Accredited official statistics

Safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK

Published 29 February 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2023/safe-and-legal-humanitarian-routes-to-the-uk

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Data relates to 2023 and all comparisons are with 2022 (unless indicated otherwise).

This chapter covers the safe and legal humanitarian schemes allowing certain people to come to, or remain in, the UK under the following routes:

  • Ukraine Scheme visas (including Ukraine Family, Sponsorship, and Extension Schemes): introduced in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine to allow persons affected by the war to come to the UK
  • British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visas: introduced in 2021 to provide those with BN(O) status the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK
  • Resettlement schemes, including those resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes: allow for the transfer of refugees from other countries to the UK
  • Family Reunion visas: which allow the families of refugees in the UK to join them

In 2023, 102,283 people were offered a safe and legal (humanitarian) route to come to, or remain in, the UK. Almost half were on Ukraine schemes.

Figure 1: People offered safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK, by route, 2019 to 20231,2,3,4

Source: Asylum and resettlement summary tables – Asy_11

Notes:

  1. Includes main applicants and dependants.
  2. ‘Hong Kong BN(O) visa’ includes both in-country and out of country visa grants.
  3. ‘Ukraine Scheme visa’ includes grants from both Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes.
  4. Resettlement and relocation include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship Scheme, Mandate Scheme in addition to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

In 2023, 102,283 people were offered a safe and legal (humanitarian) route to the UK. This is 66% less than in 2022, largely due to the reduction in the number of Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes.

Table 1: People offered safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK, by route, 2019 to 20231,2,3,4

Safe and legal (humanitarian) route 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes z z z 232,135 50,520
Hong Kong BN(O) visas4 z z 96,418 57,137 37,603
Resettlement and Relocation 5,612 823 17,790 6,238 4,396
Family reunion 7,456 4,797 5,645 4,113 9,764
Total 13,068 5,620 119,853 299,623 102,283

Source: Asylum and resettlement summary tables – Asy_11

Notes:

  1. Time periods relate to the date the visa was granted for Ukraine, Hong Kong BN(O) and Family reunion categories and to the date at which the refugee arrived in the UK for the resettlement and relocation category.
  2. Not all those granted relevant permissions for the Ukraine, Hong Kong BN(O) and Family reunion categories have arrived in the UK and some may choose not to do so
  3. Hong Kong BN(O) and Ukraine Visas were only available from 2021 and 2022, respectively, with ‘z’ indicating that as such not applicable in preceding years.
  4. Hong Kong BN(O) visas include both in-country and out of country visas.

2. Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes

During March 2022, the UK Government introduced the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme to allow persons affected by the war in Ukraine to come to the UK, followed in May by the Ukraine Extension Scheme, which allowed those already in the UK to remain.

In 2023, there were 41,767 people granted visas to come to the UK, and 8,753 people granted extensions to remain in the UK on the Ukraine Schemes. This brings the total to 251,473 visas and 31,182 extensions since the schemes began.

Since their introduction in March 2022 to December 2023, the Ukraine Schemes have had:

  • 327,242 visa applications, 70,908 in 2023
  • 251,473 visa grants, 41,767 in 2023
  • 197,100 arrivals counted (rounded), 42,300 in 2023
  • 31,182 extensions granted, 8,753 in 2023

The latest provisional data can be found in the weekly publication Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data.

Figure 2: Weekly number of applications, grants and arrivals on Ukrainian Visa Schemes, for weeks ending 8 March 2022 to 26 December 2023

Source: Ukraine visa schemes summary tables - UVS_01, UVS_02, UVS_03

There have been a total of 31,182 extensions granted, 8,105 (26%) on the Ukraine Family Scheme and 23,077 (74%) on the Ukraine Extension Scheme since their introduction.

Figure 1 shows grants on the Ukraine visa schemes peaked in April 2022 soon after the introduction of the schemes (around 15,000 to 16,000 per week in the last 3 weeks of April 2022). The number of visas granted on both routes has not exceeded 1,000 grants per week since March 2023.

