Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons
Updated 18 June 2021
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Data relate to the year ending March 2021 and all comparisons are with the year ending March 2020, unless indicated otherwise.
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic. A range of restrictions were implemented in many parts of the world, and the first UK lockdown measures were announced on 23 March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the UK immigration system, both in terms of restricting migrant movements to and from the UK and the impact on operational capacity.
Year ending comparisons that follow will reflect the restrictions in place during this period of the pandemic.
This section contains data on:
- Family-related Entry clearance visas
- Dependants on other types of visas
- European Economic Area (EEA) family permits
- EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permits
1. Immigration for family reasons
There were 168,464 visas and permits granted for family reasons in the year ending March 2021, 13% fewer than the year ending March 2020. A sharp fall in grants was seen in April to June 2020 (90% lower than in the same period in 2019) due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of grants of visas and permits has begun to recover in the year ending March 2021.
The year ending March 2021 total included:
- 37,343 family-related visas, 33% lower than the previous year. Almost three quarters (72%) of family-related visas granted in the year ending March 2021 were to partners, with the remainder comprising children or other dependants
- 76,594 dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas, down 10%; there was a particularly large drop in grants to dependants of Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer migrants (down 65% to 7,951)
- 17,110 EEA family permits, down 57%
- 37,417 EUSS family permits issued to non-EEA close family members of those granted settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme (up 212%)
Table 1: Family visas and permits granted, by visa type, years ending March 2020 and March 2021
| Visa type | Year ending March 2020 | Year ending March 2021 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-related visas | 56,131 | 37,343 | -18,788 | -33% |
| of which: | ||||
| Partners | 40,420 | 26,995 | -13,425 | -33% |
| Children | 7,558 | 5,123 | -2,435 | -32% |
| Other dependants | 8,153 | 5,225 | -2,928 | -36% |
| Dependants on other visas | 85,042 | 76,594 | -8,448 | -10% |
| Total family visas | 141,173 | 113,937 | -27,226 | -19% |
| EEA family permits | 39,941 | 17,110 | -22,831 | -57% |
| EU Settlement Scheme family permits1,2 | 11,998 | 37,417 | +25,419 | +212% |
| Total family permits | 51,939 | 54,527 | +2,588 | +5% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make a further application to the EU Settlement Scheme once in the UK.
- Year ending comparisons for EUSS family permit grants are incomplete at this stage, as the permit scheme only launched on 30 March 2019. The first complete year ending comparison will be in Q2 (April to June) 2021.
Figure 1 shows that all family related visa and permit routes had been steadily increasing for a number of years prior to the pandemic, before falling sharply in 2020, with the exception being EUSS family permits which continued to increase with 37,417 grants in the year to March 2021. The number of grants for dependants on other visas picked up again in Q4 2020, following falls in Q2 and Q3 of 2020, whereas the number of family-related visas and EEA permits granted has continued to decrease across the year ending March 2021.
Figure 1: Family-related visas and permits granted, by visa type, years ending March 2012 to March 2021
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- Includes dependants of those coming on other visa categories (such as work and study).
- Several changes to the Immigration Rules came into effect on 9 July 2012. Further details on the rule changes can be found in the user guide and in the additional analysis provided in ‘Immigration statistics, July to September 2014’.
- The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make a further application to the EU Settlement Scheme once in the UK.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all visa application centres were closed by 31 March 2020. They began gradually reopening from June 2020. As a result, Figure 2 shows that visa application and grant numbers were much lower than usual in April to June 2020, but significantly recovered in July to December 2020. The recovery continued in Q1 2021 (January to March) with an increase of 29% in visas granted due to family reasons compared to Q1 in the previous year.
Figure 2: Number of family visas and permits granted, by month, 2019, 2020 and 2021
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02 and underlying data
1.1 Family-related visas by nationality
There was a fall in grants for most nationalities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including for the top two nationalities: Pakistan (down 3,519 or 37%) and India (down 1,372 or 32%).
Pakistani nationals were granted the highest number of family-related visas in the year ending March 2021, accounting for just under one sixth (16%) of the total, although broadly in line with the total, their number was around one third (37%) lower than in the year ending March 2020. In the year ending March 2021, the top five nationalities together accounted for more than one third (38%) of all family-related visas granted.
Table 2: Top five nationalities1 granted family-related visas, years ending March 2020 and March 2021
| Nationality | Year ending March 2020 | Year ending March 2021 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 9,626 | 6,107 | -3,519 | -37% |
| India | 4,288 | 2,916 | -1,372 | -32% |
| United States | 2,815 | 1,858 | -957 | -34% |
| Bangladesh | 2,661 | 1,856 | -805 | -30% |
| South Africa | 1,894 | 1,533 | -361 | -19% |
| All other nationalities | 34,847 | 23,073 | -11,774 | -34% |
| Total | 56,131 | 37,343 | -18,788 | -33% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- Top five nationalities in the latest year.
