Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons
Published 26 May 2022
© Crown copyright 2022
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-year-ending-march-2022/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-for-family-reasons
Back to ‘Immigration statistics, year ending March 2022’ content page.
This is not the latest release. View latest release.
Data relate to the year ending March 2022 and most comparisons are with the year ending March 2020 (two years previous, reflecting a comparison with the period prior to the Covid-pandemic). All data include dependents, 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 301,830 visas and permits granted for family reasons in the year ending March 2022, 90% more than the year ending March 2021, a period affected by the global pandemic, and 63% more than the year ending March 2020, largely due to increases in dependants of people coming on work or study visas, and the dependants of the newly introduced British Nationals (Overseas) route. A sharp fall in grants was seen in April to June 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of grants of family-related visas for partners and children (excluding the dependents of people coming on other visas) have begun to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
The year ending March 2022 total included:
- 42,141 family-related visas, 15% more than the previous year, but 21% fewer than the year ending March 2020; almost three quarters (71%) of family-related visas granted in the year ending March 2022 were to partners, with the remainder being for children or other dependants.
- 205,889 dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas, up 171% in the last year and up 155% since the year ending March 2020; there were particularly large increases in grants to dependants of Sponsored study visa holders (from 23,765 in the year ending March 2021 to 72,554 in the year ending March 2022), and dependants of Skilled workers (up from 37,764 to 83,400). This number also includes 35,754 dependants of main applicants on the BN(O) route.
- 2,652 EEA family permits, down 82% in the last year, and down 93% compared with the year ending March 2020.
- 51,148 EUSS family permits were issued in the year ending March 2022 to family members of people from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein granted or eligible for settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme on the basis of residence in the UK before the end of the transition period (a total of 94,093 have been issued since the route opened in March 2019).
Table 1: Family visas and permits granted, by visa type, in the years ending March 2020, 2021, and 2022
| Visa type | Year ending March 2020 | Year ending March 2021 | Year ending March 2022 | Percentage change 2020/2022 | Percentage change 2021/2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family-related visas | 53,570 | 36,736 | 42,141 | -21% | +15% |
| of which: | |||||
| Partners | 38,754 | 26,652 | 29,939 | -23% | +12% |
| Children | 7,128 | 5,045 | 5,755 | -19% | +14% |
| Other dependants | 7,688 | 5,039 | 6,447 | -16% | +28% |
| Dependants on other visas1 | 80,664 | 75,968 | 205,889 | +155% | +171% |
| Total family visas | 134,234 | 112,704 | 248,030 | +85% | +120% |
| EEA family permits | 39,353 | 14,586 | 2,652 | -93% | -82% |
| EU Settlement Scheme family permits2 | 11,361 | 31,584 | 51,148 | +350% | +62% |
| Total family permits | 50,714 | 46,170 | 53,800 | +6% | +17% |
| Total family visas and permits** | 184,948 | 158,874 | 301,830 | +63% | +90% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- This figure now includes dependants of main applicants on the BN(O) entry clearance route which was launched on 31 January 2021.
- The EU Settlement Scheme family permit is an entry clearance route that launched on 30 March 2019 for certain family members of EEA and Swiss citizens resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. It can also be used by certain family members of certain British citizens returning from the EEA or Switzerland. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme once in the UK.
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 51,148 grants in the year ending March 2022.
In the year ending March 2022, grants for all family-related visas, family permits and dependants on other visas increased, due to the sharp rise in dependants on other visas, whose number has increased significantly above pre-pandemic levels to 205,889. This was driven by three key factors. Primarily, a large spike above pre-pandemic levels of dependants connected to sponsored study visas, but also dependants on skilled work visa routes which saw a return to pre-pandemic levels and growth above what was seen in 2019, and finally the addition of the BN(O) route.
Figure 1: Family-related visas and permits granted, by visa type, year ending March 2013 to year ending March 2022
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
Notes:
- 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 for certain family members of EEA and Swiss citizens resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. It can also be used by certain family members of certain British citizens returning from the EEA or Switzerland. It is not an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. A successful applicant can, if they wish, make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme once in the UK.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all visa application centres were closed at the end of March 2020 and only gradually reopened from June 2020. As a result, visa grant numbers were much lower than usual in April to June 2020, but significantly recovered in the second half of the year. Figure 2 shows that the recovery continued in Q1 2022 (January to March) with monthly numbers of visas granted reaching higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Figure 2: Number of family visas and permits granted, by month, 2020, 2021, and 2022
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02 and underlying data
1.1 Family-related visas by nationality
There was a 15% overall increase in family-related visa grants in the year ending March 2022 compared with a year earlier, but a 21% drop in comparison to the year ending March 2020.
