How many people continue their stay in the UK?
Published 30 November 2017
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017/how-many-people-continue-their-stay-in-the-uk
Back to Immigration Statistics July to September 2017 content page.
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Data relate to the year ending September 2017 and all comparisons are with the year ending September 2016, unless indicated otherwise.
This section provides an overview of emerging trends relating to people extending their temporary stay in the UK, staying permanently (settlement) and applying for British citizenship. It also covers residence documentation issued to European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and their family members. In line with our plan to provide users annually with a more detailed commentary, a more detailed discussion of the figures was included in the Immigration Statistics April to June 2017 release How many people continue their stay in the UK? Topic.
1. Key facts
There were 220,295 decisions on applications to change or extend an existing visa in the year ending September 2017, 19,158 or 8% fewer decisions than the previous year. Of the 220,295 decisions, 92% were grants (201,787) and 8% (18,508) were refusals.
There were 60,106 people granted permission to stay permanently in the year ending September 2017, 5% or 2,969 fewer than the previous year. The number of grants is low relative to the peak in the year ending September 2010 (241,586).
In the year ending September 2017, 168,198 documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards were issued to EEA nationals and non-EEA family members. This is the highest recorded annual figure and more than 4 times the figure for the previous 12 months (37,555).
Total applications for British citizenship fell by 4,893 (3%) to 137,286 in the year to September 2017 compared to the previous year, and 41% (94,976) lower than the peak in 2013 (232,262). Applications made by non-European Union (EU) nationals fell by 21,983 to 104,430, and applications by EU nationals more than doubled (+108%) to 32,856.
2. Extension grants
Extensions of stay relate to individuals inside the UK extending or changing the status of their stay in the UK. An individual is required to apply for an extension or change in status before their existing permission to enter or stay expires.
There were 220,295 decisions on applications to change or extend an existing visa in the year ending September 2017, 19,158 or 8% fewer decisions than the previous year. Of the 220,295 decisions, 92% were grants (201,787) and 8% (18,508) were refusals. There were 5% increases in grants for both Work and Family reasons, but a 19% fall in extensions for Study reasons and 10% for Other reasons.
There were 18,508 refusals of an extension in the year ending September 2017. Of these, 5,721 related to Work, 1,179 to Study, 6,062 to Family and 5,546 to Other categories. Correspondingly, the refusal rates for Work, Study, Family and Other categories were 7%, 3%, 9% and 25% respectively.
Grants of extensions by reason, and refusals
| Total decisions | Total grants | Work | Study | Family (1) | Other (1) | Refusals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending September 2013 | 361,921 | 285,334 | 129,900 | 99,851 | 36,579 | 19,004 | 76,587 |
| Year ending September 2014 | 306,755 | 247,362 | 89,115 | 89,405 | 36,628 | 32,214 | 59,393 |
| Year ending September 2015 | 278,747 | 224,933 | 82,055 | 69,255 | 41,938 | 31,685 | 53,814 |
| Year ending September 2016 | 239,453 | 206,387 | 76,803 | 51,981 | 59,326 | 18,277 | 33,066 |
| Year ending September 2017 | 220,295 | 201,787 | 81,010 | 42,190 | 62,228 | 16,359 | 18,508 |
| Change: latest 12 months | -19,158 | -4,600 | +4,207 | -9,791 | +2,902 | -1,918 | -14,558 |
| Percentage change | -8% | -2% | +5% | -19% | +5% | -10% | -44% |
Table notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, Extensions table ex 01 q.
(1) The introduction of the new Family life (10-year) route in July 2012 ‘Statement of intent: Family Migration’ means that the total number of Family and Other category grants are not fully comparable over time.
There were 152,044 main applicants granted an extension to their stay in 2016. Of these, 121,026 (80%) allowed the individual to stay within their original broad category (e.g. students continuing to study), with the other 20% having switched categories (e.g. Tier 4 Students switching to Work). By comparison, in 2011 and 2012 a higher proportion were allowed to switch (29% and 30% respectively). The fall in the proportion allowed to switch largely reflects the closure of the Post-study route.
