National statistics

How many people continue their stay in the UK?

Published 24 May 2018

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

This is not the latest release. View latest release.

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

This section contains data on:

• grants of extensions of temporary stay in the UK
• grants and refusals of settlement
• residence documentation issued to EEA nationals and their family members
• applications and grants of British citizenship

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

1. Key facts

There were 163,817 main applicants granted an extension to their stay in 2017 (the latest available data by previous reason for stay).

• 79% allowed the individual to stay within their previous broad reason for stay (129,608)
• 21% switched categories (34,209)

There were 71,676 people granted permission to stay permanently in the UK in the year ending March 2018, 23% more than in the previous year. The number of grants is low relative to the peak in the year ending September 2010 (241,586).

In the year ending March 2018, 141,883 documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards were issued to EEA nationals and their non-EEA family members. The majority of these (88%) were issued to EU nationals. This is fewer than the highest recorded figure for the year ending December 2017 (168,413) reflecting quarter-on-quarter falls in decisions from a peak of 51,466 in the first quarter of 2017 to 24,886 in the last quarter.

Total applications for British citizenship rose by 6% to 140,073 in the year ending March 2018 compared to the previous year. This was 40% lower than the peak in 2013 (232,262). Within the total, applications made by non-EU nationals fell by 10,195 to 99,617, and applications by EU nationals almost doubled, up 18,302 to 40,456.

2. Extension grants

Extensions of stay relate to individuals inside the UK extending or changing the status of their 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 expires.

There were 163,817 extensions granted in 2017 (the latest available data by previous reason for stay). Of these:

• 27% were for work (44,743)
• 24% were for study (38,717)
• 40% were for family reasons (64,865)
• 9% were for other reasons (15,492)

Of the 163,817 extensions granted in 2017 to main applicants, 129,608 (79%) allowed the individual to stay within their original broad reason for stay, with the other 21% having switched categories. By comparison, in 2011 and 2012 a higher proportion switched (29% and 30% respectively). The fall in the proportion who switched largely reflects the closure of the Post-study route.

There were 46,391 extensions granted in 2017 to people who were previously students. Of these, the majority (82%) allowed individuals to continue to study.

The previous immigration category of students granted an extension has been estimated for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The data are provisional and subject to revision.

Grants of extension of stay in 2017, current category by previous reason for stay

Source:

Table ex pc 01 (Extensions tables).

Table note

1. Figures exclude dependants.

3. Settlement grants and refusals

Settlement relates to people, subject to immigration control, who are given permission to stay permanently in the UK. The settlement figures comprise people granted settlement on arrival and people who have applied for settlement having completed qualifying periods of residence in the UK in a category leading to settlement. The number of years an individual must have been in the UK before they can apply for settlement varies depending on the type of visa currently held. Those granted settlement are able, without restriction, to work or study, travel into and out of the UK, access state benefits, and register their UK-born child as a British citizen. It does not entitle the person to a British passport (which requires British citizenship) or to vote in general elections, which requires Commonwealth or Irish Republic citizenship.

There were 71,676 people granted settlement in the UK in the year ending March 2018, 23% more than in the previous year. This included increases in:

• Work-related grants (up 5% to 19,791). This included an increase of 3,699 in the Tier 2 Skilled Work category to 12,470
• Family-related grants (up 33% to 7,394)
• Asylum-related grants (up 35% to 20,763)
• Grants to stay for ‘Other’ reasons (up 29% to 23,728)

However, there was a fall in the number of Tier 1 (High value) work grants (down 46% to 3,801).

Decisions, grants and refusals of applications to stay permanently in the UK, by reason for grant, year ending March 2014 to year ending March 2018

Year ending	Total decisions1	Total grants	Work	Asylum	Family	Other2	Refusals
March 2014	140,651	133,279	51,974	16,728	47,769	16,808	7,372
March 2015	111,150	106,723	40,212	19,082	32,106	15,323	4,427
March 2016	85,075	79,631	36,568	19,149	11,074	12,840	5,444
March 2017	62,994	58,196	18,930	15,364	5,555	18,347	4,798
March 2018	76,138	71,676	19,791	20,763	7,394	23,728	4,462
Change: latest 12 months	+13,144	+13,480	+861	+5,399	+1,839	+5,381	-336
Percentage change	+21%	+23%	+5%	+35%	+33%	+29%	-7%

Source:

Table se 02 q (Settlement tables).

