*The figure for net migration will not sum exactly to the total of immigration minus emigration, because it is published as a rounded figure by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Figures from government or other official sources used in this report can be revised retrospectively between publications. This page only displays data as it is presented in the latest release.
ONS figures for immigration and emigration are update twice per year.
Small boats figures from the Home Office are updated daily. Asylum, returns and visa figures from the Home Office are updated every three months.
The number of people appealing against a refused asylum decision is updated every three months by the Ministry of Justice at a different time to other government figures on asylum.
Immigration, emigration and net migration
Figures for net migration come from the ONS and use the internationally recognised definition of a long-term migrant: “a person who moves to a country other than that of their usual residence for at least a year.”
Visas for legal migration
Data for total entries via visas only includes those granted. It does not include people coming to the UK on a visitor visa or those on a transit visa – whose final destination is not the UK.
Visa figures do not show if or when an individual arrived in the UK, but marks the point at which they were granted permission to do so.
If someone was granted more than one visa within the year shown, each one is counted separately.
The work category refers to new individuals linked to visas and permits, or the extension of an existing permission. This includes sub-categories such as seasonal, health and care, domestic and youth mobility visas.
Study visas include all sponsored individuals by approved education providers in the UK, and those on short-term study visas.
Family visas lets someone come to the UK or stay longer so they can live with close family members who are already here. It includes joining a spouse, partner, child or parent, or coming to care for a relative.
The Other category refers to miscellaneous visas outside the categories of work, family and study. It includes humanitarian routes such as the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and the British National Overseas route.
It also includes family permits for people from countries in the European Union or European Economic Area.
