National statistics

Safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK

Updated 7 December 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-september-2023/safe-and-legal-humanitarian-routes-to-the-uk

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

This chapter covers the safe and legal humanitarian schemes allowing certain people to come to 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, including those resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes: allow for the transfer of refugees from other countries to the UK
  • Family Reunion visas: which allow the families of refugees in the UK to join them here

In the year ending September 2023, 112,431 people were offered a safe and legal (humanitarian) route to come to or remain in the UK . Over half were on Ukraine schemes.

Figure 1: People offered safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK, by route, year ending September 20231,2,3,4,5

Source: Asylum and resettlement summary tables – Asy_11

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.
  4. Visas grant data provides an indication of the number of people who have an intention to enter the UK rather than actual arrivals. Individuals can arrive at any time during the period that the visa is valid.
  5. Resettlement and relocation include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship Scheme, Mandate Scheme in addition to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS ).

In the year ending September 2023, 112,431 people were offered a safe and legal (humanitarian) route to the UK. This is 61% less than the year ending September 2022, due to fewer people arriving on the Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes, although these schemes still accounted for over half of all grants.

Table 1: People offered safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK, by route, years ending September 2022 and September 20231

Safe and legal (humanitarian) route YE September 2022 YE September 2023 Change Percentage change
Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes2 207,125 64,264 -142,861 -69%
Hong Kong BN(O) visas3 68,824 40,243 -28,581 -42%
Resettlement and Relocation 6,733 (inc. 5,346 under Afghan schemes) 1,810 (inc. 1,110 under Afghan schemes) -4,923 -73%
Family reunion 4,365 6,114 +1,749 +40%
Total 287,047 112,431 -174,616 -61%

Source: Asylum and resettlement summary tables – Asy_11

Notes:

  1. Time periods relate to the date the visa was granted for Ukraine, BN(O) Hong Kong and Family Reunion visa grants and relate to the date at which the refugee arrived in the UK for resettlement and relocation schemes.
  2. Ukraine Visas were only available from March 2022.
  3. Hong Kong BN(O) visas include both in-country and out of country visas.

2. Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes

During 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.

In the year ending September 2023, there have been 54,200 people granted visas to come to the UK, and 10,064 people granted extensions to remain in the UK on the Ukraine Schemes.

Since their introduction in March 2022 to September 2023, the Ukraine Schemes have had:

  • 315,086 visa applications, 96,185 in the year ending September 2023
  • 242,314 visa grants, 54,200 in the year ending September 2023
  • 188,900 arrivals counted (rounded), 55,000 in the year ending September 2023
  • 29,075 extensions granted, 10,064 in the year ending September 2023

The latest provisional data can be found in the weekly publication Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data.

Figure 2: Weekly number of applications, grants and arrivals on Ukrainian Visa Schemes, for weeks ending 8 March 2022 to 26 September 2023

Source: Ukraine visa schemes summary tables - UVS_01, UVS_02, UVS_03

Figure 1 shows grants on the Ukraine visa schemes peaked in the weeks of April 2022 soon after the introduction of the new schemes (around 15,000 to 16,000 per week in the last 3 weeks of April 2022). The number of new visas granted on both routes has not exceeded 1,000 grants per week since March 2023. More information can be found in the Ukraine visa schemes summary tables.

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. Numbers of arrivals follow a similar trend to visas granted, being very high soon after the introduction of the schemes, peaking at 10,000 per week, and reducing over time. Some of those who arrived will have since left the UK either temporarily or permanently. As of September 2023, around 76,000 people who had previously arrived on the Ukraine schemes had exited the UK and were believed to be out of the country.

As of the end of September 2023, adult females aged 18 to 64 accounted for almost half (47%) of the people who have arrived from Ukraine since the schemes began, children (aged 17 and under) accounted for 28%, and adult males aged 18 to 64 accounted for 19%.

There were a total of 29,075 extensions granted, 8,009 (28%) on the Ukraine Family Scheme and 21,066 (72%) on the Ukraine Extension Scheme since their introduction.

The latest provisional data can be found in the weekly publication Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data.

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

On 31 January 2021, the UK government introduced a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders from Hong Kong, providing the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK.

In the year ending September 2023, there were a total of 32,994 grants of out of country BN(O) visas and 7,249 grants of in-country BN(O) extensions.

On the BN(O) route, since its introduction on 31 January 2021 to the end of September 2023, there have been a total of:

  • 159,197 out of country applications, 33,029 in the year ending September 2023
  • 154,078 grants of out of country visas, 32,994 in the year ending September 2023
  • 135,400 people have arrived (rounded), 41,200 in the year ending September 2023
  • 31,800 in-country applications, 7,100 in the year ending September 2023
  • 30,622 in-country grants, 7,249 in the year ending September 2023

The initial 2 quarters when this route was first opened (January to March and April to June 2021) saw the highest number of applications (33,100 and 30,200 respectively); the number of applications has since decreased and has been stable since September 2022 at around 10,000 per quarter.

