Accredited official statistics

Family

Published 26 November 2015

Valid: 26 November 2015 to 24 February 2016

All comparisons are with the previous 12 months unless indicated.

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1. Key facts

In the year ending September 2015, 36,724 family-related visas were granted. This is an increase of 6% compared with the year ending September 2014 (34,598).

There was a 5% decrease in the number of visas granted to dependants (excluding visitor visas) joining or accompanying migrants in the UK (72,686) compared with the previous 12 months (76,585).

There were 42,131 extensions of stay for family reasons in the year ending September 2015. Of this total, 19,237 (46%) were granted under the Family Life (10-year) category and 22,831 (54%) were granted under the partner category.

Family-related grants to stay permanently (for settlement) fell by 41% to 22,311 from the previous 12 months, continuing the downward trend since the year ending March 2010 (75,852) reflecting lower numbers granted family visas with a direct route to permanency and changes to the qualifying period for settlement. There were notable decreases in grants to partners (-40% to 19,212) in the last 12 months.

In the year ending June 2015 (the latest provisional data available), the International Passenger Survey (IPS) estimated that 45,000 non-EU nationals immigrated long-term to the UK to accompany or join others, that is with the intention of staying for a year or more. This is a decrease in comparison to 53,000 in the year ending June 2014. Those arriving to accompany or join are not directly comparable with visa categories but will include both family-related migration and potentially dependants of other migrants, as explained below.

2. Family immigration: latest trends

	Year ending September 2014	Year ending September 2015	Change	Percentage change
Family-related visas granted	34,598	36,724	+2,126	+6%
of which:
Partners	26,531	28,716	+2,185	+8%
Children (1)	3,058	3,136	+78	+3%
Other dependants	5,009	4,872	-137	-3%
All dependants on other visas (excl. visitor visas)	76,585	72,686	-3,899	-5%
EEA family permits granted	23,820	29,617	+5,797	+24%
	Year ending June 2014	Year ending June 2015	Change	Percentage change
Long-term immigration to accompany or join others (2)	53,000	45,000	-8,000	-15%

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Visas table vi 01 q, Office for National Statistics, Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.
(1) This category does not include children of a parent given limited leave to enter or remain in the UK for a probationary period. They are included in ‘All other dependants (excl. visitor visas)’.
(2) Immigration to accompany/join others data are estimates of the number of non-EU nationals intending to change their residence to the UK for at least 12 months based on the International Passenger Survey. Latest 12 months for long-term immigration to accompany or join others data are to the year ending June 2015 and are provisional.

3. Long-term trends in family immigration

IPS estimates of non-EU immigration of those accompanying or joining others in the UK include those arriving on family visas, as well as persons accompanying those who are arriving for other reasons, such as for work or study. In the year ending June 2015, IPS estimated that 45,000 non-EU nationals immigrated to the UK to accompany or join others.

The chart below shows that IPS estimates of immigration to accompany or join others have over the long term followed a broadly similar trend to the total number of visas granted by the Home Office through the family route and to other dependants, although IPS estimates are substantially lower as they exclude people who come to the UK but intend to stay for less than a year. Both measures of immigration for family reasons/to accompany or join others have fallen over the long term since March 2007, albeit with short-term increases in 2010 and again in 2013. The estimate of long-term immigration to accompany or join rose from 35,000 in the year ending June 2013 to 54,000 in the year ending September 2014 and has since fallen to 45,000 in the year ending June 2015.

The trend for IPS estimates has previously appeared to be broadly similar to figures for family visas alone. However, IPS estimates will contain dependants who arrive on non-family-related visas who intend to stay for a year or more.

Long-term trends in family immigration

Chart notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Visas table vi 04 q; Office for National Statistics (provisional estimates for YE June 2015), Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.
(1) Includes all dependants (e.g. dependants for work and study), but excludes visitors.

