About this release
Published 27 August 2015
© Crown copyright 2015
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015/about-this-release
Valid: 27 August 2015 to 25 November 2015
Back to ‘Immigration statistics April to June 2015’ content page.
The Immigration Statistics quarterly release gives an overview of work on immigration control, entry clearance, asylum and enforcement within the Home Office, including the work of UK Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration. It helps inform users including the government, Parliament, the media and the wider public, and supports the development and monitoring of policy.
The release includes the following section briefings: (cross-cutting) Work, Study, Family, (single section) Visas, Admissions, Extensions, Settlement, Citizenship, Asylum, Removals and Voluntary Departures and Detention. Detailed tables of figures accompany each of the single section briefings, providing data up to the second quarter of 2015 (April to June).
The ‘Immigration Statistics’ release is a National Statistics output produced to the highest professional standards and free from political interference. It has been produced by statisticians working in the Home Office Science Unit in accordance with the Home Office’s ‘Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics’ which covers our policy on revisions and other matters. The Chief Statistician, as Head of Profession, reports to the National Statistician with respect to all professional statistical matters and oversees all Home Office National Statistics products with respect to the Code, being responsible for their timing, content and methodology.
Between 27 February and 14 May 2015, the Home Office sought feedback from the users of the Immigration Statistics, in order to assess how well the publication meets our users’ needs and make improvements where possible. The Home Office response to this consultation was published in July 2015 and is available online at: ‘Home Office response to 2015 consultation with users of Immigration Statistics’.
In response to the consultation, the Migration Statistics team in the Home Office has initiated work to make the Immigration Statistics web pages more user friendly, including looking into alternative web-based formats, and are considering potential topics suggested for future analysis.
If you have any comments on these plans please contact us via the Migration Statistics Enquiries inbox, MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
1. National Statistics
The UK Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics:
- meet identified user needs
- are well explained and readily accessible
- are produced according to sound methods
- are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed.
The assessment report (No. 177) and letter of confirmation as National Statistics can be viewed on the UK Statistics Authority Assessment Reports.
2. Changes to topic briefings and tables
There have been a range of improvements to the following topic briefings and tables in this release:
2.1Changes to tables
In response to the consultation, the Migration Statistics team in the Home Office has initiated work to make the Immigration Statistics tables more user friendly. This coincided with the recent publication of Government Statistical Service (GSS) guidance on releasing statistics in spreadsheets, ‘Releasing statistics in spreadsheets: Good practice guidance’.
The Home Office Migration Statistics team have made a number of changes to the spreadsheets that form part of the Immigration Statistics release, including adding a contents sheet and improving navigation using internal links.
2.2 Revisions to data
Within the Removals and Voluntary Departures section there have been revisions relating to the category ‘other confirmed voluntary departures’. Retrospective checks mean that figures for voluntary departures are subject to upward revision. This is particularly for confirmed voluntary departures that are generated as a result of detailed retrospective data-matching, but some more limited revision is needed for notified voluntary departures to allow time for recording notifications from those who have departed. In light of this, other confirmed voluntary departures and notified voluntary departures for the first quarter of 2015 have been revised upwards from 1,643 to 3,027 (84% increase) and 3,188 to 3,475 (9% increase) respectively in this quarterly release.
3. Future changes
The following changes are planned, subject to data quality and available resources:
3.1 Response to the consultation with users of the Immigration Statistics
In response to the recent consultation with users of the Immigration Statistics, ‘Home Office response to 2015 consultation with users of Immigration Statistics’, the Migration Statistics team in the Home Office will be looking into alternative web-based formats for the release, and are considering potential topics suggested for future analysis. Developments will be detailed in the ‘About this release’ section of future releases.
3.2 Migration Transparency Data webpage
A range of key input and impact indicators are currently published by the Home Office on the Migration transparency data webpage. We are considering ways in which we could more closely integrate the publication of the National Statistics and Official Statistics on immigration with the transparency data. This would be with a view to providing enhanced coherence, comparability, explanation and accessibility to the full range of data to users of migration statistics. We will keep stakeholders informed of any developments and, where appropriate, we would seek views through user consultation.
4. Migration Statistics User Forum
The Forum has been established for discussion of migration statistics, allowing users to discuss their need for and use of the data and for producers to consult on presentation and changes. The main focus is on figures for the UK, but this would not exclude discussion of migration statistics for other countries. Home Office Science intends to use this list for communication with users, including data and release developments. The Forum is a user-led group, with close to 200 members, that is now affiliated to the Royal Statistical Society.
The list also provides access to contact details for the Home Office’s Migration Statistics team via downloading from the MIGRATION-STATS File Area.
The distribution list is available to join through the MIGRATION-STATS JISCmail list.
Copies of the presentations made at the last annual conference of the Forum, held on 16 September 2014, are available at: 2014 Conference of the Migration Statistics User Forum.
The next conference of the Migration Statistics User Forum will be held on 15 September 2015.
5. Home Office statistical work programme
The Home Office has published its ‘Statistical Work Programme 2014 to 2015’ which outlines the most significant outputs, highlights some recent developments and outlines future plans. Pages 3 to 4 of the work programme cover our statistics on immigration. Pages 11 to 12 of the work programme provide details of how you can provide feedback on the work programme and outputs.
6. Further information and feedback
We welcome feedback on Immigration Statistics. If you have any comments, suggestions, enquiries or need assistance in accessing the data, please email them to: MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk
Or write to:
The Editor, Immigration Statistics
Migration Statistics
17th Floor Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY
Press enquiries should be made to:
Home Office Press Office
Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Tel: 020 7035 3535
The Home Office responsible statistician is Chris Kershaw. The Home Office Migration Statistics mission statement is:
We produce timely, accurate and objective statistics on immigration to support effective delivery of Home Office objectives and to inform government, Parliament and the public.