About this release
Published 25 August 2016
© Crown copyright 2016
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016/about-this-release
25 August 2016 to 30 November 2016
Back to ‘Immigration statistics April to June 2016’ 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: Work, Study, Family, Passenger arrivals and visitors, Extensions, Settlement, Citizenship, Asylum, Returns and Detention. Detailed tables of figures provides data up to the second quarter of 2016 (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 Migration and Borders Analysis Unit within 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.
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 website, Publications: Assessment Report.
2. Changes to topic briefings and tables
The information published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics is kept under review, taking into account the needs of users, burdens on suppliers and producers, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Feedback on the changes detailed below, and proposals for future changes, are welcome. If you have any comments, suggestions or enquiries, please contact the team via email using: MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk.
There have been a range of improvements to the following topic briefings and tables in this release:
2.1 New Passenger arrivals and visitors topic
In order to provide a clearer, more coherent, presentation the previous ‘Admissions’ and ‘Visas’ topics have been combined into a new topic: ‘Passenger arrivals and visitors’. This topic includes information on passenger arrivals, visitors and visitor visas. Passenger arrivals data for non-EEA nationals are based on landing cards completed as people cross the border and measure the number of arrivals. Visa data relate to grants of visas applied for outside the UK. More detailed information on visa data by reason and nationality continues to be included in the Work, Study and Family topics.
2.2 Changes to Citizenship tables
In view of increased interest in citizenship applications made and decisions reached two new detail tables have been added:
Cz_01_q_a ‘Citizenship applications by country of nationality’ by quarter year, 2007 to June 2016.
Cz_06_q ‘Citizenship grants by previous country of nationality’ by quarter year, 2007 to June 2016.
2.3 Changes to Returns tables
Following the announcement in the January to March 2016 release, Home Office statisticians have revised the existing terminology and category groupings and as a result a number of new categories have been devised, the tables have been amended to reflect the new categories and the table numbering has changed. The underlying statistics collected have not been changed as a result of these clarifications.
2.4 Changes to Detention tables
As a result of the continuing review of the Immigration Statistics release, and the increased user interest in the topic, the twenty longest lengths of detention, as at the end of each quarter, will be published in the Detention tables.
2.5 Revisions to data
Within the Returns section there have been revisions relating to the category ‘other verified returns’. Retrospective checks mean that figures for voluntary returns are subject to upward revision. This is particularly for ‘other verified returns’ that are generated as a result of detailed retrospective data-matching, but some more limited revision is needed for ‘controlled returns’ to allow time for recording notifications from those who have departed. In light of this, voluntary returns for the first quarter of 2016 have been revised upwards from 6,102 to 7,320 (+20% increase). This includes a 46% (+1,142) increase for the ‘other verified returns’ and a 2% (+76) increase for the ‘controlled returns’.
2.6 Changes to European Economic Area tables
In view of increased interest in EEA residence document decisions reached a new detail table has been added:
ee_02_q ‘Grant and refusal of residence documentation (excluding Worker Registration Scheme) to EEA nationals and their family members, by country of nationality’ by quarter year, 2006 to June 2016.
2.7 Exit checks
On 25 August 2016, the Home Office also published ‘A report on statistics being collected under the exit checks programme’. The report provides the first introduction to the data collected on travellers departing and arriving in the UK as part of the Home Office exit checks programme, with a particular focus on the requirements for statistical reporting rather than the operational use of the data.
3. Future changes
The following changes are planned, subject to data quality and available resources:
3.1 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 and have now included web links in relevant topic briefs to this information. We will keep stakeholders informed of any further developments.
4. Migration Statistics User Forum
The Migration Statistics User Forum has been established for discussion of international 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 over 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 this link 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 15 September 2015, are available at Migration Statistics User Forum Conference 2015 (Click on the ‘View slides’ links underneath each session in the programme).
The next conference of the Migration Statistics User Forum is set for 21 September 2016 to be held in London at the Home Office HQ. Further details can be found at Conference of the Migration Statistics User Forum.
5. 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.