4. Visas

In the year ending September 2015, 36,724 family-related visas were granted. This number does not include dependants of other migrants who are discussed below. The number of family visas show a 6% increase compared with the previous year (34,598). Over three-quarters (78%) were granted to partners. Compared with the year ending September 2014, the number of family visas granted to partners has increased by 8%. Forty per cent of family visas are accounted for by five nationalities (see table below).

Nationalities with the highest number of visas granted for family reasons in the year ending September 2015

	Total	Partners	Children (1)	Other dependants (2)
Family-related visas granted	36,724	28,716	3,136	4,872
of which:
Pakistan	5,736	5,319	55	362
India	3,591	3,191	350	50
United States	2,060	2,028	17	15
Syria	1,687	84	4	1,599
Bangladesh	1,534	1,452	52	30

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Visas table vi 06 q f.
(1) This category does not include children of a parent given limited leave to enter or remain in the UK for a probationary period.
(2) Includes family reunion cases (pre-existing partners and minor children of persons granted refugee status or humanitarian protection). The proportion is high for Syrian nationals.

Other dependants on non-family-related visas can be granted a visa to join or accompany migrants who have not been granted the right to stay permanently in the UK. In the year ending September 2015, 72,686 of these visas (excluding visitors) were granted, a decrease of 5% compared with the previous 12 months (76,585) and 32% lower than the peak of 106,723 in the year ending March 2007. Of the 72,686 visas granted, 63% (45,538) were granted to other dependants of workers, 23% (16,871) to other dependants of students and 14% (10,277) to other dependants accompanying or joining a migrant in the UK.

5. Admissions

Admissions for family reasons fell to 21,700 in 2014 (compared with 23,100 in the previous 12 months), continuing the overall trend since 2006.

6. Extensions of stay

Statistics on extensions of stay relate to people wishing to extend or change the status of their stay in the UK. One of the ways that people can do this is for family reasons, including by applying to remain through the Family Life (10-year) route.

In the year ending September 2015, there were 42,131 grants of extension for family-related reasons, an increase from 36,628 in the previous 12 months, which was mainly accounted for by a 4,083 rise in grants to partners. This is likely to reflect the increase in the probationary period before an individual can apply to stay in the UK permanently (settlement) and a requirement for individuals to renew their temporary leave after two and a half years under the new family Immigration Rules implemented from 9 July 2012. For further details see the family section of the user guide. Those granted an extension will therefore include those granted an initial period of limited leave to remain as a partner on the family route as well as those granted a subsequent period of limited leave to remain.

Grants of extension for family-related reasons

	Year ending September 2014	Year ending September 2015	Change	Percentage change
Total grants of extension for family-related reasons	36,628	42,131	+5,503	+15%
of which:
Family Life (10-year route) (1)	17,794	19,237	+1,443	+8%
Partner	18,748	22,831	+4,083	+22%

Table notes

Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2015, Extensions table ex 01 q.
(1) Partners and parents who apply in the UK and are granted leave to remain on a 10-year route to settlement on the basis of their family life where the relevant provisions in Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members apply.

Dependants of migrants in other routes, for example workers and students, excluding visitors, can also apply to extend their stay in the UK. In the year ending September 2015, 50,953 extensions were granted to dependants (excluding visitors), a decrease of 3,432 (-6%) from the previous 12 months.

Analysis of extensions of stay by previous category shows that the 32,715 extensions granted to main applicants in 2014 for family reasons included 10,639 people previously in the family route (33%), 3,957 former students (12%), and 3,195 previously in the work category (10%). Of the other family extensions, in most cases the previous category was unknown or unrecorded.

7. Settlement

Family-related grants of settlement (to allow individuals to stay permanently) fell by 41%, to 22,311 in the year ending September 2015. This continues the overall downward trend since the year ending March 2010 (75,852). The majority of settlement grants were for partners (19,212; 86%), with the remainder for children (2,849; 13%), parents and grandparents (78; 0%) and other or unspecified dependants (172; 1%).

