Last reviewed
Three years after arriving, 58% of the 2022 arrivals still held a UK visa, against 32% of the 2015 arrivals. That includes students still studying and people on the temporary Graduate visa, so the five-year figure is a better guide. Five years after arriving, 38% of the 2020 arrivals still held a UK visa, and 20% were on a Skilled Worker visa.
For students who arrived in 2011 to 2018, 67% held no UK visa three years later. For those who arrived in 2020 to 2022, 43% did. The figures are Home Office records for every student who arrived since 2008.
58%
still held a UK visa three years after arriving
2022 arrivals. For 2015 arrivals: 32%.
17%
were on a Skilled Worker visa
Part of the 58%. 2022 arrivals. For 2015 arrivals: 1.6%.
21%
were on a Graduate visa
Part of the 58%. 2022 arrivals. The Graduate visa opened in July 2021.
Terms used here: Graduate visa, Skilled Worker visa and indefinite leave to remain.
Each point is one arrival year. The data runs to the end of 2025, so each line stops at the newest arrival year that has had that many years since arriving. The lines for the 2011 to 2018 arrivals are flat and low, and they rise from 2019. For the five-year line, the Home Office says the rise largely reflects more students moving onto work visas, particularly the Skilled Worker visa, and is partly due to the Graduate visa, which opened in July 2021. The higher lines for the earliest arrivals fit the post-study work visa, which closed to new applicants in April 2012.
| Arrived | Students | After 2 years | After 3 years | After 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 182,917 | 53% | 43% | 23% |
| 2009 | 243,409 | 57% | 44% | 24% |
| 2010 | 223,102 | 53% | 41% | 23% |
| 2011 | 201,197 | 46% | 33% | 19% |
| 2012 | 152,750 | 46% | 33% | 18% |
| 2013 | 153,847 | 45% | 32% | 17% |
| 2014 | 155,664 | 44% | 32% | 17% |
| 2015 | 144,895 | 44% | 32% | 17% |
| 2016 | 142,076 | 46% | 34% | 18% |
| 2017 | 156,375 | 46% | 33% | 20% |
| 2018 | 169,775 | 46% | 34% | 22% |
| 2019 | 203,609 | 47% | 38% | 24% |
| 2020 | 161,973 | 65% | 56% | 38% |
| 2021 | 316,556 | 67% | 56% | not yet |
| 2022 | 441,381 | 71% | 58% | not yet |
| 2023 | 404,172 | 68% | not yet | not yet |
2023 arrivals held a UK visa after two years at about the rate of the two arrival years before them (68% against 67% and 71%). Fewer were on a Skilled Worker visa so far (4.6% against 12% and 11%) and more were on a Graduate visa (34% against 23% and 29%). It is too early to say whether that is a difference in timing or a lasting one, because these students have not yet reached the end of their Graduate visa. The next release adds another year.
Each bar is one arrival year. Use the slider to choose how many years after arriving the bars show, from 1 to 5. The coloured part of a bar is the share holding a visa, with Skilled Worker at the bottom, and the grey part holds no valid visa.
Arrival years after 2022 have not had three years yet.
