Why do people come to the UK? (2) To work
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/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-2-to-work
Back to Immigration statistics July to September 2017 content page.
This is not the latest release. View latest release.
Data relate to the year ending September 2017 and all comparisons are with the year ending September 2016, unless indicated otherwise.
This section includes figures on work-related visas granted to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. It also includes estimates of non-European Union (EU) long-term immigration to work (i.e. those intending to stay for at least 12 months to work). 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 Why do people come to the UK? (2) To work topic.
1. Key facts
There were 54,697 Tier 2 Skilled work-sponsored visa applications in the year ending September 2017 (non-EEA main applicants, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) used), lower than year ending September 2016 (56,551). This included a 24% increase (1,176 more visas) in the Human health and social work activities sector, which is likely to reflect the addition of nurses to the government’s shortage occupation list in November 2015. The largest fall was in applications for the Information and Communication sector (-1,509; -6%).
Including dependants, there were 93,700 Tier 2 Skilled work visas granted in the year ending September 2017, a similar level to the previous year (93,913) and 41,652 Tier 5 Youth mobility and temporary visas granted, down 346 (1%).
In the year ending June 2017, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates there were 65,000 non-European Union (EU) long-term immigrants for work, a 9,000 decrease compared with the previous year (the difference was not statistically significant).
Additionally, the number of people employed in the UK increased by 272,000 to 32.1 million, according to the latest estimates from the Labour Force Survey, the highest since the series began in 1981. Just over two-thirds of the increase was accounted for by UK nationals (around 67%). There were 2.4 million EU nationals in employment in the UK (up 112,000; highest since series began) and 1.2 million non-EU nationals (down 23,000).
2. Work immigration: latest trends
| Year ending September 2016 | Year ending September 2017 | Change | Percentage change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work-related visas granted | 164,571 | 164,383 | -188 | 0% |
| of which: | ||||
| High value (Tier 1) visas | 4,516 | 4,820 | +304 | +7% |
| Skilled (Tier 2) visas | 93,913 | 93,700 | -213 | 0% |
| Youth mobility and temporary workers (Tier 5) visas | 41,998 | 41,652 | -346 | -1% |
| Non-PBS/Other work visas | 24,144 | 24,211 | +67 | 0% |
| Year ending June 2016 | Year ending June 2017 | Change | Percentage change | |
| Long-term immigration for work (1), excluding dependants | 74,000 | 65,000 | -9,000 | -12% |
| Long-term (1 year or more) work-related visas, excluding dependants | 79,779 | 72,962 | -6,817 | -9% |
Table notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, Visas table vi 04_q (Visas volume 1), International Passenger Survey (IPS), ONS Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.
(1) Immigration for work 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 IPS.
(2) The fall of 9,000 in non-EU work-related immigration for the year ending June 2017 had an estimated confidence interval of +/-15,000.
3. Long-term trends in work-related immigration
There was a long-term reduction in work-related visas granted and non-EU immigration from 2006 to 2012. Since 2013, total work-related visas granted have increased overall, with some fluctuations.
The chart below shows that IPS estimates of non-EU work immigration are substantially lower as these include only those migrants who state they intend to remain in the UK for a year or more. However, the two series show broadly similar trends with falls from 2006 followed by increases from the middle of 2013 and relative stability over the latest two and a half years.
Long-term trends in work-related immigration
Chart notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, Visas table vi 04 q (Visas volume 1), and corresponding datasets; ONS, Migration Statistics Quarterly Report.
There are a range of potential reasons why IPS figures differ from figures for Work visas granted or passenger arrivals, and hence why the trends in the different series do not always correspond. Further comparisons of the data are described in the User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics.
4. Skilled work
In the year ending September 2017, a very high proportion (97%) of the 96,153 decisions made on entry clearance applications for Skilled work were grants (93,700). The fall in Skilled (Tier 2) grants was more than accounted for by an overall decrease in main applicant Intra-company transfers of -2,845 (-8%), but within this there was an increase of 8,140 (62%) in long-term Intra-company transfers that was more than offset by other decreases.
Indian nationals accounted for 57% of Skilled work visas granted in the year ending September 2017.
4.1 Sponsored visa applications, by nationality and industry sector
The number of sponsored visa applications for Skilled work was 54,697 in the year ending September 2017 (main applicants, CoS used), 3% lower than year ending September 2016 (56,551). The largest change in number of applications was in the Information and Communication sector, a decrease of 1,509 (6%).
There were 22,130 applications from the Information and Communication sector in the year ending September 2017, and this sector alone accounted for 40% of all Skilled work-sponsored visa applications.
Sponsored visa applications by industry sector, year ending September 2017
Chart notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, Sponsorship tables.
Main applicants only.
5. Data tables
Data on immigration for work, sourced from Home Office administrative systems, can be found in the following tables:
Sponsorship tables
Visas tables volume 1
Visas tables volume 2
Visas tables volume 3
Admissions tables
Extensions tables
Settlement tables
European Economic Area (EEA) tables