Accredited official statistics

How many people are returned from the UK ?

Published 27 November 2025

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

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

Additional information is provided in the ‘About the statistics’ section and in the user guide.

1. Returns

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 (people subject to administrative removal or deportation action which is carried out by the Home Office)
• voluntary returns (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 (people who are refused entry to the UK at a place of arrival and have subsequently departed)

Foreign national offenders (FNOs) and asylum-related returns (including failed asylum seekers) can appear in enforced, voluntary and port return categories. Returns of small boat arrivals are included in voluntary and enforced returns. 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, 2010 to year ending September 2025

Source: Returns - Ret_D01

2. Enforced returns

Enforced returns have continued to increase in the year ending September 2025, returning to similar levels to those recorded in 2018.

The provisional numbers of Returns from the UK and illegal working activity to the end of October 2025 has been published at this link.

Figure 1 shows that over the longer-term, enforced returns have increased steadily following the low number of returns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. There were 9,382 enforced returns in the year ending September 2025, 22% higher than the previous year, returning to similar levels to 2018 (9,236).

The increase in enforced returns over the last 14 months has been partially driven by increases in asylum-related enforced returns (see Section 6) with the resumption of certain categories of asylum processing after July 2024, among other measures. Other factors driving the increase in enforced returns longer term include schemes to remove foreign offenders (see Section 5) and several returns agreements with countries outside the UK. For more information on these, please see the policy timeline document. 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.

Albanian nationals were the most common nationality of enforced returns over the last 4 years and accounted for 26% (2,481) in the latest 12 months. Enforced returns of Albanian nationals increased following the signing of the UK Albanian Joint Communique in December 2022, which was a response to the substantial numbers of Albanian small boat arrivals in 2022.

Despite the prominence of Albanian nationals in enforced returns over the last 4 years, numbers have started falling more recently – with 12% fewer in the year ending September 2025 compared with the previous year. Enforced returns of other prominent nationalities have increased, with numbers of Romanians up 22% to 1,734, Brazilian enforced returns doubling to 979 and Indians more than doubling to 746 enforced returns over the latest year. Although still relatively small numbers, there has been a rise in returns of Malaysian nationals, (209 returns, up 5-fold) which coincides with large increases in FNO returns of Malaysians in the year ending September 2025.

Figure 2: Enforced returns from the UK, by nationality¹; year ending September 2021 to year ending September 2025

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 majority (95%) of enforced returns in the year ending September 2025, and the number of individuals who have left detention and then subsequently returned from the UK has increased by 13%. For information about detention statistics and trends please see the ‘How many people are detained under immigration powers in the UK’ topic.

3. Voluntary returns

Voluntary returns increased in the latest year, driven by nearly doubling the number of returns assisted by the Home Office.

In the year ending September 2025 there were 27,075 voluntary returns, up by 7% compared to the year ending September 2024 and exceeding the level of activity in 2017 (20,979). 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 (8,106), Brazilians (4,633) and Albanians (1,968) accounted for just over half (54%) of all voluntary returns in the year ending September 2025. Indian and Brazilian voluntary returns increased by 26% and 17% respectively compared to the year ending September 2024, whereas voluntary returns of Albanians decreased by 42% over the same period.

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.

‘Other verified returns’ made up (44%) of all voluntary returns (those who departed the UK without informing the Home Office). ‘Assisted returns’ made up 35% (9,599) of voluntary returns in the year ending September 2025, an 81% increase compared to the year ending September 2024. Brazilian nationals accounted for 44% of these assisted returns, with around 90% of voluntary returns for both Brazilian and Colombian nationals leaving the UK through assisted routes.

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

Port returns have declined over the last 2 years, and are similar to levels seen in the year ending September 2019.

There were 19,668 port returns in the year ending September 2025, 16% fewer than the previous year. The decline in port returns over the last 2 years follows a sharp increase following 2020 restrictions.

Of the top 20 most common nationalities to be refused entry at the border in the year ending September 2025, 16 have seen decreases in port returns compared to the previous year. Colombian and Jordanian nationals have seen some of the largest percentage decreases in these returns in the year ending September 2025, with Colombian port returns almost halving (from 631 to 350) and Jordanian port returns falling by 99% (from 698 to 10).

UK Border Force take decisions to stop passengers on arrival based on the information that they receive. 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.

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.

Prior to the end of Freedom of Movement with the EU, port returns of EU nationals accounted for between 6% and 21% of annual port returns between 2012 and 2020. However, in the year ending September 2025 EU nationals accounted for more than half (56%) of all those refused entry and subsequently returned. Romanians have been the top EU nationality for port returns since 2012, making up over a quarter (29%) of the total port returns in the year ending September 2025.

5. Returns of foreign national offenders

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 have been increasing since 2021, with the year ending September 2025 now exceeding levels seen in the year ending September 2019.

There were 5,343 FNO returns in the year ending September 2025, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year. Of which, FNO returns during this period were almost evenly split between EU (48%) and Non-EU (52%) nationals.

