Glossary

The eight East European countries that joined the European Union in May 2004 (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia).

A quarterly survey of British households. See our data sources and limitations page for a detailed description.

Individuals who come to the UK to apply for protection as refugees and who are still waiting for a decision on their claim.

Series of surveys on political attitudes in Britain. See our data sources and limitations page for a detailed description.

Series of surveys on political and social attitudes. See our data sources and limitations page for a detailed description.

Government-run survey of a random sample of the British population. See our data sources and limitations page for a detailed description.

A legal relationship status for which same sex couples may register, and which accords many of the same legal rights as marriage.

A group of individuals having a factor in common. In the context of asylum data, all people applying for asylum in the same. In the context of public opinion data, all those born in the same year.

Voluntary association with historical origins in the British Empire, made up of 54 countries.

Factors or variables that are statistically associated with one another.

UK government department responsible for policy in the following areas, mainly in England: building regulations, community cohesion, decentralisation, fire and resilience, housing, local government, Ordnance Survey, planning, race equality, the Thames Gateway and urban regeneration.

In the migration context, a family member of a migrant permitted to come to Britain or settle in Britain along with that migrant. Most commonly a spouse or a child under the age of 18. Alternate spelling: dependent.

The UK government department responsible for managing Britain’s aid to poor countries (by its own self-description).

A possible outcome of an asylum case that grants the applicant the right to remain in the UK temporarily and leads to a further review at the end of the period of leave.

The percentage of people aged 16 and over who are economically active.

People over 16 in employment or unemployed.

People who are neither in employment nor unemployed. This group includes, for example, those who are looking after the family and/or home or retired.

European Union (EU) countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The percentage of total in employment against all people in the relevant age group.

Economic and political union of 27 member states. The member states are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

In the UK context, anyone who was born outside the UK.

In the UK context, anyone who does not have British citizenship.

Schooling at a level beyond compulsory secondary education but below degree-level.

The primary geographic classification within England for the presentation of regional statistics.

Includes England, Wales and Scotland.

Subsistence and accommodations provided to asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected but who are both destitute and unable to immediately leave the UK. Also known as Section 4 support.

Degree-level education, including undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

The UK government department responsible for collecting taxes and administering some social benefits.

The lead government department for immigration and passports, drugs policy, counter-terrorism, police, and science and research.

A possible outcome of an asylum case that grants the applicant the right to remain in the UK temporarily and leads to a further review at the end of the period of leave.

People who work for multi-national companies and are being transferred by their employer from an overseas location to a UK branch of the company. Those from non-EEA countries require a visa to enter the UK and are counted in Home Office Control of Immigration statistics.

Permission to stay in the UK permanently without being subject to immigration control. Also known as settlement.

In UK usage, someone attending an educational institution in the UK whose nationality is either not British, or in some usages, not from any EEA country nor from Switzerland. Also known as foreign students.

A survey of passengers entering and leaving the UK. See our data sources and limitations page for a detailed description.

A commercial polling firm that conducts surveys of public attitudes toward migration and other issues.

Literally “right of blood.” Describes nations that accord citizenship rights mainly through inheritance from parents, rather than through place of birth.

Literally “right of the soil.” Describes nations that accord citizenship rights mainly to those born in the nation, rather than through parents’ citizenship.

Permission for a foreign national to remain in the UK.

Quarterly survey of households in Britain. See our data sources and limitations page for a detailed description.

A multiple-choice exam that migrants wishing to settle or naturalise in the UK can take to demonstrate the required level knowledge of life in the UK.

Long Term International Migration: the official government statistics on migration to and from the UK, produced by ONS by adjustments to the International Passenger Survey.

In cases in which a couple or family is seeking asylum or permission to enter as a migrant, the person who files the application and who must meet the required qualification (e.g. points in the Points-Based System).

An independent expert body that advises the government on labour migration issues.

The publicly funded health care system of the United Kingdom.

The act of acquiring a new citizenship or nationality.

The difference between the taxes and other contributions of migrants and the cost of the government services used and public benefits received by migrants.

Unique identifying numbers given to all people born in the UK and to non-UK nationals over 16 who are planning to work and/or claim benefits in the UK.

An Executive Agency within the Department of Finance and Personnel. It provides statistical and research information regarding Northern Ireland.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: an international organisation of 33 countries, mostly in North America and Europe. It defines itself as a forum of countries committed to democracy and the market economy.

The executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to Parliament. It produces official statistics on immigration, emigration, and net migration.

International migrants who remain resident in a country after their legal permission to stay (“leave to remain”) has expired.

The UK’s system for managing immigration from outside the EEA, introduced in 2008.

Under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees from 1951, a refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country".

A process by which minor children can become British citizens without applying for it on their own; includes but not limited to children born in the UK to non-British parents.

Government-authorized and enforced departures of foreign nationals without legal permission to remain in the UK.

The right to live permanently in the UK without any restrictions on rights to enter, exit, and work.

The status granted to foreign nationals conferring the to remain indefinitely in the UK. Also known as indefinite leave to remain.

By international standards, a person who changes his or her country of usual residence for at least three months but less than twelve months. Some ONS data use a second definition based a stay of one to twelve months.

People with entry visas allowing them to stay in the UK for up to 6 months as students in formal education. They do not have the right to work while in the UK. Student visitor visas are required only for nationals of visa countries.

Workers aged 16 to 64 (men) and 16 to 59 (women) who are “at work” both part time and full time as employees, self-employed, under government scheme or working for a family.

Government agency responsible for managing border control for the UK, and enforcing immigration and customs regulations. It also considers applications for permission to enter or stay in the UK, and for citizenship and asylum.

United Nations Development Programme. The UN's global development network, an organization that attempts to help developing countries "attract and use aid effectively" (from UNDP website).

The number of unemployed people in the UK is measured through the Labour Force Survey following the internationally agreed definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Unemployed people meet the following conditions: they are without a job, want a job, have actively sought work in the last four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks or out of work, or they have found a job and are waiting to start it in the next two weeks.

The number of unemployed people expressed as a percentage of the economically active population.

The office of the UNHCR is responsible for leading international action to protect refugees’ rights and resolve refugee crises.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Exits from the UK of people that the government is seeking to remove.

Prior to the Points-Based system, a primary form of permission to work in the UK as a foreign national.

A government programme to monitor the employment of citizens of A8 countries after EU enlargement in May 2004.

All individuals aged 16 to 64 (men) and 16 to 59 (women).

An international institution that offers financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world.

A commercial polling firm that conducts surveys of public attitudes toward migration and other issues.