). Albanian, Polish, Romanian, and Lithuanian nationals are also some of the most common foreign nationalities in prisons in England and Wales according to the latest prison population statistics from the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service.

The Early Removal Scheme (ERS), introduced in 2004, enables FNOs to be returned earlier in their custodial sentence. In January 2024, the scheme was extended to include FNOs who had up to 18 months remaining on their sentence, rather than 12 months or less. In September 2025, this was further expanded to allow removal up to 4 years before custodial release date, subject to having served 30% of the sentence, increasing the pool eligible for early return.

The Standard Determinate Sentence 40% (SDS40) scheme was introduced in September 2024 as a temporary measure allowing eligible offenders to be conditionally released after 40% of their sentence, rather than 50%. For FNOs, ERS applies to this reduced term, meaning removal can occur even sooner.

In addition, the Facilitated return scheme (FRS) is a voluntary Home Office scheme established in 2006 which supports FNOs to leave the UK at the earliest possible opportunity and resettle in their home country, encouraging FNOs to cooperate with early removal.

For more information on these, please see the policy timeline document. For ERS return statistics, please see the ‘Returns from the UK and enforcement activity’ ad hoc statistical release.

Figure 3: Returns of FNOs¹ from the UK, by nationality²; YE March 2022 to YE March 2026

Source: Returns - Ret_D03

Notes:

1. An FNO is someone who is not a British citizen and is, or was, convicted in the UK of any criminal offence, or convicted abroad for a serious criminal offence.
2. Nationalities shown are the top 5 nationalities for FNO returns in the latest 12-month period.

Returns of FNOs averaged around 5,500 per year during the period from 2010 to 2019. FNO returns reached a peak in 2016 at 6,437, subsequently falling to below 3,000 per year in 2020 to 2021. Since then, returns of FNOs have been gradually increasing, although in the latest year were still 9% below the 2016 peak.

6. Asylum-related returns

Asylum-related returns relate to cases where there has been an asylum claim or further submission at some stage prior to the return. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been withdrawn, refused and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third-country provisions, as well as a small number of those granted asylum/protection but who had to be removed for other reasons (such as criminality).

Asylum-related returns include enforced and voluntary returns, unless stated otherwise.

Asylum-related returns in the YE March 2026 have risen from the previous year continuing the sharp upward trend observed since 2021.

In the YE March 2026, there were 11,918 asylum-related returns, 17% more than in YE March 2025. Nearly a third (31%) of total enforced and voluntary returns were asylum-related – a proportion that has risen steadily from 15% in 2021. Asylum-related returns in the YE March 2026 are the highest volume in this statistical series (starting YE December 2010).

The volume of asylum-related returns and nationalities returned may be partially driven by trends observed in asylum claims being withdrawn or refused. The number of people receiving these decisions on claims has increased since last year, with a 57% increase in refusals. Individuals with withdrawn or refused applications who have exhausted any rights of appeal may have no “leave to remain” and the Home Office will seek their return from the UK. For more information on trends in asylum case processing, please see the ‘How many people are granted asylum in the UK?’ topic.

Asylum seekers denied protection and subsequently returned varies by nationality. Some nationalities, such as Albanians, Indian, and Brazilians, have relatively high withdrawal and refusal rates from asylum applications. Albanian nationals are the most common nationality for asylum-related returns accounting for just under a quarter (24% or 2,831) of asylum-related returns in YE March 2026, however these returns are down by 23% compared with the previous year. Brazilian asylum-related returns have increased by the greatest volume over the last year (from 1,277 to 1,720) with Indian nationals up by 38% in the YE March 2026 (from 881 to 1,218). Vietnamese asylum-related returns have more than doubled over the last year (from 94 to 237) following an agreement regarding returns with Vietnam and a new comprehensive strategic partnership.

Figure 4: Asylum-related returns from the UK; YE December 2010 to YE March 2026

Source: Subset of data in Returns - Ret_05

6.1 Returns of small boat arrivals

Small boat arrivals returned from the UK are up from last year, continuing an increasing trend since 2018.