Some nationalities saw a rise in grants in the year ending March 2021, most notably Hong Kong (up 260 or 57%). For information on the new British National Overseas (BN(O)) visa route please see the “How many people come to the UK each year” topic.
1.2 Dependants on other visas
In addition to family-related visas, other dependants can be granted visas to join or accompany migrants with visas for other purposes, such as work and study.
In the year ending March 2021, there were 76,594 visas granted to dependants on other visas, 10% lower than the previous year. This decrease was largely due to a fall of 12,620 grants to dependants of those on skilled work visas. There was also a rise in dependants of those on sponsored study visas (up 29% to 23,887).
Table 3: Visas granted to dependants on other visas1, years ending March 2020 and March 2021
| Visa category | Year ending March 2020 | Year ending March 2021 | Change | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Study | 18,472 | 23,887 | +5,415 | +29% |
| Skilled Work | 50,653 | 38,033 | -12,620 | -25% |
| Other Work Visas | 5,540 | 4,141 | -1,399 | -25% |
| Other Visas | 10,377 | 10,533 | +156 | +2% |
| Total | 85,042 | 76,594 | -8,448 | -10% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- Not all visas have a dedicated dependant visa, dependants on those routes are instead granted a general joining or accompanying visa which are contained in this category.
The fall in Skilled Work dependants was mainly a result of a decrease in Indian nationals, making up 10,157 or four fifths of the total decrease from the previous year.
The fall in visas granted to dependants of migrants on work visas reflects the overall fall in those routes – for more information, see the Why do people come to the UK? To work section.
1.3 Family permits
EU Settlement Scheme and EEA family permits allow non-EEA close family members of EEA and Swiss nationals to live in the UK. The migrant joining should apply for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit if the family member they are joining has settled or pre-settled status under the scheme, otherwise they should apply for an EEA family permit.
There was a total of 54,527 family permits granted in the year ending March 2021, 5% more than the previous year. From January to March 2021, there were 21,771 family permits granted, 80% higher than in the same period a year earlier.
When split by route, there were 17,110 EEA family permits granted, a decrease of 57%, following a recent downward trend since Q3 2019. From January to March 2021, there were 4,560 EEA family permits granted, 32% lower than the same period a year earlier.
A further, 37,417 EUSS family permits were granted in the year ending March 2021, an increase of 212% compared with the same period a year earlier. This route opened at the end of March 2019, therefore the first complete year ending comparison will be in Q2 2021.
2. About these statistics
The statistics in this section provide an indication of the number of people who had an intention to enter the UK for family reasons.
Before 2021, due to European Union (EU) freedom of movement principles, the majority of UK immigration control related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, unless otherwise stated, data in this release relate to both EEA and non-EEA nationals.
Entry clearance visas allow an individual to enter and stay in the UK within the period for which the visa is valid. From 2021, EEA nationals require a visa to enter the UK for family reasons, unless they are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme or a free EU Settlement Scheme family permit.
Data in this section refer to the number of Entry clearance visas granted for family reasons (including those issued to dependants of those travelling on other types of visas), EEA family permits and EU Settlement Scheme family permits granted, within the period. If an individual was granted a visa more than once in a given period, this has been counted as multiple grants in the statistics. If an individual entered the UK multiple times within the period for which a visa was valid, this has been counted as one grant in the visa statistics.
The data do not show whether, or when, an individual arrived in the UK, what they did on arrival to the UK, or how long they stayed in the UK.
Year-on-year comparisons of the number of decisions can be affected by quarterly fluctuations in the data. These fluctuations can be examined in the quarterly data in the published tables.
Additional analysis on family visas was included in the ‘Immigration statistics, July to September 2014’ release to assist users in understanding the trends in family data before and after the changes to the Immigration Rules in July 2012 (updated in the ‘Immigration statistics, April to June 2015’ release).
For figures on family-related grants of settlement as well as residence documentation issued to EEA nationals and their family members, see ‘How many people continue their stay in the UK?’. Data on the Family reunion visa category can be found in the ‘How many people do we grant asylum or protection to?’.
The EU Settlement Scheme family permit operates alongside the EEA family permit, which continues to provide a separate entry clearance route for those who qualify for it. The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit facilitates entry into the UK of an eligible non-EEA citizen family member in order to join, or accompany, an EEA or Swiss citizen who has been granted settled status or pre-settled status under the EUSS. This is separate entry clearance route from those applying directly to the EU Settlement Scheme. EU Settlement Scheme statistics are published by the Home Office on a monthly basis. More detailed breakdowns are provided on a quarterly basis.
2.1 Other sources
Until 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published long-term international migration (LTIM) estimates in its ‘Migration Statistics Quarterly Report’ (latest data available is for the year ending March 2020). The ONS are currently reviewing their methods for measuring population and migration; see their blog post for more information on the latest developments to ONS population and migration data.
3. Data tables
Data on family immigration can be found in the following tables:
- Entry clearance visa summary tables
- Detailed Entry clearance visa datasets
- Admissions summary tables
- Extensions summary tables
- Detailed Extensions datasets
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