Why do people come to the UK? For family reasons
Published 22 August 2024
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Data relates to year ending June 2024 and all comparisons are with June 2023 (unless indicated otherwise). All data includes dependants, unless indicated otherwise.
Statistics on dependants travelling with or joining family members on work and study visas are not included in this section and can be found in the relevant ‘Why do people come to the UK to work’, and ‘Why do people come to the UK to study’ topics.
1. Family-related visas
Family-related visas apply to persons wishing to live with family members who are British citizens or non-British settled migrants in the UK as part of their family. It also includes people wishing to join a relative with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK.
From 11 April 2024, the minimum income normally required to sponsor someone for a spouse/partner visa increased from £18,600 to £29,000 (see Net migration measures - further detail).
There were 98,906 family-related visa applications in the year ending June 2024, an increase of 40% from year ending June 2023.
Figure 1: Family visa applications and family-related visa grants, year ending June 2015 to year ending June 2024
Family-related visa: Applications
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D01 and Vis_D02
Family visa applications for the year ending June 2024 have reached their highest level in recent years, continuing an upward trend since the end of 2021. Figure 1 illustrates that family-related visa applications and grants remained relatively stable until 2018, followed by a slight increase prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a subsequent decline in 2020 due to travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Nevertheless, applications have increased by nearly 70% compared to the year ending December 2019, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pakistani nationals accounted for nearly one-sixth of all applications in the year ending June 2024, with 16,339 applications. There has also been a notable increase in Syrian applicants, now the second-largest group. Over the past 3 years, Syrian applications have increased from 1,548 in the year ending June 2021 to 6,630 in the year ending June 2024.
There were 84,403 family-related visas granted in the year ending June 2024, an increase of 12% from year ending June 2023.
Family-related visa: Grants
Source: Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes: Vis_D01 and Vis_D02
In the 5 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK leaving the European Union, the number of family visa grants averaged around 43,000 per year (from calendar year 2015 to 2019). The number fell in 2020 following the COVID-19 outbreak, and again following the war in Ukraine when the Ukraine visa schemes were first introduced and case working prioritisation changed to support this. However, since year ending June 2022 (36,043), the number of grants has since increased by nearly 50,000.
In the year ending June 2024, a notable increase in family-related visa grants has been largely driven by a significant rise in visas issued under the Family: Other route, of which there were 16,956. The number of visas granted through this route has surged by nearly 3 and a half-times the number granted in the previous year ending June 2023 (4,901). Over 95% of granted Family: Other visas in year ending June 2024 were Family reunion visas, which allow family members of refugees or individuals granted humanitarian protection to join them in the UK.
In line with the trend in family visa applications, Pakistani nationals accounted for over one-sixth (17%, or 14,439) of all family-related visas granted, with the majority (89%) issued through the Family: Partner visa route. The number of Pakistani nationals granted family-related visas was nearly 3 times that of Syrian nationals (5,041), who were the second-largest group. The number of Syrian nationals granted family-related visas increased by more than 3 and a half times compared to the year ending June 2023.
EUSS family permits
In addition, 13,746 EUSS family permits were granted in year ending June 2024, around half the number (49%) granted in year ending June 2023. For further information on EUSS family permits, see ‘How many people have been granted settlement via the EU Settlement Scheme?’
Indefinite Leave to Remain: Migrant Journey
Those arriving on family routes are more likely to acquire indefinite leave to remain (ILR) than those arriving on work and study visas. Analysis from the Migrant Journey: 2023 report shows that of those whose first leave to enter the UK was on the family route since 2007, 62% had ILR after 5 years, increasing to 83% after 10 years. This is much higher than those starting on work and study routes, where 21% and 7% respectively had ILR after 10 years.
2. Extensions for family reasons
Extensions of stay for family-related reasons relate to people wishing to extend their stay in the UK for family-reasons. It covers extensions where an individual is applying based on their relationship to a person settled in the UK or a British citizen. An individual is required to apply for an extension before their existing permission to enter or stay expires and may make more than one application in any given year.
There were 117,874 extensions of stay granted for family reasons in year ending June 2024, a decrease of 9% compared with year ending June 2023 and 13% lower compared with year ending December 2022 when grant levels were at their highest level.
Analysis from the Migrant Journey: 2023 report, which links the current category of leave to the previous category of leave shows that 75% of family-related extensions granted in 2023 were to people who held a family-related visa before their current family extension. A further 5% previously held leave as a student, and 6% as a worker.
3. 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 the end of the transition period for the UK leaving the EU on 31 December 2020, EU nationals were able to come to the UK under freedom of movement and did not typically require separate permission (such as a visa). The majority of UK immigration control before 2021 related to non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. From 2021, EEA nationals became subject to immigration controls and are now more likely to obtain permission to travel to the UK. For many this will be under the EU Settlement Scheme (see How many people are granted settlement via the EU settlement scheme), while others will require a visa.
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.
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.
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 are granted settlement or citizenship?’. Further data on the Family reunion visa category can be found in ‘Safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK’.
More information about the statistics can be found in the user guide.
3.1 Extension of temporary stay in the UK
Extensions of temporary stay in the UK relate to individuals inside the UK extending or changing the status of their right to stay in the UK. An individual is required to apply for an extension or change in status before their existing permission to enter or stay in the UK expires.
The statistics do not show the number of people applying to extend their temporary stay in the UK, nor do they show how long an individual stayed in the UK following their extension.
Further information on the statistics in this section can be found in the extension section of the user guide.
3.2 Other sources
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish long-term international migration estimates. These are statistics under development that estimate the number of people immigrating to and emigrating from the UK for 12 months or more.
4. Data tables
Data on family immigration can be found in the following tables:
- Entry clearance visa summary tables
- Detailed Entry clearance visa datasets
- Extensions summary tables
- Detailed Extensions datasets
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