Additional detailed analysis on extension grants in 2016 by previous category of leave were included in the Immigration Statistics January to March 2017 release How many people continue their stay in the UK? Topic.
3. Settlement grants and refusals
Settlement relates to people, subject to immigration control, given permission to stay permanently in the UK. The number of years an individual must have been in the UK before they can apply for settlement varies depending on the type of visa currently held. Those granted settlement are able, without restriction, to: work or study; travel into and out of the UK; access state benefits; and register their UK-born child as a British citizen. It does not entitle the person to a British passport (which requires British citizenship) or to vote in general elections, which requires Commonwealth or Irish Republic citizenship.
There were 60,106 people granted permission to stay permanently in the year ending September 2017, 5% fewer than the previous year.
There was a fall in Work grants (-10,069) mainly accounted for by a fall in grants to Tier 1 High-value individuals (by 9,150 to 4,072).
Family-related grants to stay permanently fell by 2,766 (36%) to 4,843 in the year ending September 2017. Recent decreases are likely in part to reflect changes to the family Immigration Rules in July 2012. For details see the Family section of the User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics.
Grants to stay permanently for Other reasons rose by 8,336 (+60%) to 22,147 but remain significantly lower than in 2010 (82,686).
Grants to stay permanently by reason, and refusals
| Total decisions | Total grants | Work | Asylum | Family | Other | Refusals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending September 2013 | 160,030 | 153,654 | 60,687 | 21,393 | 59,277 | 12,297 | 6,376 |
| Year ending September 2014 | 118,293 | 112,391 | 42,364 | 17,199 | 37,956 | 14,872 | 5,902 |
| Year ending September 2015 | 103,545 | 99,030 | 41,262 | 19,406 | 22,459 | 15,903 | 4,515 |
| Year ending September 2016 | 68,988 | 63,075 | 27,203 | 14,452 | 7,609 | 13,811 | 5,913 |
| Year ending September 2017 | 63,809 | 60,106 | 17,134 | 15,982 | 4,843 | 22,147 | 3,703 |
| Change: latest 12 months | -5,179 | -2,969 | -10,069 | +1,530 | -2,766 | +8,336 | -2,210 |
| Percentage change | -8% | -5% | -37% | +11% | -36% | +60% | -37% |
Table notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, Settlement table se 02 q.
These year-on-year comparisons of decisions numbers can be affected by changes in case-work resource allocation. Such fluctuations can be examined in more detail in the quarterly data that are also available in the published tables.
4. EEA nationals and their family members
Under European law, EEA nationals do not need to obtain documentation confirming their right of residence in the UK.
EEA nationals and their family members can apply for documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards, as confirmation of a right of permanent residence in the UK. There is no need to apply for a residence card as a family member but it can:
- help residence card holders to re-enter the country more quickly and easily if travelling abroad
- show employers that residence card holders are allowed to work in the UK
- help prove residence card holders qualify for certain benefits and services
EEA nationals only need to apply for a permanent residence document if they want to either:
- apply for British citizenship
- sponsor their partner’s visa application under the Immigration Rules
More information about applying for residence documentation is available at EU, EEA and Commonwealth.
After 12 November 2015, a person applying for citizenship who is claiming to have permanent residence as an EEA national or the family member of an EEA national has been required to provide a permanent residence card or a document certifying permanent residence as evidence that they meet the requirement to be free of immigration time restrictions. These rule changes, along with EEA national’s response to recent events, have resulted in a steep increase in demand for EEA residence documentation during 2016 and 2017.
Figures of applications received and cases currently outstanding in the European casework route (along with other information such as percentage processed within Service Standards) can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration Migration transparency data web page, In-country migration data, available at: Migration transparency data.
In the year to September 2017, there were 122,427 registration certificates and registration cards issued, nearly double the previous 12 months (62,367). This is the highest recorded annual figure. Most of the rise is attributed to EU nationals rather than non-EEA family members.
Also in the year ending September 2017, 168,198 documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards were issued. The majority of these (90%) were issued to EU nationals. This is the highest recorded annual figure and more than 4 times the figure for the previous 12 months (37,555).