| Arrived | Students | Skilled Worker | Graduate | Study | Family | Other | No valid visa | Holding a visa | Of which partner | Of which indefinite leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 182,917 | 1.4% | 0% | 25% | 1.4% | 15% | 57% | 43% | 1.4% | 0.2% |
| 2009 | 243,409 | 1.3% | 0% | 28% | 1.4% | 14% | 56% | 44% | 1.3% | 0.2% |
| 2010 | 223,102 | 1.9% | 0% | 26% | 1.5% | 12% | 59% | 41% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
| 2011 | 201,197 | 1.4% | 0% | 26% | 1.6% | 3.3% | 67% | 33% | 1.3% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 152,750 | 1.6% | 0% | 28% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 67% | 33% | 0.9% | under 0.1% |
| 2013 | 153,847 | 1.8% | 0% | 28% | 1% | 2.1% | 68% | 32% | 0.8% | under 0.1% |
| 2014 | 155,664 | 1.6% | 0% | 28% | 1% | 1.9% | 68% | 32% | 0.8% | under 0.1% |
| 2015 | 144,895 | 1.6% | 0% | 28% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 68% | 32% | 0.8% | under 0.1% |
| 2016 | 142,076 | 1.9% | 0% | 29% | 0.8% | 1.8% | 66% | 34% | 0.7% | under 0.1% |
| 2017 | 156,375 | 2% | 0% | 28% | 0.9% | 2.1% | 67% | 33% | 0.8% | under 0.1% |
| 2018 | 169,775 | 2.6% | 2.1% | 26% | 0.9% | 2.2% | 66% | 34% | 0.8% | under 0.1% |
| 2019 | 203,609 | 4.1% | 7.6% | 23% | 0.8% | 1.9% | 62% | 38% | 0.6% | under 0.1% |
| 2020 | 161,973 | 15% | 16% | 20% | 1.2% | 3.1% | 44% | 56% | 1% | under 0.1% |
| 2021 | 316,556 | 18% | 16% | 17% | 1.3% | 3.7% | 44% | 56% | 1.1% | under 0.1% |
| 2022 | 441,381 | 17% | 21% | 14% | 0.6% | 6.3% | 42% | 58% | 0.5% | under 0.1% |
Each line follows one arrival year, counting from the year they arrived. The data runs to the end of 2025, so each arrival year after 2020 has one year less to show than the one before. The share on a work visa rises while the Graduate visa runs and falls as it ends, so the newest lines are unfinished.
Years after arriving
Years after arriving
| Years after arriving | Arrived 2015 | Arrived 2019 | Arrived 2020 | Arrived 2021 | Arrived 2022 | Arrived 2023 | Arrived 2024 | Arrived 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 96% | 98% | 98% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 99% |
| 1 | 83% | 87% | 93% | 90% | 92% | 91% | 90% | not yet |
| 2 | 44% | 47% | 65% | 67% | 71% | 68% | not yet | not yet |
| 3 | 32% | 38% | 56% | 56% | 58% | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 4 | 24% | 31% | 45% | 43% | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 5 | 17% | 24% | 38% | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| Years after arriving | Arrived 2015 | Arrived 2019 | Arrived 2020 | Arrived 2021 | Arrived 2022 | Arrived 2023 | Arrived 2024 | Arrived 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | under 0.1% | under 0.1% | under 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.8% | 0.3% | under 0.1% | under 0.1% |
| 1 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 7.1% | 13% | 16% | 15% | 12% | not yet |
| 2 | 2.1% | 5.7% | 27% | 34% | 41% | 39% | not yet | not yet |
| 3 | 2.6% | 12% | 31% | 34% | 39% | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 4 | 3.4% | 14% | 28% | 27% | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 5 | 3.8% | 13% | 25% | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
Each row is one arrival year, from 2008 to 2025, and each column is the end of a calendar year after arriving. A stronger colour means a larger share. An empty cell is a year the data does not reach yet, so each grid ends in a staircase. The figures count main applicants who began on a study visa and match the lines above. In these grids, a work visa means the Graduate, Skilled Worker and other work visas added together.
