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Safe and Legal (Humanitarian) routes to the UK

Published 22 August 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2024/safe-and-legal-humanitarian-routes-to-the-uk

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Data relates to year ending June 2024 and all comparisons are with year ending June 2023 (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 the year ending June 2024, 93,342 people were offered a safe and legal (humanitarian) route to come to, or remain in, the UK.

Figure 1: People offered safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK, by route, each quarter from 2019 to June 20241,2,3,4

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 the year ending June 2024, 93,342 people were offered a safe and legal (humanitarian) route to the UK. This was 39% less than in the year ending June 2023, largely due to the reduction in the use of Ukraine Scheme Visas and Extensions granted.

2. Ukraine Visa and Extension Schemes

In the year ending June 2024, there were 28,419 people granted visas to come to the UK, and 7,414 people granted extensions to remain in the UK, on the Ukraine 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.

Since their introduction in March 2022 to June 2024, under the Ukraine Schemes there have been:

  • 340,930 visa applications, with 41,056 in the year ending June 2024

  • 261,184 visa grants, with 28,419 in the year ending June 2024

  • 209,300 arrivals to the UK (rounded), with 29,500 in the year ending June 2024

  • 33,984 extensions granted, with 7,414 in the year ending June 2024

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

Figure 2: Quarterly number of applications, grants and arrivals on Ukrainian Visa Schemes, 2022 to Q2 2024

Source: Ukraine visa schemes summary tables - UVS_05

Figure 2 shows grants on the Ukraine visa schemes peaked in April 2022 soon after the introduction of the schemes, with just under 120,000 grants between April and June 2022. The number of visas granted has since fallen and remained below 10,000 per quarter since Q2 of 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. Figure 2 shows that the number of arrivals follow a similar trend to visas granted, peaking not long after the introduction of the schemes, at 80,000 in Q2 of 2022.

Some of those who arrived will have since left the UK either temporarily or permanently. Home Office data indicates that as of the end of June 2024, around 89,900 people (43%) 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 June 2024, 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 aged 65 and over accounted for 6%.

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

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

In the year ending June 2024, there were a total of 22,306 grants of out-of-country BN(O) visas and 10,761 grants of in-country BN(O) extensions.

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.

On the BN(O) route, since its introduction on 31 January 2021 to the end of June 2024, there have been a total of:

  • 177,193 out of country applications, with 24,768 in the year ending June 2024

  • 169,892 grants of out of country visas, with 22,306 in the year ending June 2024

  • 150,400 people have arrived in the UK (rounded), with 26,400 in the year ending June 2024

  • 41,900 in-country extension applications (rounded), with 11,600 in the year ending June 2024

  • 39,514 in-country extension grants, with 10,761 in the year ending June 2024

When this route first opened, there were over 30,000 applications per quarter (between January to March and April to June 2021) on in and out of country routes combined); but the number of applications has since decreased with the most recent quarter reaching approximately 5,700.

The number of visas granted on this route, for in and out of country routes combined, peaked between April and June 2021, reaching almost 40,000. This number has decreased over time, with the most recent quarter reaching 7,664.

4. Resettlement

8,198 refugees were resettled in the UK in the year ending June 2024, 94% of which arrived through Afghan schemes.

The UK runs a range of resettlement schemes to bring 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 8,198 people resettled in the year ending June 2024, more than double the previous year when 3,382 people were resettled.

Of those resettled in the year ending June 2024:

  • 94% (7,711) arrived through Afghan schemes, 5% (399) through the UK Resettlement Scheme, and one per cent (88) through the Community Sponsorship and Mandate Schemes

  • the most common nationality was Afghan (94%), whereas prior to 2021 the most common resettled nationality was Syrian most of whom were resettled under the now closed Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS)

Figure 3: People resettled and relocated, by scheme, year ending June 2015 to year ending June 20241,2

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 28,985 people while the UK Resettlement Scheme has resettled 2,691 refugees since it launched in 2021. Out of the 28,985 people resettled on Afghan schemes, over half (14,772) were brought to the UK in July to September 2021, in response to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021.

4.1 International comparisons of refugee resettlement

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

Over the last decade, between 2015 and June 2024, the UK resettled just over 30,000 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes – the sixth largest number in the world (after the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and Sweden).

From January to June 2024, the UK resettled over 1,100 individuals under UNHCR resettlement schemes, ranking fifth globally for those schemes; however, it is worth noting that a large number of other individuals were resettled and relocated to the UK in the latest year through Afghan Pathways, rather than UNHCR schemes.

5. Family reunion

In the year ending June 2024, 16,244 people were granted family reunion visas – over half of which were children.

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 the year ending June 2024, 16,244 people were granted family reunion visas – over half of which were children. This is more than 3 times as many grants as in the year ending June 2023 when 4,521 visas were granted.

Trends in family reunion visas may reflect changes in the number of people granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in previous years, many of whom may now be eligible to bring family members.

Between 2015 and June 2024, 62,605 family reunion visas have been granted to family members of refugees. The largest numbers granted family reunion visas over this period were from Syria (13,561), Eritrea (10,065), Iran (9,076), Sudan (7,240) and Afghanistan (2,868) who are also some of the top nationalities applying for asylum in the UK.

6. About these statistics

Arrival figures linked to a Ukraine visa scheme or an out-of-country BN(O) visa are rounded to the nearest 100. 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 visa 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 Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is available.

Demographic Data for Ukraine Visas Schemes, split by parts of the UK, is provided by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

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 Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

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