Friday 26 May 2023

In the first year since emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK continues to see high numbers of migrants and visitors, as demonstrated by the latest data released by the Home Office. We analyse the latest quarterly immigration statistics for the year ending March 2023, with data comparisons to March 2022 included throughout.

Overview

Between March 2022 and March 2023, the Home Office granted 3,057,654 visas – a 90% increase from the year ending March 2022. The breakdown of categories is as follows:

• Visit visas – 51%
• Study visas – 21% (including dependants)
• Work visas – 16% (including dependants)
• Family visas – 3%
• Other reasons – 9% (including Ukraine Schemes and BN(O) route)

Of note, grants for work visas are 61% higher than in the year ending March 2022, and grants for visit visas are 155% higher than in the same period. The Home Office attributes significant increases in visit visa grants to changes in international travel policies due to the end of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics shows that long-term immigration, defined as individuals coming to the UK for at least 12 months, rose to 1.2 million (+18%) for the year ending December 2022. As 557,000 individuals emigrated from the UK in the same period, net migration is a record 606,000. However, international students and their dependants are controversially included in these figures for courses longer than 12 months, artificially elevating the true scope of long-term immigration.

Continued rise in sponsorship

British firms’ need for sponsor licences continues to grow, with the Home Office noting 62,292 organisations on the register of sponsors for work. Compared to the year ending March 2022 with 42,746, this is an increase of 19,546 organisations (+46%). In the year ending March 2023, the Home Office granted 23,068 sponsor licences and 7,227 applications were not granted, including refused, withdrawn and rejected applications.

The Home Office has acknowledged the increased demand for sponsor licences and migrant work visas but, at the same time, has expressed concerns that employers may be obtaining licences to avoid hiring UK workers. There are also questions regarding the Home Office’s capacity to maintain visa processing service standards amidst high pressure for new licences.

High numbers of work visas

Compared to March 2022, there were 299,891 grants of main applicant work visas. This category breakdown is as follows:

• Worker – 193,892 (+97%)
• Temporary Worker – 74,071 (+28%)
• Investor, business development and talent – 4,365 (+33)
• Other work visas and exemptions – 27,563 (+4%)

Within the Worker category, the Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas continue with an astronomical rise in uptake due to the liberalisation of the route in 2020. Under the Temporary Worker category, grants of Youth Mobility Scheme visas have nearly doubled (+91%) since March 2022, though the Home Office notes that this figure is similar to pre-pandemic uptake. Other work visas and exemptions follow the same trajectory compared to last year, albeit with significantly lower grant figures:

• Global Talent visa – 3,404 (+64%)
• Innovator visa – 404 (+82%)
• Start-up visa – 421 (-14%)

As the Innovator and Start-up routes were replaced by the simplified Innovator Founder visa in April 2023, the next tranche of immigration statistics may demonstrate different trends.

Humanitarian routes and asylum

Now more than a year into the war in Ukraine and with plans underway for the Illegal Migration Bill, which would drastically cut the numbers of asylum seekers eligible for refugee status, grants for humanitarian routes and asylum since March 2022 are as follows:

• Ukraine Visa Schemes – 225, 278
• British National (Overseas) route – 13,997 (since January 2023)
• Refugee permission – 16,805 (including dependants)
• Family reunion – 4,612

As the Illegal Migration Bill continues to progress through Parliament, the Government has committed to the introduction of ‘safe and legal routes’ for asylum seekers, but no plans have yet been outlined.

Dependant visas

Dependant visas for partners and children of individuals on work and study routes continue to increase, with the breakdown of categories as follows:

• Dependants of sponsored workers – 187,880 (+108%)
• Dependants of sponsored students – 149,400 (+48%)

With rising net migration figures proving difficult for the Government, a clampdown on rules surrounding dependants had been rumoured for several months. In the days before the release of the latest immigration statistics, the Home Office announced changes to dependant visa rules for international students. From January 2024, international postgraduate students can only bring dependent partners and children to the UK if they are on a research course or PhD programme. Whilst this will undoubtedly decrease dependant visa numbers, it may also reduce overall international student figures should such individuals choose to study in a country that permits dependants.

Get in touch

To learn more about forthcoming changes to UK immigration law, see our website, contact your assigned LDI lawyer or email enquiries@lauradevine.com.