Pakistani nationals were granted the highest number of family-related visas in the year ending March 2022, accounting for nearly one fifth (18%) of the total. In the year ending March 2022, the top five nationalities together accounted for almost two fifths (38%) of all family-related visas granted.
Table 2: Top five nationalities granted family-related visas, years ending March 2020, 2021, and 2022
| Nationality | Year ending March 2020 | Year ending March 2021 | Year ending March 2022 | Percentage change 2020/2022 | Percentage change 2021/2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 9,403 | 6,061 | 7,432 | -21% | +23% |
| India | 4,012 | 2,897 | 2,659 | -34% | -8% |
| United States | 2,763 | 1,849 | 2,268 | -18% | +23% |
| South Africa | 1,832 | 1,524 | 1,867 | +2% | +23% |
| Iran | 1,985 | 1,483 | 1,725 | -13% | +16% |
| All other nationalities | 33,575 | 22,922 | 26,190 | -22% | +14% |
| Total | 53,570 | 36,736 | 42,141 | -21% | +15% |
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D02
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 2022, there were 205,889 visas granted to dependants on other visas, 171% higher than the year ending March 2021, and 155% higher than the year ending March 2020. This is largely due to increases in dependants in three areas: sponsored study visas, skilled work visas, and the BN(O) visa route.
The number of dependants of people granted sponsored study visas increased to 72,554 (up by 48,789), more than tripling the number of dependants on these visas compared to the year ending March 2021, and more than quadruple the year ending March 2020. The number of dependants of those granted skilled worker visas has also increased, more than doubling compared to the year ending March 2021. The BN(O) visa route was introduced in January 2021, and there were 35,752 dependants granted BN(O) visas in the year ending March 2022. The introduction of the BN(O) visa route accounts for most of the increase in visas granted to dependants in the Other Visa category in Table 3.
Table 3: Visas granted to dependants on other visas1, years ending March 2020, 2021, and 2022
| Visa category | Year ending March 2020 | Year ending March 2021 | Year ending March 2022 | Percentage change 2020/2022 | Percentage change 2021/2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored Study | 17,766 | 23,765 | 72,554 | +308% | +205% |
| Skilled Work | 48,030 | 37,764 | 83,400 | +74% | +121% |
| Other Work Visas | 5,289 | 4,009 | 7,014 | +33% | +75% |
| Other Visas | 9,579 | 10,430 | 42,921 | +348% | +312% |
| Total | 80,664 | 75,968 | 205,889 | +155% | +171% |
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 change in the number of visas granted to dependants of migrants on work and student visas reflects the overall change in those routes – for more information, see the “Why do people come to the UK? To work” and the “Why do people come to the UK? To study” sections.
1.3 Family permits
EUSS family permits and EEA family permits allow eligible family members of relevant people from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein (and of certain British citizens returning to the UK from the EEA or Switzerland) to travel to the UK. After 30 June 2021, EEA family permits were no longer valid for travel to the UK.
There was a total of 53,800 family permits granted in the year ending March 2022, 17% more than the previous year.
When split by route, there were 2,652 EEA family permits granted in the year ending March 2022, a decrease of 82% compared with the previous year, following a downward trend since Q3 2019.
There were 51,148 EUSS family permits granted in the year ending March 2022, up 62% from 31,584 a year earlier. The annual increase reflects increased awareness of the route and final closure of the EEA family permit route on 30 June 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 the application to the UK of European Union (EU) free movement law, 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?’.
Prior to 1 July 2021, the EU Settlement Scheme family permit operated alongside the EEA family permit, which continued to provide a separate entry clearance route for those who qualified for it. The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit facilitates entry into the UK of an eligible 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 a 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
We welcome your feedback
If you have any comments or suggestions for the development of this report, please provide feedback by emailing MigrationStatsEnquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please include the words ‘PUBLICATION FEEDBACK’ in the subject of your email.
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems or have any feedback relating to accessibility, please email us.
See section 7 of the ‘About this release’ section for more details.