In the YE March 2026, there were 2,750 returns of people who had arrived to the UK by small boat, 16% more than the previous year. This increase is partially due to the UK-France Agreement on the prevention of dangerous journeys which came into effect in August 2025 following the signing of a treaty by the UK and French Interior Ministers. This treaty enables the return of arrivals from the UK to France, with an equal number of individuals eligible to come to the UK through a new legal route.

A total of 8,427 people who arrived on a small boat between 2018 and the YE March 2026 have been returned from the UK. A vast majority of small boat arrivals claim asylum, and there will be a period of time for their claim to be assessed, prior to it being known whether they will be subject to return. More than half of all small boat arrival asylum applications since 2018 have been refused or withdrawn. Further information about small boat arrivals can be found in the ‘How many people come to the UK via illegal entry routes?’ chapter.

Of the returns of small boat arrivals in the latest year, more than half (53%) were Albanian nationals (Figure 5). The number of Albanian nationals returned from the UK that arrived by small boat has declined in the last year, mirroring the decline in Albanian arrivals via this illegal entry route. Turkish (246) and Iraqi (174) nationals are the next 2 most common nationalities of small boat arrivals returned from the UK, together accounting for a further 15% of small boat returns in the YE March 2026.

Afghan and Sudanese nationals were the second and third most common nationalities respectively arriving to the UK by small boat in the YE March 2026. However, returns to both countries are currently on hold. Iran (the fourth most common small boat arrival nationality over the same period) and Syria are currently not accepting enforced returns. See Home Office ‘Country returns guides’ for more information on the returns process for individual countries of origin. Despite this, 128 Afghan nationals and 93 Syrian nationals arriving by small boat with no right to be in the UK were returned in the YE March 2026.

Figure 5: Returns of small boat arrivals of Albanians and other nationalities, by quarter of return, January 2018 to March 2026

Source: Subset of data in Returns - Ret_06b

The underlying data systems on which measures of arrivals to the UK via illegal entry routes is based are undergoing a process of change. As the department works through this transition, some recent data is unavailable for inclusion. As a result, return of small boat arrivals may be subject to revisions in future releases.

7. About the statistics

The latest 7 quarters of data are revised in each release. Therefore, the most recent quarters should be considered provisional.

Provisional numbers have been published on Returns from the UK and illegal working activity to the end of January 2026.

Data on voluntary returns is subject to upward revision, so comparisons over time should be made with caution. In some cases, individuals who have been told to leave the UK will not notify the Home Office of their departure from the UK. In such cases, it can take some time for the Home Office to become aware of such a departure and update the system. As a result, data for more recent periods will initially undercount the total number of returns. ‘Other verified returns’ are particularly affected by this. Further details on the revisions can be found in the returns section of the user guide.

The statistics in this section show the number of returns from the UK. One individual may have been returned more than once in a given period and, if that was the case, would be counted more than once in the statistics.

The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have a legal right to stay in the UK. This includes people who:

• enter, or attempt to enter, the UK illegally (including people entering by means of deception on entry)
• are subject to deportation action; for example, due to a serious criminal conviction
• overstay their period of legal right to remain in the UK
• breach their conditions of leave
• have been refused asylum

The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily.

Data on returns of small boat arrivals for the top 10 most common nationalities in the latest year are published for the first time in table Ret_06b of the returns summary tables.

As set out in the Home Office’s intention to publish statement in April 2025, additional statistics on FNOs returned from the UK, including breakdowns by offence group and sentence length group, have been published in the returns summary tables accompanying this release, following improvements to FNO data collection and infrastructure that have enhanced data quality.

These statistics are labelled as “Official statistics in development”. They are based on information from Home Office administrative systems, some of which are derived from case workers interpreting information held on Police National Computer records. We are developing how we collect the data and produce the statistics to improve their quality. See the user guide for more details.

8. Data tables

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

• Returns summary tables
• Detailed returns datasets

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.