Not everyone granted a visa will have used it, either because they have not yet arrived in the UK or may have chosen to go elsewhere or remain in Ukraine. Numbers of arrivals follow a similar trend to visas granted, being very high soon after the introduction of the schemes, peaking at 10,000 per week, and reducing over time. Some of those who arrived will have since left the UK either temporarily or permanently. As of the end of December 2023, around 85,000 people who had previously arrived on the Ukraine schemes had exited the UK and were believed to be out of the country, although some may subsequently return.

As of the end of December 2023, adult females aged 18 to 64 accounted for just under half (47%) of the people who have arrived from Ukraine since the schemes began, children (aged 17 and under) accounted for a further 28%, adult males aged 18 to 64 accounted for 20% and all adults 65 and over accounted for 5%.

The latest provisional data can be found in the weekly publication Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data.

3. British National Overseas (BN(O)) route

On 31 January 2021, British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders from Hong Kong were provided the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK.

In 2023, there were a total of 28,303 grants of out of country BN(O) visas and 9,300 grants of in-country BN(O) extensions.

On the BN(O) route, since its introduction on 31 January 2021 to the end of December 2023, there have been a total of:

  • 163,850 out of country applications, 29,289 in 2023
  • 157,576 grants of out of country visas, 28,303 in 2023
  • 140,300 people have arrived (rounded), 35,000 in 2023
  • 36,400 in-country extension applications, 10,000 in 2023
  • 33,582 in-country extension grants, 9,300 in 2023

The 2 quarters when this route was first opened (January to March and April to June 2021) saw the highest number of applications, including both in and out of country (33,300 and 30,300 respectively); the number of applications has since decreased and has been stable since September 2022 at 9,000 to 10,000 per quarter.

4. Resettlement

The UK runs a range of resettlement schemes, which involve transferring refugees from other countries to the UK. For simplicity, where this release refers to individuals relocated under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), the term ‘resettlement’ or ‘resettled’ is used. Information on the different resettlement schemes and the differences between resettlement and relocation can be found in the user guide.

There were 4,396 people resettled in 2023, 30% fewer than the previous year when 6,238 people were resettled (predominantly through Afghan schemes).

There were 4,396 people resettled in 2023, of which:

  • 86% (3,764) arrived through Afghan schemes, 11% (485) through the UK Resettlement Scheme, and 3% (147) through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Schemes
  • the most common nationalities were Afghan (69%, largely through Afghan schemes) and Syrian (7%, top nationality arriving through the UK Resettlement Scheme)
  • 80% of those resettled in 2023 were in the final quarter (October to December) of the year

Figure 3: People resettled and relocated, by scheme, year ending December 2015 to year ending December 20231,2

Source: Asylum applications, decisions and resettlement - Asy_D02

Notes:

  1. Date at which the refugee arrived in the UK.
  2. ‘Other resettlement schemes’ include the Gateway Protection Programme, the Mandate Scheme and Community Sponsorship.

Since the first arrivals in 2021, the Afghan schemes have resettled a total of 25,042 people while the UK Resettlement scheme has resettled 2,508 refugees since it launched in 2021. Out of the 25,042 people resettled on Afghan schemes, 58% (14,586) were in July to September 2021, following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Between 2015 and December 2023, the UK resettled a total of 53,954 individuals. The number of people brought to the UK through a resettlement scheme increased in 2016 to around 5,000 per year (following the introduction and expansion of the VPRS). Numbers resettled remained around this level until March 2020, when resettlement activity was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Resettlement increased again following the resettlement and relocation of people from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Current resettlement numbers are lower than pre-pandemic levels due to accommodation capacity pressures throughout the UK. This includes the additional demand created by significant resettlement responses to crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

4.1 International comparisons of refugee resettlement

International resettlement data is sourced from UNHCR and is accurate as of February 2024.