| Arrived | Students | Years after arriving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 2008 | 182,917 | 93 | 73 | 53 | 43 | 30 | 23 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| 2009 | 243,409 | 95 | 79 | 57 | 44 | 32 | 24 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| 2010 | 223,102 | 96 | 78 | 53 | 41 | 28 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| 2011 | 201,197 | 96 | 78 | 46 | 33 | 25 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 2012 | 152,750 | 96 | 82 | 46 | 33 | 24 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| 2013 | 153,847 | 96 | 82 | 45 | 32 | 23 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| 2014 | 155,664 | 96 | 82 | 44 | 32 | 23 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2015 | 144,895 | 96 | 83 | 44 | 32 | 24 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| 2016 | 142,076 | 96 | 85 | 46 | 34 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | not yet |
| 2017 | 156,375 | 97 | 86 | 46 | 33 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 13 | not yet | not yet |
| 2018 | 169,775 | 98 | 88 | 46 | 34 | 27 | 22 | 18 | 15 | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2019 | 203,609 | 98 | 87 | 47 | 38 | 31 | 24 | 20 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2020 | 161,973 | 98 | 93 | 65 | 56 | 45 | 38 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2021 | 316,556 | 99 | 90 | 67 | 56 | 43 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2022 | 441,381 | 99 | 92 | 71 | 58 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2023 | 404,172 | 99 | 91 | 68 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2024 | 336,786 | 99 | 90 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2025 | 352,129 | 99 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| Arrived | Students | Years after arriving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 2008 | 182,917 | <1 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 2009 | 243,409 | <1 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010 | 223,102 | <1 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2011 | 201,197 | <1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 | 152,750 | <1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2013 | 153,847 | <1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2014 | 155,664 | <1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2015 | 144,895 | <1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 2016 | 142,076 | <1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | not yet |
| 2017 | 156,375 | <1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | not yet | not yet |
| 2018 | 169,775 | <1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2019 | 203,609 | <1 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2020 | 161,973 | <1 | 7 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 25 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2021 | 316,556 | <1 | 13 | 34 | 34 | 27 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2022 | 441,381 | 1 | 16 | 41 | 39 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2023 | 404,172 | <1 | 15 | 39 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2024 | 336,786 | <1 | 12 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2025 | 352,129 | <1 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
The Graduate visa and Skilled Worker grids start at the 2019 arrivals. The Graduate visa opened in July 2021, and no earlier arrival year has more than 6% on either visa at any point. The bar chart above shows those earlier years for up to five years after arriving.
| Arrived | Students | Years after arriving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 2019 | 203,609 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2020 | 161,973 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 16 | 7 | 3 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2021 | 316,556 | <1 | 8 | 23 | 16 | 6 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2022 | 441,381 | <1 | 9 | 29 | 21 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2023 | 404,172 | <1 | 12 | 34 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2024 | 336,786 | <1 | 12 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2025 | 352,129 | <1 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| Arrived | Students | Years after arriving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 2019 | 203,609 | <1 | <1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2020 | 161,973 | <1 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 20 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2021 | 316,556 | <1 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 21 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2022 | 441,381 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 17 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2023 | 404,172 | <1 | 2 | 5 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2024 | 336,786 | <1 | 1 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
| 2025 | 352,129 | <1 | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet | not yet |
Countries with at least 1,000 students in the last three complete arrival years. The count is everyone who arrived in 2022. The shares are for the 2022 arrivals after three years and the 2020 arrivals after five. A share shows as n/a when fewer than 300 students arrived that year.