There were decreases in all the family categories: a 40% fall (-12,929) in grants to partners, a 44% fall (-2,267) in grants to children, a 65% fall (-147) in grants to parents and grandparents and a 64% fall (-302) in grants to other or unspecified dependants.

These decreases may partly reflect changes to the family Immigration Rules in July 2012, including how quickly partners qualify for settlement, as well as changing levels of grants for entry clearance visas and of extensions in previous years. Details of the July 2012 rule changes are included in the family section of the user guide.

8. Staying in the UK

Analysis of administrative records for migrants granted visas in 2008 is presented in the Migrant Journey Fifth Report and shows that 81% of migrants granted family visas in 2008 appear to still have legal leave to remain 5 years after their initial arrival. Over three-quarters (77%) of those granted a family visa in 2008 had achieved settlement and a further 4% had some form of valid leave to remain. This is an increase from 2004 when 68% of migrants granted family visas still had legal leave to remain 5 years after their arrival.

The proportion who had achieved permanent settlement within 5 years also differs by nationality. For example, a lower proportion of Somali nationals were settled after 5 years (43%) compared with nationals from Bangladesh (93%), Pakistan (88%) and India (87%). Further information can be found in the Home Office Migrant Journey Fifth Report.

9. Residence document decisions

Under European law, EEA nationals do not need to obtain documentation confirming their right of residence in the UK. However, if they want to support an application for a residence card for any non-EEA family members, they must provide evidence to demonstrate they are residing in the UK in accordance with the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006.

In 2014 there were 100,667 decisions on applications for EEA residence documents, slightly lower than in 2013 (102,088), the highest year on record (i.e. since 2004).

Grants of documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards have risen in recent years to 19,749 in 2014. This may reflect the increasing numbers living in the UK under the EEA Regulations for 5 years or more who choose to obtain a right of permanent residence and become eligible to apply for permanent residence documentation. Since 2010 Poland has been the top nationality granted documents certifying permanent residence (3,066 in 2014). Before 2010 Portugal was the top nationality.

Grants of registration certificates and registration cards rose by 10% to 42,638 in 2014, but had shown a generally falling trend between 2007 and 2012. Nationals of Portugal were granted the most registration certificates in 2012, 2013 and 2014 with nationals of Poland granted the most in 2006 to 2011.

10. Data tables

Data on family immigration, sourced from Home Office administrative systems, can be found in the following tables:

Visas vol. 1: tables vi 01 q, vi 04 and vi 04 q.
vi 01 q Entry clearance visa applications and resolution by category.
vi 04 Entry clearance visas granted by category.
vi 04 q Entry clearance visas granted by category.

Visas vol. 3: table vi 06 q f.
vi 06 q f Entry clearance visas granted by category and country of nationality: Family

Admissions: tables ad 02 to ad 03 f.
Extensions: tables ex 01, ex 01 q, ex 02 and ex 02 f.
Settlement: tables se 02 to se 04.
European Economic Area: table ee 02.
Family: tables fa 01 to fa 04.

11. Background information

This section includes figures on family-related visas granted, passenger arrivals, extensions granted and permissions to stay permanently (settlement) for non-EEA nationals. It also includes estimates of long-term immigration (i.e. those intending to stay for at least 12 months) from the ONS International Passenger Survey (IPS) and on residence document decisions covering EEA nationals and their family members.

People can come to the UK for a range of family reasons, such as to join or accompany family members who are either British citizens or settled in the UK, mainly partners, as ‘other dependants joining or accompanying’ those working or studying in the UK, or as visitors.

More detailed analysis on family visas and extensions and additional tables for years ending June were included in the ‘Immigration Statistics, July to September 2014’ release to assist users in understanding the trends in family data before and after the changes to the Immigration Rules in July 2012. Updates of the additional tables and analysis were included in the ‘Immigration Statistics April to June 2015’ release.

The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of those coming to join or accompany others, Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.