National statistics

How many people are detained or returned?

Published 24 May 2018

Back to ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2018’ content page.

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Data relate to year ending March 2018 and all comparisons are with year ending March 2017, unless indicated otherwise.

This section contains data on:

• individuals held in immigration detention (solely under Immigration Act powers)
• returns of people, by the Home Office, who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK

We provide a more detailed commentary on an annual basis. This is included in ‘Immigration Statistics, April to June 2017’.

1. Key facts

In year ending March 2018, 26,541 individuals entered the detention estate (down 8% compared with the previous year) and 27,429 left the detention estate (down 5%).

At the end of March 2018, there were 2,400 persons held in the detention estate (excluding HM Prisons), a fall of 18% compared with 12 months earlier. Additionally, 358 individuals were held in immigration detention in HM Prisons.

The total number of enforced returns from the UK, including those not directly from detention, decreased by 9% to 11,621 in year ending March 2018 compared with 12,766 in the previous year.

Provisional data show that 5,630 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) were returned in year ending March 2018, down 11% compared to 6,346 in the previous year; of these:

• 66% were EU nationals (3,694)
• 34% were non-EU nationals (1,936)

2. Immigration detention

2.1. Detention

From July 2017, data on detention of immigration detainees in prisons are included in the immigration detention figures. Previously, individuals who were detained in prison would have been recorded in the data upon entering the detention estate through an immigration removal centre (IRC), short-term holding facility (STHF) or pre-departure accommodation (PDA); now they are recorded upon entering immigration detention within prison. Data from Q3 2017 onwards are therefore not directly comparable with earlier data. Further details of these changes can be found in the user guide.

In year ending March 2018, 26,541 people entered the detention estate.

As at the end of March 2018, there were 2,400 people in the detention estate (excluding prisons). This was 18% lower than the same time the previous year. In addition, 358 immigration detainees were held in HM Prisons.

At the end of March, there were 469 EU nationals, and 2,289 non-EU nationals in detention (including prisons).

People entering, leaving, and in detention, year ending March 2014 to year ending March 2018¹

Year ending	Entering detention	Leaving detention	In detention2	In detention (excl. HM Prisons)
March 2014	30,108	29,792	z	2,991
March 2015	30,902	30,333	z	3,483
March 2016	32,161	32,647	z	2,925
March 2017	28,978	28,906	z	2,930
March 2018	26,541	27,429	2,758	2,400
Change: latest year	-2,437	-1,477	z	-530
Percentage change	-8%	-5%	z	-18%

Sources:

Table dt 01 q, dt 08 q and dt 13 q (detention tables)

Table notes:

1. Data from July 2017 includes those entering and leaving detention through HM Prisons, as well as those held in detention in HM Prisons. Data are not directly comparable with previous years. See the user guide for more details.
2. z = not applicable.

2.2. Reason for leaving detention

Following the introduction of the new Immigration Bail in Schedule 10 of the Immigration Bill 2016, the detention closed reasons ‘Bailed (Secretary of State)’ replaced the existing powers of ‘Granted temporary admission/release’ from 15 January 2018, and ‘Bailed (Immigration Judge)’ replaced ‘Bailed’ to differentiate from ‘Bailed (Secretary of State (SoS))’. See the user guide for more details of this change.

Almost half of those leaving detention in the year ending March 2018 were returned from the UK, although this varied considerably by nationality.

Top 5 nationalities of people leaving detention, by reason for leaving, year ending March 2018

Nationality	Leaving detention	% Returned from UK on leaving detention	% Bailed (SoS) on leaving detention
Pakistan	2,390	28%	44%
Albania	2,337	72%	15%
India	2,107	31%	43%
Romania	1,751	93%	3%
Bangladesh	1,312	25%	50%
Other Nationalities	17,532	44%	39%
Total	27,429	46%	36%

Source:

Table dt 08 q (detention tables)

Table notes:

1. ‘Returned from UK on leaving detention’ includes enforced returns, voluntary returns and those refused entry at port (in the UK) who were subsequently detained and then departed the UK.
2. Detention closed reason: Bailed (Secretary of State) replaced the existing powers of Granted temporary admission/release from 15/01/2018, following the introduction of the new Immigration Bail in Schedule 10 of the Immigration Bill 2016.

3. Returns

The total number of enforced returns from the UK, including those not directly from detention, decreased by 9% to 11,621 in year ending March 2018 compared with 12,766 in year ending March 2017; of these:

• 24% of the total were enforced returns of people who had previously sought asylum (2,811), up 7% from the previous year (2,626)

Returns from the UK, by type of return, year ending March 2015 to year ending March 2018

Year ending	Total enforced returns1	Total voluntary returns2	Total refused entry at port who subsequently departed
March 2015	14,125	25,177	16,407
March 2016	13,265	28,831	18,080
March 2017	12,766	25,672	17,495
March 2018	11,621	17,868	17,969
Change: latest 12 months	-1,145	-	+474
Percentage change	-9%	-	+3%

Source:

Table rt 01 q (Returns tables, volume 1).

Table notes:

1. ‘Enforced returns’ cover enforced removals from detention, non-detained enforced removals and other returns from detention where the Home Office will have been required to facilitate or monitor the return.
2. ‘Voluntary returns’ include assisted returns, controlled returns and other verified returns. These are subject to significant upward revision as matching checks are made on travellers after departure. Comparisons with the previous 12 months for voluntary returns have not been included as data are not comparable over time.

Top 5 nationalities of enforced returns from the UK, year ending March 2018

Nationality	Total enforced returns1	% of Total enforced returns
Albania	1,576	14%
Romania	1,557	13%
Poland	1,114	10%
Pakistan	703	6%
India	687	6%
Other Nationalities	5,984	51%
Total	11,621	-

Source:

Table rt 02 q (Returns tables, volume 1).

Table note:

See notes above.

3.1 Returns of EU and non-EU nationals, by type of return, year ending March 2015 to year ending March 2018

EU nationals may be returned for not exercising, or abusing, Treaty rights or for deportation on public policy grounds (such as criminality).

Year ending	March 2015	March 2016	March 2017	March 2018	Change: latest year	Percentage change
Total enforced returns1	14,125	13,265	12,766	11,621	-1,145	-9%
EU	3,242	4,123	5,316	4,603	-713	-13%
Non-EU	10,883	9,142	7,450	7,018	-432	-6%
Total voluntary returns2	25,177	28,831	25,672	17,868	-	-
EU	470	634	871	457	-	-
Non-EU	24,707	28,197	24,801	17,411	-	-
Total refused entry at port who subsequently departed	16,407	18,080	17,495	17,969	+474	+3%
EU	1,567	2,064	2,496	3,645	+1,149	+46%
Non-EU	14,840	16,016	14,999	14,324	-675	-5%

Source:

Table rt 02 q (Returns tables, volume 1).

Table note:

See notes above.

In year ending March 2018, 5,630 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) were returned from the UK, of which 11% were known to have an overseas criminal record. Of the 5,630 FNOs, around two-thirds were EU nationals. Data on FNO returns can be found in Table rt 06 q.

4. Data tables

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

Returns tables volume 1
Returns tables volume 2
Returns tables volume 3
Returns tables volume 4
Returns tables volume 5
Detention tables