Documents issued certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards for EEA nationals and their family members
| Total | Non-EU | EU nationals | EU nationals as % of total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending September 2015 | 18,713 | 9,252 | 9,461 | 51% |
| Year ending September 2016 | 37,555 | 11,377 | 26,178 | 70% |
| Year ending September 2017 | 168,198 | 16,223 | 151,975 | 90% |
| Change: latest year | +130,643 | +4,846 | +125,797 | |
| Percentage change | +348% | +43% | +481% |
Table notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, EEA table ee 02 q.
Series are based on current EU membership, i.e. Croatians included in EU total throughout.
Non-EU includes small numbers of EEA nationals from Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway.
See European Economic Area table ee 02 q and the User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics for more details.
5. Citizenship applications, grants and refusals
There are different ways to become a British citizen. The most common is called ‘naturalisation’. To apply for British citizenship by naturalisation you must usually have:
- lived in the UK for at least the 5 years before the date of your application
- spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
- spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
- had settlement in the UK for the last 12 months if you are from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)
- had permanent residence status for the last 12 months if you are a citizen of an EEA country
- not broken any immigration laws while in the UK
There are different requirements if your spouse or civil partner is a British citizen.
Total applications for British citizenship fell by 4,893 (3%) to 137,286 in the year to September 2017 compared to the previous year, and 41% (94,976) lower than the peak in the calendar year 2013 (232,262). Within the total, applications made by non-EU nationals fell by 21,983 to 104,430, and applications by EU nationals more than doubled (+108%) to 32,856, still less than one-third of the non-EU number.
Applications for citizenship, EU and non-EU nationals
| Total applications | Non-EU | EU nationals | EU nationals as % of total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending September 2012 | 185,991 | 176,094 | 9,897 | 5% |
| Year ending September 2013 | 206,340 | 190,006 | 16,334 | 8% |
| Year ending September 2014 | 163,468 | 146,940 | 16,528 | 10% |
| Year ending September 2015 | 142,360 | 127,218 | 15,142 | 11% |
| Year ending September 2016 | 142,179 | 126,413 | 15,766 | 11% |
| Year ending September 2017 | 137,286 | 104,430 | 32,856 | 24% |
| Change: latest year | -4,893 | -21,983 | 17,090 | |
| Percentage change | -3% | -17% | +108% |
Table notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, Citizenship table cz 01 q a.
Series are based on current EU membership, i.e. Croatians included in EU total throughout.
See Citizenship table cz 01 q a and the User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics for more details.
Increases in applications from EU nationals in recent years are likely to reflect immigration in earlier years while the most recent rise may be partly due to the impact of rule changes and recent events.
Variations in numbers of decisions can be affected by changes in resources and the mix of cases, as well as policy changes and application levels in earlier periods.
For more information on longer- term trends in British citizenship applications and decisions see Immigration Statistics April to June 2017 How many people continue their stay in the UK?.
6. Staying in the UK
In February 2017 the Home Office published ‘Statistics on changes in migrants’ visa and leave status: 2015‘, which shows how non-European Economic Area (EEA) migrants change their immigration status or achieve settlement in the UK or have their status expire.
This analysis shows that the majority (69%) of migrants issued a Study visa in 2004 no longer had valid leave to remain in the UK 5 years later. This proportion has increased in each cohort arriving from 2005, to 81% for those issued a Study visa in 2010. Conversely, the proportion of migrants who gained settlement 5 years after entering on a Study visa declined over the same period.
Over a quarter (30% or 21,507) of those issued a Skilled work visa (which has a potential path to settlement) in 2010 had been granted settlement 5 years after their initial visa had been granted; a further 14% (10,255) still had valid leave to remain in the UK.
The analysis also showed that most people who arrive on a Family visa end up applying for and being granted settlement; around 4 out of 5 people (80% or 32,377) issued a Family visa in the 2010 cohort had been granted settlement 5 years later, with a further 5% recorded as still having valid leave to remain in the UK.
7. Data tables
Data referred to here can be found in the following tables:
Extensions tables
Settlement tables
Citizenship tables
European Economic Area (EEA) tables