| Country | Arrived in 2022 | Visa after 3 years | Visa after 5 years (2020) | Skilled Worker after 5 years | Family visa after 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 135,066 | 69% | 56% | 44% | 1.2% |
| China | 90,209 | 27% | 14% | 3.1% | 0.5% |
| Nigeria | 56,167 | 88% | 75% | 45% | 6.8% |
| Pakistan | 26,396 | 75% | 63% | 35% | 5.9% |
| Bangladesh | 14,849 | 66% | 62% | 33% | 7.3% |
| United States | 13,267 | 36% | 26% | 7.4% | 3.9% |
| Malaysia | 5,736 | 45% | 37% | 18% | 0.8% |
| Sri Lanka | 5,519 | 85% | 74% | 43% | 4% |
| Hong Kong* | 4,718 | 70% | 63% | 1.7% | 0.3% |
| Nepal | 4,507 | 79% | 72% | 51% | 4.1% |
| Ghana | 4,046 | 76% | 62% | 30% | 7.8% |
| Germany | 3,894 | 23% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| France | 3,881 | 26% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Saudi Arabia | 3,736 | 58% | 17% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Thailand | 3,688 | 30% | 20% | 4.4% | 2% |
| Canada | 3,567 | 36% | 35% | 12% | 1.7% |
| Spain | 2,994 | 27% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Taiwan | 2,754 | 42% | 31% | 13% | 2.9% |
| Turkey | 2,588 | 67% | 46% | 15% | 2% |
| Iran | 2,518 | 82% | 74% | 20% | 3.5% |
| Indonesia | 2,509 | 40% | 28% | 8.6% | 1.5% |
| South Korea | 2,469 | 55% | 38% | 6.9% | 1.4% |
| Italy | 2,362 | 45% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Kuwait | 2,301 | 68% | 32% | 0.2% | 0% |
| Japan | 2,278 | 28% | 26% | 5.3% | 0.7% |
| Viet Nam | 2,028 | 56% | 49% | 15% | 6.7% |
| Singapore | 1,817 | 53% | 39% | 16% | 1% |
| Egypt | 1,531 | 66% | 45% | 14% | 1.8% |
| Kenya | 1,464 | 70% | 50% | 21% | 3.8% |
| Russia | 1,293 | 69% | 51% | 11% | 2.8% |
| Norway | 1,143 | 28% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Mexico | 999 | 44% | 39% | 17% | 5.8% |
| Myanmar | 992 | 79% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Morocco | 965 | 68% | 43% | 13% | 3.9% |
| Greece | 894 | 47% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Switzerland | 872 | 35% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Australia | 862 | 52% | 43% | 14% | 1.3% |
| Uzbekistan | 800 | 55% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Jordan | 771 | 53% | 37% | 11% | 1.7% |
| Brazil | 746 | 49% | 35% | 13% | 4.1% |
| South Africa | 668 | 63% | 55% | 21% | 4.9% |
| Netherlands | 610 | 42% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Lebanon | 609 | 64% | 50% | 26% | 2.7% |
| Portugal | 608 | 54% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Ukraine* | 607 | 81% | 66% | 5.7% | 0.7% |
| Kazakhstan | 601 | 48% | 22% | 4.8% | 1.1% |
| Qatar | 589 | 55% | 5.6% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Algeria | 578 | 68% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Colombia | 547 | 55% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Oman | 527 | 55% | 11% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Albania | 507 | 73% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Zimbabwe | 502 | 79% | 67% | 37% | 1.4% |
| Sweden | 480 | 41% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Cameroon | 449 | 77% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Chile | 424 | 44% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Peru | 422 | 65% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| United Arab Emirates | 418 | 47% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Iraq | 401 | 63% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
58 countries. Scroll the table to see them all and the five-year figures.
* Includes the BN(O), Ukraine and resettlement visas.
In 2025, 17,579 people who began as students were granted indefinite leave to remain, 11% of all grants. Of those, 52% had a work visa just before and 29% a family visa. The typical wait from arrival is about 10 years. This counts every applicant, because applicant type isn't recorded on most settlement grants before 2020.
| Granted in | Former students | All grants | Share | After a work visa | After a family visa | After study | After another visa | Typical wait (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 28,074 | 191,226 | 15% | 18,622 | 6,415 | 2,545 | 492 | 7 |
| 2011 | 25,951 | 158,925 | 16% | 16,322 | 5,596 | 3,267 | 766 | 8 |
| 2012 | 22,104 | 131,003 | 17% | 13,553 | 6,292 | 1,552 | 707 | 8 |
| 2013 | 29,967 | 155,746 | 19% | 15,737 | 10,035 | 2,772 | 1,423 | 8 |
| 2014 | 23,419 | 105,922 | 22% | 12,902 | 6,352 | 2,221 | 1,944 | 9 |
| 2015 | 24,918 | 94,267 | 26% | 15,577 | 4,201 | 2,322 | 2,818 | 10 |
| 2016 | 16,886 | 63,300 | 27% | 10,467 | 1,859 | 1,567 | 2,993 | 10 |
| 2017 | 17,422 | 66,388 | 26% | 8,762 | 2,244 | 1,341 | 5,075 | 10 |
| 2018 | 25,029 | 92,429 | 27% | 11,633 | 5,601 | 1,292 | 6,503 | 10 |
| 2019 | 25,280 | 94,441 | 27% | 13,916 | 6,664 | 1,867 | 2,833 | 10 |
| 2020 | 14,747 | 87,744 | 17% | 6,711 | 4,316 | 906 | 2,814 | 10 |
| 2021 | 19,180 | 107,721 | 18% | 7,954 | 7,202 | 1,279 | 2,745 | 11 |
| 2022 | 16,139 | 134,459 | 12% | 6,731 | 5,236 | 757 | 3,415 | 10 |
| 2023 | 15,944 | 124,596 | 13% | 7,719 | 4,700 | 636 | 2,889 | 10 |
| 2024 | 18,076 | 168,006 | 11% | 9,168 | 5,582 | 632 | 2,694 | 10 |
| 2025 | 17,579 | 153,204 | 11% | 9,177 | 5,065 | 536 | 2,801 | 10 |
Read the figures above with these limits in mind.
