Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing physical back-up copies of immigration documents for people on the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
As part of our move to a “digital by default” border and immigration system, physical immigration documents are being replaced by fully digital eVisas (an online record of the person’s immigration status).
All EU, EEA and Swiss citizens granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) are now able to prove their rights in the UK digitally, by using the View and Prove service on GOV.UK, instead of using physical documents. Non-EU, EEA or Swiss citizen family members who have a UKVI account can also use the View and Prove service.
Successful applicants continue to receive written notice of their immigration status by email or letter, which they can keep for their personal records if they wish. However, due to the possibility of fraud and abuse this document cannot be used to evidence an individual’s immigration status to external organisations.
There are no plans to provide EU citizens granted status under the EUSS with physical back-up copies of immigration documents.
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were foreign students.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Rt Hon. the Lord Tyrie
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
24 January 2024
Dear Lord Tyrie,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were foreign students (HL1764); and what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were dependents of foreign students (HL1765).
Your questions can be answered by using data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These data can be found in our year ending June 2023 edition of our Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional dataset [1]. This includes data up to June 2023. Specifically, for long term migration [2] by reason, including study visas, please see table 3 of the aforementioned dataset. Please note that the estimates within the dataset are still provisional.
For the year ending December 2022, estimates for both students and dependants are available for non-EU migrants. We do not currently have comparable figures for EU and British nationals.
For the year ending December 2022, total immigration was 1,234,000, of which 1,030,000 were non-EU migrants.
For the year ending December 2022, 315,000 students immigrated long-term, 31% of all non-EU migrants. In addition, 93,000 student dependants immigrated long-term, 9% of all non-EU migrants.
For the year ending December 2022, total emigration of all nationalities was 489,000 and emigration of non-EU migrants was 157,000.
72,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study visa leaving (46% of all non-EU emigrants) and a further 12,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study dependant visa leaving (8%).
To calculate net migration for students and their dependents, we take the number of individuals who emigrated – who initially arrived in the UK on a study visa (or study-dependant visa) – away from the number of individuals who immigrated on a study visa (or study-dependant visa).
This comes with some caveats. It compares immigration to emigration within the same period, so the migrants counted are a summary of both past and current behaviours at a fixed point in time. Individuals counted as an emigrant in this method could have transitioned to a different visa type during their time in the UK. This means that this measure could present a distorted view of the true causes for migration, for example where someone studies and then works.
For the year ending December 2022, net migration of non-EU migrants was 873,000. 243,000 was net migration for study visas, 28% of all non-EU net migration and 82,000 were study dependants, 9% of all non-EU net migration.
Figures used to answer your questions in this response have been included in Table 1.
Table 1: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending December 2022
Year ending Dec 2022 | All nationalities | All Non-EU migrants | Non-EU Students | Non-EU Student dependants |
Immigration | 1,234,000 | 1,030,000 | 315,000 | 93,000 |
Emigration | 489,000 | 157,000 | 72,000 | 12,000 |
Net migration | 745,000 | 873,000 | 243,000 | 82,000 |
The most up to date information is from year ending December 2023. This has been provided in Table 2 in case helpful.
Table 2: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending June 2023
Year ending June 2023 | All nationalities | All Non-EU migrants | Non-EU Students | Non-EU Student dependants |
Immigration | 1,180,000 | 968,000 | 282,000 | 96,000 |
Emigration | 508,000 | 200,000 | 88,000 | 27,000 |
Net migration | 672,000 | 768,000 | 194,000 | 69,000 |
Because of the increases seen in the immigration of students in the recent time periods, we would expect emigration to continue to rise as those students come to the end of their studies. However, research in our Reason for international migration, international students update: November 2023 article [3] suggests that more recent cohorts of students are staying in the UK for longer. We will continue to monitor this trend to see how it evolves over time.
When accessing any of our files, you may find it helpful to read the 'notes, terms and conditions' contained within them.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[2] We continue to use the UN 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. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2022#glossary
Asked by: Lord Tyrie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were dependents of foreign students.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Rt Hon. the Lord Tyrie
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
24 January 2024
Dear Lord Tyrie,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were foreign students (HL1764); and what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were dependents of foreign students (HL1765).
Your questions can be answered by using data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These data can be found in our year ending June 2023 edition of our Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional dataset [1]. This includes data up to June 2023. Specifically, for long term migration [2] by reason, including study visas, please see table 3 of the aforementioned dataset. Please note that the estimates within the dataset are still provisional.
For the year ending December 2022, estimates for both students and dependants are available for non-EU migrants. We do not currently have comparable figures for EU and British nationals.
For the year ending December 2022, total immigration was 1,234,000, of which 1,030,000 were non-EU migrants.
For the year ending December 2022, 315,000 students immigrated long-term, 31% of all non-EU migrants. In addition, 93,000 student dependants immigrated long-term, 9% of all non-EU migrants.
For the year ending December 2022, total emigration of all nationalities was 489,000 and emigration of non-EU migrants was 157,000.
72,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study visa leaving (46% of all non-EU emigrants) and a further 12,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study dependant visa leaving (8%).
To calculate net migration for students and their dependents, we take the number of individuals who emigrated – who initially arrived in the UK on a study visa (or study-dependant visa) – away from the number of individuals who immigrated on a study visa (or study-dependant visa).
This comes with some caveats. It compares immigration to emigration within the same period, so the migrants counted are a summary of both past and current behaviours at a fixed point in time. Individuals counted as an emigrant in this method could have transitioned to a different visa type during their time in the UK. This means that this measure could present a distorted view of the true causes for migration, for example where someone studies and then works.
For the year ending December 2022, net migration of non-EU migrants was 873,000. 243,000 was net migration for study visas, 28% of all non-EU net migration and 82,000 were study dependants, 9% of all non-EU net migration.
