Politics UK@PolitlcsUK
🚨 BREAKING: The Home Office has released immigration statistics for 2025
Overall Arrivals
- 136.6 million arrivals to the UK in 2025
- 57% were British nationals
- 809,000 non-visit visas issued (work, study, family, humanitarian)
Asylum
- 101,000 asylum claims in 2025 - down 4%
- 135,000 initial decisions made, up 56%, highest since records began in 2002
- Grant rate: 42%, down from 47%
- 64,000 awaiting a decision, down 48% in a year, 63% below the 2023 peak
- 31,000 asylum seekers in hotel accommodation, down 19%
Illegal Entry
- 46,000 detected illegal arrivals in 2025
- 41,000 arrived via small boats, up 13% on last year, 9% below 2022 peak
- Top nationalities: Eritrean, Afghan, Iranian, Sudanese, Somali
Enforcement
- 23,000 entered immigration detention, up 11%
- 9,900 enforced returns, up 21%
- 28,000 voluntary returns, up 5%
- 5,600 foreign national offender returns, up 11%
Work Visas
- 168,000 work visas granted - down 19% on last year
- 50% down from the 2023 peak
- Health & Care visas -13,000 issued, down 91% from peak
- Other skilled worker visas: 48,000, down 36%
Study Visas
- 407,000 student visas granted - down 3% on last year
- 35% below the 2023 peak
- Student dependant visas: 20,000, down 10%
Family Visas
- 67,000 family visas granted - down 22%
- Partner visas: 41,000, down 27%
- Refugee Family Reunion visas: 19,000, down 2% (route temporarily paused from Sept 2025)
Settlement and Citizenship
- 146,000 settlement grants, down 10%
- 355,000 EU Settlement Scheme grants, up 2%
- 236,000 British citizenship grants, down 13%, second highest annual total since 2005