Table notes:

1. The number of decisions in a given year can be affected by changes in casework resource allocation. Such fluctuations can be examined in more detail in the quarterly data that are available in the published Settlement tables.
2. Includes grants on the basis of Long Residence and grants on a discretionary basis.

4. EEA nationals and their family members

Under European law, EEA nationals do not need to obtain documentation confirming their right of residence in the UK.

EEA nationals and their family members can apply for documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards as confirmation of a right of permanent residence in the UK. There is no need to apply for a residence card as a family member but it can:

• help residence card holders to re-enter the country more quickly and easily if travelling abroad
• show employers that residence card holders are allowed to work in the UK
• help prove residence card holders qualify for certain benefits and services

EEA nationals only need to apply for a permanent residence document if they want to either:

• apply for British citizenship
• sponsor their partner’s visa application under the Immigration Rules

More information about applying for residence documentation and how the status of EU citizens in the UK will be secured after the UK leaves the EU is available on GOV.UK: EU, EEA and Commonwealth.

After 12 November 2015, a person applying for citizenship who is claiming to have permanent residence as an EEA national or the family member of an EEA national has been required to provide a permanent residence card or a document certifying permanent residence as evidence that they meet the requirement to be free of immigration time restrictions. These rule changes, along with EEA nationals’ response to perceived uncertainty follow the 2016 EU referendum, are likely to have contributed to the steep increase in demand for EEA residence documentation during 2016 and 2017.

In the year ending March 2018, there were 113,394 registration certificates and registration cards issued, 28% more than the previous year (88,743). Most of the rise is attributed to EU nationals (up 13,810 to 72,637), although registration cards issued to non-EEA family members also increased (up 10,841 to 40,757).

There were 141,883 documents certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards were issued. The majority of these (88%) were issued to EU nationals. This is down from a peak in the year ending December 2017, following the EU referendum, when 168,413 documents were issued.

Documents issued certifying permanent residence and permanent residence cards for EEA nationals and their family members, January 2014 to March 2018¹

Source:

Table ee 02 q (EEA tables).

Chart note:

1. Non-EU includes family members of EEA nationals and small numbers of EEA nationals from Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway, and Swiss nationals.

Variations in numbers of decisions can be affected by changes in resources and the mix of cases, as well as policy changes and application levels in earlier periods.

Figures on applications received and cases currently outstanding in the European casework route (along with other information such as percentage processed within service standards) can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration Migration transparency data web page, In-country migration data.

5. Citizenship applications and grants

There are different ways to become a British citizen. The most common is called ‘naturalisation’. To apply for British citizenship by naturalisation you must usually have:

• lived in the UK for at least the 5 years before the date of your application
• spent no more than 450 days outside the UK during those 5 years
• spent no more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months
• had settlement in the UK for the last 12 months if you are from outside the EEA
• had permanent residence status for the last 12 months if you are a citizen of an EEA country
• not broken any immigration laws while in the UK

There are different requirements if your spouse or civil partner is a British citizen.

There were 140,073 applications for British citizenship in the year ending March 2018, up 6% compared to the previous year.

More than two-thirds (71%) of citizenship applications are from non-EU nationals. Applications made by non-EU nationals fell by 10,195 to 99,617 compared with the previous year, and applications by EU nationals almost doubled from 22,154 to 40,456.

Applications for British citizenship, EU and non-EU nationals, year ending March 2014 to year ending March 2018

Year ending	Total applications	Non-EU	EU nationals	EU nationals as % of total
March 2014	210,790	190,200	20,590	10%
March 2015	134,957	122,200	12,757	9%
March 2016	152,283	135,940	16,343	11%
March 2017	131,966	109,812	22,154	17%
March 2018	140,073	99,617	40,456	29%
Change: latest year	+8,107	-10,195	+18,302
Percentage change	+6%	-9%	+83%

Source:

Table cz 01 q a (Citizenship tables)

Table note:

1. Series are based on current EU membership, i.e. Croatians are included in EU total throughout the time series.

Variations in numbers of applications can be affected by policy and other changes in earlier periods.

For more information on the impact of rule changes and longer-term trends in British citizenship applications and decisions see ‘Immigration Statistics, April to June 2017: How many people continue their stay in the UK’.

6. Data tables

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

Extensions tables
Settlement tables
Citizenship tables
European Economic Area (EEA) tables