4. Resettlement

The UK runs a range of resettlement schemes, which involve transferring refugees from other countries to the UK. For simplicity, where this release refers to individuals relocated under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), the term ‘resettlement’ or ‘resettled’ is used. Information on the different resettlement schemes and the differences between resettlement and relocation can be found in the user guide.

There were 1,810 people resettled in the year ending September 2023, 73% fewer than the previous year when 6,733 people were resettled (predominantly through Afghan schemes).

There were 1,810 people resettled in the year ending September 2023, of which:

  • 61% (1,110) arrived through Afghan schemes, 29% (525) through the UK Resettlement Scheme, and 10% (175) through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Schemes 
  • the most common nationalities were Afghan (57%, largely through Afghan schemes) and Syrian (18%, top nationality arriving through the UK Resettlement Scheme)

Figure 3: People resettled and relocated, by scheme, year ending September 2015 to year ending September 20231,2,3,4,5,6,7

Source: Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement - Asy_D02

Notes:

  1. Date at which the refugee arrived in the UK.
  2. Resettlement activity was paused during the second and third quarter of 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Resettlement recommenced in December 2020.
  3. ‘Other resettlement schemes’ include the Gateway Protection Programme, the Mandate Scheme and Community Sponsorship.
  4. The UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) was launched in February 2021, replacing the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS), and the Gateway Protection Programme.
  5. The ACRS opened in January 2022 and the ARAP launched in April 2021. The statistics include a small number of cases where the Afghan route was not recorded.
  6. The VPRS and VCRS are often referred to as the ‘Syrian schemes’.
  7. Detailed quarterly data on persons resettled in the UK, including age, sex, and nationality breakdowns, can be found in the ‘initial decisions and resettlement dataset’.

Since the first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes have resettled a total of 21,673 people while the UK Resettlement scheme has resettled 2,407 refugees since it launched in 2021.

Between 2015 and September 2023, the UK resettled a total of 50,453 individuals. The number of people brought to the UK through a resettlement scheme increased in 2016 to around 5,000 per year (following the introduction and expansion of the new resettlement schemes for Syrians). Numbers resettled remained around this level until March 2020, when resettlement activity was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Resettlement increased again following the resettlement and relocation of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Current resettlement numbers are lower than pre-pandemic levels due to accommodation capacity pressures throughout the UK. This includes the additional demand created by significant resettlement responses to crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

4.1 International comparisons of refugee resettlement

International resettlement data is sourced from UNHCR and is accurate as of November 2023.

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). Information on the different resettlement schemes can be found in the user guide.

In January to September 2023, the UK resettled over 500 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes, ranking ninth globally for those schemes.

Between 2015 and September 2023, the UK resettled over 28,000 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes – the sixth largest number in the world (after the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden and Germany).

5. Family reunion

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.

In the year ending September 2023, 6,114 people were granted family reunion visas – nearly half of which were children.

Between 2015 and September 2023, 49,088 family reunion visas have been granted to family members of refugees. The top nationalities granted family reunion visas over this period were Syria (9,456 granted), Eritrea (8,440), Iran (6,945), Sudan (6,512) and Afghanistan (1,801); these are also some of the top nationalities applying for asylum.

6. About these Statistics

Arrival figures are rounded to the nearest 100 and relate to individuals who arrived into the UK, where the arrival has been linked to a Ukraine visa scheme or an out-of-country BN(O) visa. 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.

More information on the Ukraine visas schemes can be found in the weekly ‘Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data’ publication.

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.

Further statistics on the ‘Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) route’ (including applications to enter or remain in the UK, decisions on those applications and number of arrivals to the UK) are included in the ‘How many people come to the UK each year (including visitors)’ chapter of this statistics release.

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.

This release includes data on resettlement through ‘Pathway 1’, ‘Pathway 2’ and ‘Pathway 3’ of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and data on individuals relocated (not resettled) through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). For further information on these schemes, see the ‘Home Office Afghan resettlement and immigration policy statement’.

The total number of people evacuated from Afghanistan (arrivals) is higher than the total people shown under the Afghan schemes in this release, as not all those evacuated required resettlement (for example, British citizens or those with settled status). Afghan Resettlement Programme: Operational Data provides further information on total arrivals.

More information about current and previous 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 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is available.

Demographic Data for Ukraine Visas Schemes, split by parts of the UK, is provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

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