The Home Office counts permission to stay, not people who are here. Someone can hold a valid visa and have left.
The Office for National Statistics combines visa and travel records instead. It puts students and their dependants who arrived in the year to June 2020 at 31% still in the UK after five years. The Home Office figure for the 2020 arrivals, dependants included, is 41% holding a visa. They measure different things and are not a like-for-like comparison.
Students who arrived in 2020 could use the Graduate visa and the Skilled Worker rules as they stood then. Changes after that:
None of that is in these numbers yet.
The Graduate visa is temporary, so the share on it falls as it expires. For students who arrived in 2021, 34% held a work visa after three years and 27% after four.
The Home Office revises these figures from live records. The latest file reads about one to two points higher than older reports for the same group, so ours can differ from older editions.
We count the students themselves: main applicants whose first visa was a sponsored study visa. The Home Office headline figures also count dependants, so they read higher: 41% for the 2020 arrivals against our 38% and 64% for the 2022 arrivals against our 58%.
"After N years" means the end of the Nth calendar year after the year of arrival. A student who arrived in September 2020 is measured on 31 December 2025.
"Holding a visa" means valid leave or indefinite leave, including citizenship, on 31 December. It includes students who are still studying. "No valid visa" is the Home Office's "expired": it means no valid permission is recorded. It doesn't say where the person is.
Indefinite leave grants count every applicant who began on a study visa, because the Home Office doesn't record applicant type on most settlement grants before 2020.
Source: Home Office, Migrant journey 2025 report, published 21 May 2026, data extracted 6 April 2026. The figures are provisional and not accredited official statistics. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Report: Migrant journey: 2025 report on GOV.UK.
Of the 161,973 students who arrived in 2020, 38% still held a UK visa five years later. For those who arrived in 2015, it was 17%. This counts visas, not people: a valid visa doesn't prove someone is still in the UK.
The Skilled Worker visa. Of the students who arrived in 2020, 20% were on a Skilled Worker visa five years later, against 2.9% for 2015 arrivals. After three years, 21% of the students who arrived in 2022 held a Graduate visa, which is temporary.
Rarely within five years: 0.1% of the 2020 arrivals held it. Settlement usually comes later. In 2025, 17,579 people who began as students were granted it, about 10 years after they arrived, and 52% of them held a work visa just before.
Some do: 1.6% of the 2020 arrivals held a partner visa five years later, against 20% on a Skilled Worker visa. A partner visa covers married, civil and unmarried partners and fiancés, so it isn't a count of marriages.
The rules are tighter, so these numbers may not repeat. Most students on taught courses can no longer bring dependants (January 2024). The Skilled Worker rules tighten, and more than 100 occupations stop being eligible (22 July 2025). The Graduate visa shortens from 2 years to 18 months for new applications, and stays 3 years after a PhD (1 January 2027). None of that is in the figures yet.
No. It publishes these figures by nationality, not by university, course, employer or job. For enrolment by university, see our international student statistics.