Figures used to answer your questions in this response have been included in Table 1.
Table 1: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending December 2022
Year ending Dec 2022 | All nationalities | All Non-EU migrants | Non-EU Students | Non-EU Student dependants |
Immigration | 1,234,000 | 1,030,000 | 315,000 | 93,000 |
Emigration | 489,000 | 157,000 | 72,000 | 12,000 |
Net migration | 745,000 | 873,000 | 243,000 | 82,000 |
The most up to date information is from year ending December 2023. This has been provided in Table 2 in case helpful.
Table 2: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending June 2023
Year ending June 2023 | All nationalities | All Non-EU migrants | Non-EU Students | Non-EU Student dependants |
Immigration | 1,180,000 | 968,000 | 282,000 | 96,000 |
Emigration | 508,000 | 200,000 | 88,000 | 27,000 |
Net migration | 672,000 | 768,000 | 194,000 | 69,000 |
Because of the increases seen in the immigration of students in the recent time periods, we would expect emigration to continue to rise as those students come to the end of their studies. However, research in our Reason for international migration, international students update: November 2023 article [3] suggests that more recent cohorts of students are staying in the UK for longer. We will continue to monitor this trend to see how it evolves over time.
When accessing any of our files, you may find it helpful to read the 'notes, terms and conditions' contained within them.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
[2] We continue to use the UN 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. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2022#glossary
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the clarity of the updated caseworker guidance for processing late applications for the EU Settlement Scheme from people with permanent residency cards.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) caseworker guidance was updated on 16 January in light of operational experience and stakeholder feedback regarding the assessment of reasonable grounds for applying late to the EUSS.
The updated guidance now addresses circumstances where a person may have had a reasonable belief they did not need to apply earlier to the EUSS, or a reasonable basis for being unaware they needed to apply. This may include where they had been issued with a permanent residence document under the EEA Regulations, which implemented free movement law in the UK.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will provide EU citizens with (a) pre-settled and (b) settled status (i) a stamp in their passport, (ii) a biometric card and (iii) other physical proof of their legal right of residence.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
As part of our move to a “digital by default” border and immigration system, physical documents such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and passports with vignette stickers or ‘wet ink stamps’ are being replaced by fully digital eVisas (an online record of the person’s immigration status).
All EU, EEA and Swiss citizens granted pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme are now able to prove their rights in the UK digitally, by using the View and Prove service on GOV.UK, instead of using physical documents. Non-EU, EEA or Swiss citizen family members who have a UKVI account can also use the View and Prove service.
There are no plans to provide EU citizens granted under the EUSS with stamps in passports, biometric cards, or other physical proof of rights of residence.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many settled status applications from EU citizens submitted before 8 August 2023 are pending; and how many such applications have been pending for more than (a) 12, (b) 18 and (c) 24 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Figures for EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) applications awaiting a decision as at 30 June 2023 are included in the latest statistical release EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) in the Other related data section.
Complete applications under the EUSS are generally processed within a month, if no further information is required, but may take longer in certain circumstances. More information on EUSS processing times is available at: EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
All applications are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on their individual circumstances. Those who have made a valid EUSS application can rely on their Certificate of Application as evidence of their right to live and work in the UK pending the outcome of their application, including any appeal.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of how long it will take to process pending applications for settled status from EU citizens.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Figures for EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) applications awaiting a decision as at 30 June 2023 are included in the latest statistical release EU Settlement Scheme quarterly statistics, September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) in the Other related data section.
Complete applications under the EUSS are generally processed within a month, if no further information is required, but may take longer in certain circumstances. More information on EUSS processing times is available at: EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
All applications are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on their individual circumstances. Those who have made a valid EUSS application can rely on their Certificate of Application as evidence of their right to live and work in the UK pending the outcome of their application, including any appeal.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what routes to review are available to individuals who wish to challenge a decision on their application to the EU settlement scheme on the grounds of error if the decision was made on or after 5 October 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), the option of administrative review no longer applies where a decision was made on an EUSS application on or after 5 October 2023.
The right of appeal under the Immigration (Citizens’ Rights Appeals) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 will continue to meet our obligations under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements to provide a means of redress for relevant decisions under the EUSS.
The change aligns the EUSS with other UK immigration routes, none of which provide for both an administrative review and a right of appeal.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing the right to an administrative review of decisions on applications to the EU settlement scheme.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), the option of administrative review no longer applies where a decision was made on an EUSS application on or after 5 October 2023.
The right of appeal under the Immigration (Citizens’ Rights Appeals) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 will continue to meet our obligations under the Citizens’ Rights Agreements to provide a means of redress for relevant decisions under the EUSS.
The change aligns the EUSS with other UK immigration routes, none of which provide for both an administrative review and a right of appeal.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what grounds for refusal under Part 9 of the Immigration Rules EU citizens were refused entry at the UK border in 2023.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Border Force does not hold the data to questions 1 and 2 in an easily accessible format. The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
The Home Office publishes statistics on passengers refused entry at the border, by nationality, in table Stp_D01 of the ‘Passengers refused entry at the border detailed datasets’ as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates to the end of September 2023.
Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data up to the end of December 2023 will be published on 29 February 2024.
You asked whether EU citizens refused entry at the UK border in 2023 will be able to reapply to travel to the UK. Applications for permission to enter at the border are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the immigration rules. EU citizens should ensure they are properly documented for the purpose they are seeking to enter and check whether they need a visa before they travel. Guidance is available at www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
EU citizens not holding required entry clearance must be refused entry under paragraphs 9.14.1 of Part 9 of the Immigration Rules – but they may apply for clearance and seek entry after having obtained the required clearance.