International comparisons should be made with caution as available data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) relates only to UNHCR resettlement schemes (the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship Scheme, Mandate Scheme and ACRS Pathway 2). The UNHCR data does not include ARAP or ACRS Pathway 1 and 3 cases, meaning it is an undercount for the UK in terms of total resettlement and relocation. Information on the different resettlement schemes can be found in the user guide.

Between 2015 and December 2023, the UK resettled over 28,800 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes – the sixth largest number in the world (after the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden and Germany).

In 2023, the UK resettled over 700 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes, ranking eleventh globally for those schemes; however, it is worth noting that a large amount of UK resettled and relocated cases in the latest year have been through ARAP and ACRS Pathways that are not UNHCR schemes.

5. Family reunion

A family reunion visa allows partners and children of individuals previously granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to reunite with them here.

In 2023, 9,764 people were granted family reunion visas – over half of which were children.

Between 2015 and December 2023, 53,574 family reunion visas have been granted to family members of refugees. The top nationalities granted family reunion visas over this period were Syria (10,867 granted), Eritrea (9,010), Iran (7,525), Sudan (6,794) and Afghanistan (2,098); these are also some of the top nationalities applying for asylum.

6. About these statistics

Arrival figures are rounded to the nearest 100 and relate to individuals who arrived into the UK, where the arrival has been linked to a Ukraine visa scheme or an out-of-country BN(O) visa. Where individuals have multiple visits, only the first arrival after the visa grant has been counted. This data therefore counts people, rather than arrivals. Individuals arriving during the latest quarter may have received their grant in an earlier quarter.

The data used to record arrivals may undercount the total number of arrivals. For example, arrivals of those travelling into the UK from the Common Travel Area (from Ireland) will not be captured in the data. See the Home Office statistics on exit checks: user guide for more details.

6.1 Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes

During March 2022, the UK government introduced 2 new visa routes to allow persons affected by the crisis in Ukraine to come to the UK. Introduced on 4 March 2022, the Ukraine Family Scheme allows applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK. The Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme was introduced on 18 March 2022 and allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

More information on the Ukraine visas schemes can be found in the weekly ‘Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data’ publication.

6.2 British National Overseas (BN(O)) route

In January 2021, the UK government introduced a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) status holders, providing the opportunity for them and their family members to live, work and study in the UK. This route opened on 31 January 2021 and is open to individuals who hold a BN(O) passport and are, or have recently been, resident in Hong Kong, and their dependants.

6.3 Resettlement

Refugees in other countries can be given protection in the UK via resettlement schemes. The UK works with the UN Refugee Agency (the ‘UNHCR’) to arrange for the transfer of refugees from an asylum country to the UK, with the aim of ultimately granting them permanent residence. Information on the different resettlement schemes can be found in the user guide.

This release includes data on resettlement through ‘Pathway 1’, ‘Pathway 2’ and ‘Pathway 3’ of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and data on individuals relocated (not resettled) through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). For further information on these schemes, see the ‘Home Office Afghan resettlement and immigration policy statement’.

The total number of people evacuated from Afghanistan (arrivals) is higher than the total people shown under the Afghan schemes in this release, as not all those evacuated required resettlement (for example, British citizens or those with settled status). Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data provides further information on total arrivals.

More information about current and previous resettlement schemes can be found in the user guide.

6.4 Family reunion

Family reunions visas allow partners and children aged 17 and under to join those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK if they formed part of the family unit before their sponsor fled their country.

The family members do not receive refugee status themselves. Leave is given in line with the sponsor, so that the family member’s leave will expire at the same time as the sponsor. Individuals are allowed to work, study and have recourse to public funds.

7. Data tables

Data referred to here can be found in the following tables:

Further information on the latest data on applications to come to or stay in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme, Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) or Ukraine Extension Scheme is available in Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data. The data includes totals for visa applications received and visas issued to people.

Sponsorship Scheme data split by parts of the UK and local authorities, provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is available.

Demographic data for Ukraine Visas Schemes, split by parts of the UK, is provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Regional and local authority data, for individuals on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, those under the Afghan resettlement Programme, and asylum seekers receiving support, is published by the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

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