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Small boats are 15% of immigration
Dependents
Dependents are a large part of the work and student numbers. Many routes let people bring spouses and children, and in 2023 more dependent visas were issued to health and care workers than to main applicants.
Humanitarian Routes
Humanitarian pathways opened for people fleeing Beijing's crackdown in Hong Kong, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They were exceptional responses to exceptional events, created on a moral basis.
Foreign-Born Share
In total, 19% of the UK population is foreign-born, which is a fairly average level compared with other OECD countries.
Why do boat arrivals get to claim asylum?
The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution and bars countries from returning them to danger. A claim can generally be made only once a person is on a country's territory, so many claimants arrive without prior permission. The convention also says refugees should not be penalized for entering irregularly if they come directly from danger and present themselves quickly to the authorities. More than 140 countries, the UK among them, are party to the convention or its 1967 protocol.
How do countries compare on foreign-born share?
OECD figures show a wide range. Luxembourg has the highest share among member countries, above 40 percent, and Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada also sit well above 20 percent. At the other end, Japan and South Korea are in the low single digits. Differences come from history, geography, and policy, with settler societies and small financial centers at the high end.
How did Britain's Ukraine sponsorship scheme work?
Homes for Ukraine opened in March 2022, soon after Russia's invasion. It let UK residents name a Ukrainian and offer them a place to live, rather than waiting for the government to match people. A separate family scheme covered Ukrainians with relatives in the UK. Both routes granted permission to live and work in Britain for an initial period of three years.
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