Settlement
Published 25 August 2016
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016/settlement
Valid: 25 August 2016 to 30 November 2016
Data relate to the year ending June 2016 and all comparisons are with the year ending June 2015, unless indicated otherwise.
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1. Key facts
There were 67,414 people granted permission to stay permanently in the year ending June 2016, 36% fewer (-37,564) than the previous year. The decrease was largely accounted for by a fall in family (-19,286) and work-related (-9,352) grants. The number of grants is low relative to the peak number of grants in the year ending September 2010 (241,586), and similar to levels seen in 1998 (69,789).
Work-related grants to stay permanently fell by 23% to 31,583 (- 9,352) in the year ending June 2016. There were falls in grants to Tier 1 High Value individuals (by 5,021 to 15,416) and in the Tier 2 Skilled Work category (by 3,077 to 12,472).
Family-related grants to stay permanently fell by over two-thirds to 8,410 (-19,286) in the year ending June 2016. There were notable decreases in grants to wives (by 11,201 to 4,679), husbands (by 6,092 to 2,036) and children (by 1,818 to 1,518). This may partly reflect changes to the rules in July 2012 on how quickly partners qualify for settlement and the number of visas and extensions granted in previous years. Details of the July 2012 rule changes are included in the Family section of the user guide.
Asylum-related grants to stay permanently fell by 32% to 14,278 in the year ending June 2016, similar to the level seen in the year ending June 2014 (14,806) and significantly lower than the peak in 2005 of 67,810.
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.
2. Grants to stay permanently by reason, and refusals
| Year | Total decisions | Total grants | Work | Asylum | Family | Other | Refusals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending June 2012 | 146,401 | 140,911 | 68,967 | 12,494 | 48,310 | 11,140 | 5,490 |
| Year ending June 2013 | 159,131 | 154,174 | 60,994 | 20,860 | 60,286 | 12,034 | 4,957 |
| Year ending June 2014 | 125,704 | 119,095 | 48,459 | 14,806 | 41,228 | 14,602 | 6,609 |
| Year ending June 2015 | 109,448 | 104,978 | 40,935 | 20,856 | 27,696 | 15,491 | 4,470 |
| Year ending June 2016 | 73,592 | 67,414 | 31,583 | 14,278 | 8,410 | 13,143 | 6,178 |
| Change: latest 12 months | -35,856 | -37,564 | -9,352 | -6,578 | -19,286 | -2,348 | 1,708 |
| Percentage change | -33% | -36% | -23% | -32% | -70% | -15% | +38% |
Table notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics April to June 2016, Settlement table se 02 q.
3. Long-term trends in grants to stay permanently
The chart below illustrates longer-term trends in grants to stay permanently for the calendar years back to 2004.
Chart notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics April to June 2016, Settlement table se 02.
4. Nationalities granted permission to stay permanently
Of the total 90,839 grants of permission to stay permanently in 2015, over two-fifths (41% or 37,107) were to nationals of South Asia and nearly a quarter (23% or 20,927) were to nationals of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Top 5 nationalities granted permission to stay permanently, 2015
(Total number of grants: 90,839, includes dependants)
Chart notes
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics April to June 2016, Settlement table se 03.
5. Data tables
Further data are available in Settlement tables se 01 to se 06.
6. Background information
The figures in this section relate to the number of people, subject to immigration control, who are granted or refused permission to stay permanently in the UK, known as settlement.
From 2003 onwards, dependants of European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals in confirmed relationships may be shown separately in figures on issues and refusals of permanent residence documents, rather than in figures about settlement. Figures on issues and refusals of permanent residence documentation to EEA nationals and their family members are shown in EEA table ee 02 in the Family topic.
The numbers of applications and decisions about permission to stay permanently reflect changes over time in levels of those entering the country, as well as policy and legislative changes. These may affect the number of people potentially eligible to stay permanently. The availability and allocation of resources within the Home Office can also affect the number of decisions.
6.1 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.
6.2 Staying in the UK
In February 2016, the Home Office published its ‘Migrant journey: sixth report’, which shows how non-EEA migrants change their immigration status or achieve settlement in the UK.