According to latest UK immigration statistics, 2.7 million entry clearance visas granted in 2017. Of these, nearly 2.1 million (77%) were to visit and 8% were for study.
Of the total 3,062,000 entry clearance applications, 339,000 were refused and 2,710,000 were approved, with refusal rate of 11%.
- 9% of applications were refused on extension grants
- 5% refusal of applications (3865 cases) to permanently stay in UK
Visit visas
Over 2.7 million visas were granted in 2017, of these, 2.1 million (77%) were to visit. Chinese and Indian nationals alone accounted for just under half (46%) of all Visitor visas granted.
Work visas
There were 165,131 Work-related visas granted in 2017, an increase of 1% on the previous year. These included:
5,127 high-value (Tier 1) visas, up 13%
94,247 Skilled (Tier 2) visas, up 1%
40,864 youth mobility and temporary workers (Tier 5), down 3%
24,893 non-points-based system (PBS) / other Work visas, up 3%
Study visas
In 2017, there were 223,536 Study-related visas granted, excluding Short-term students (formerly known as Student visitors), an increase of 8% (16,435).
Chinese nationals (up 15% to 88,456)
Indian nationals (up 28% to 14,445)
Family visas
total number of Family-related visas granted, including EEA Family permits granted to non-EEA nationals, and visas granted to dependants of other visa holders (excluding visitors) was 134,857.
Asylum
In 2017, there were 14,767 grants of asylum, alternative forms of protection and resettlement, compared with 15,156 in the previous year. This comprised:
7,469 grants of asylum to main applicants and dependants (down 11%)
1,086 grants of alternative form of protection to main applicants and their dependants (down 29%)
6,212 people provided with protection under a resettlement scheme (up 19%)
