UK Migration Statistics to June 2025 Show Significant Changes
Net migration to the UK in the year ending June 2025 was 204,000, representing a decrease of about 69% compared to the previous 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Immigration, or arrivals, between July 2024 and June 2025 totaled 898,000, down 31% over the same period, while emigration increased by 7% to 693,000.
Small-boat arrivals reached 41,472 from January 1 to December 22, 2025, marking an 18% increase compared to the previous year. These crossings accounted for approximately 41% of asylum applications from October 2024 to September 2025. The average boat size was around 61 people, and UN records indicate at least 84 deaths in 2024 related to these journeys.
Asylum applications rose by 13% to 110,051 in the year from October 2024 to September 2025. By September 2025, 108,085 people were in asylum accommodation, with 36,273 (34%) housed in hotels. The government has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation by 2029.
Returns and deportations also increased by 11%, with 36,457 removals recorded between October 2024 and September 2025. Among those returned, 5,343 had criminal convictions, 10,958 had lodged an asylum claim, and 2,272 had arrived by small boat.
Under the "one-in, one-out" agreement with France, 193 people had been returned as of December 22, 2025.
Visas for legal migration fell by 22%, with 838,908 entry visas granted from October 2024 to September 2025. The most common type of visa was for study, accounting for 53% of visas granted. India accounted for 23% of study visas, and together China and India represented nearly half of all study visas issued.