Figure 3 shows that Albanian nationals represented the most common nationality for FNO returns in each of the last 4 years. The UK-Albania Joint Communique signed in December 2022 strengthened data sharing between the UK and Albania and has supported the removal of Albanian national offenders.

Romanian, Polish, Lithuanian and Malaysian nationals additionally make up the top 5 most common nationalities of foreign offenders returned from the UK in the year ending September 2025 (See Figure 3). Albanian, Romanian, Polish and Lithuanians 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. FNO returns of Malaysian nationals have increased in the year ending September 2025 (from 27 to 196).

The Early Removal Scheme (ERS), introduced in 2004, enables the return of FNOs at an earlier point in their custodial sentence than would otherwise be possible. 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 2024, 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 of FNOs eligible for early return.

Alongside this, the Standard Determinate Sentence 40% (SDS40) scheme was introduced in September 2024. This temporary measure allows offenders serving determinate sentences to be conditionally released after 40% of their sentence, rather than 50%, subject to eligibility criteria. For FNOs, ERS applies to this reduced term, meaning removal can occur even sooner. For more information on these, please see the policy timeline document. For ERS return statistics, please see the ‘Returns from the UK from March 2023’ statistical release.

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. The FRS encourages FNOs to cooperate with their early removal from the UK.

Figure 3: Returns of FNOs¹ from the UK, by nationality²; year ending September 2021 to year ending September 2025

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 during the pandemic in 2020 to 2021. Since then, returns of FNOs have been gradually increasing, although in the latest year were still 17% 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.

Enforced and voluntary asylum-related returns in the year ending September 2025 continue to rise from the previous year, up substantially since 2021.

In the year ending September 2025, there were 10,958 asylum-related returns, 26% more than in the year ending September 2024. Nearly a third (30%) of total returns were asylum-related – a proportion that has risen steadily from 15% in 2021. This rise may be partially driven by the increase in decisions on asylum applications. Asylum-related returns exceeded numbers observed in 2010, up by 4%.

Albanian nationals are the most common nationality for asylum-related returns and they account for just over a third (28% or 3,122) of asylum-related returns in the year ending September 2025, despite being down by 25%. Brazilian asylum-related returns have more than doubled over the last year (from 661 to 1,723). Indian (1,027), Colombian (414) and Pakistani (395) nationals are the next most common nationalities for asylum-related returns. For more information on asylum case processing, please see the ‘How many people are granted asylum in the UK?’ topic.

Figure 4: Asylum-related returns from the UK; 2010 to year ending September 2025

Source: Subset of data in Returns - Ret_05

6.1. Returns of small boat arrivals

Returns of small boat arrivals have increased since 2018 but fallen in the latest year.

In the year ending September 2025, there were 2,272 returns of people who had arrived by small boat, 8% fewer than the previous year.

Of the small boat returns in the latest year, 71% were of Albanian nationals (Figure 5). Turkish and Iraqi nationals are the next 2 most common nationalities, together accounting for a further 14% of small boat returns.

A total of 6,787 people who arrived on a small boat between 2018 and the year ending September 2025 have been returned from the UK, representing 4% of the total number of small boat arrivals over the same period. However, the vast majority (95%) of small boat arrivals claim asylum and it will take time for their claim to be assessed. Of the 171,193 small boat arrivals who have claimed asylum since 2018, just over one-third (36%) were refused or their application was withdrawn, while 18% were still awaiting an initial decision.

Returns to certain countries, including Afghanistan which was the second most common nationality to arrive in the UK by small boat in the year ending September 2025, are currently on hold. Iran, the third most common small boat arrival nationality over the same period, is currently not accepting enforced returns. See Home Office ‘Country returns guides’ for more information on the returns process for individual countries of origin.

A UK-France Agreement on the prevention of dangerous journeys 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.

Further information about small boat arrivals can be found in the ‘How many people come to the UK irregularly?’ chapter and information on how long people wait for an asylum decision can be found in the chapter ‘How many cases are in the UK asylum system?’

Figure 5: Returns of small boat arrivals of Albanians and other nationalities, by quarter of return, 2018 to September 2025

Source: Subset of data in Returns - Ret_06

The underlying data system on which Irregular Migration to the UK data is based are undergoing a process of change. As the department works through this transition, some recent data was 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 8 quarters of data are revised in each release. This quarter, data for returns of small boat arrivals has been revised for 9 quarters to reflect an update to our methodology, which now consistently includes enforced and voluntary returns across the reporting period. Therefore, data for the most recent 8 quarters and 9 quarters for return of small boat arrivals should be considered provisional.

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 irregularly and 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.

As outlined in this intention to publish statement released by the Home Office in April, following upgrades to FNO data collection and infrastructure currently underway, the Home Office proposes to publish additional statistical reporting later in the year on FNOs in the immigration system.

8. Data tables

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

• Returns summary tables
• Detailed returns datasets

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