Official Statistics

Statistics relating to Illegal Migration

Ad hoc statistical release of provisional data from the Home Office relating to Illegal Migration.

Documents

Details

On 20 July 2023, the Illegal Migration Bill received Royal Assent and will now be known as the Illegal Migration Act 2023.

This page presents immigration statistics from Home Office administrative sources of relevance to the Illegal Migration Act. This includes data relating to:

  • small boats
  • the asylum backlog
  • asylum seekers on support
  • asylum decision makers and headcount
  • asylum decisions and interviews
  • enforcement activities

These statistics were initially published on 24 April 2023 to support the parliamentary debate on the Illegal Migration Act. They have been subsequently updated as ad hoc statistics, with the latest data going up to 21 April 2024 (where available).

Further, regular, monthly updates to these statistics will be included here, published by the Home Office. Migration analysis, statistics and research are found at Migration analysis at the Home Office

If you have any questions about the data, please contact  MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Notes

All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Data is valid as at 18 April 2024.

Updates to this page

Published 24 April 2023
Last updated 26 April 2024 + show all updates
  1. Updated 'Statistics relating to Illegal Migration: data tables to 21 April 2024' - Volume of returns in table IMB_05 ‘Returns, by type of return and nationality (Albanian and other nationalities), April 2019 to 14 April 2024’ has amended for 2023.

  2. Updated 'Additional statistics relating to Illegal Migration (April 2024)' - There was an error when calculating the overall volume of substantive initial asylum decisions. This has been corrected from 89,365 to 93,431.

  3. Added ‘Additional statistics relating to Illegal Migration (March 2024)’ and additional data tables up to 21 April 2024.

  4. Added ‘Additional statistics relating to Illegal Migration (December 2023)’ and additional data tables up to 28 December 2023.

  5. Added ‘Additional statistics relating to Illegal Migration (to end November 2023)’ and additional data tables up to November 2023.

  6. Added ‘Additional statistics relating to Illegal Migration (to end October 2023)’ and additional data tables up to October 2023.

  7. Added ‘Additional statistics relating to Illegal Migration (to end September 2023)’ to accompany the Minister for Immigration’s Oral Statement to the House on 24 October 2023.

  8. Added additional data tables up to August 2023.

  9. August updates to tables IMB_05 & IMB_06.

  10. Previously published table (IMB_01b) updated to include data for Q2 2023, alongside 2023 Q3 (incomplete).

  11. Added additional data tables up to July 2023.

  12. Updated following Royal Assent.

  13. Added additional data tables up to May 2023.

  14. New statistic on the number of Albanian nationals that have been returned to Albania since the signing of the UK-Albania Joint Communique on 13 December 2022.

  15. First published.

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