What we can't tell you · Not published
How many people stay in the UK after their visa expires?
Not published The data is recorded, or could be produced from records, but no authority publishes it.
Why
The Home Office published five reports on exit-checks statistics, the last covering the year ending March 2020 (published 27 August 2020): of 1.9 million expiring visas, 95.2% departed in time, 0.4% late and 4.4% had no departure identified, with the caveat that no recorded departure does not mean non-compliance. The February 2022 note "Developments in exit checks" states no report was produced for the year ending March 2021 and that the series is under review; none has followed. The Home Office states it has produced no official estimate of the irregular or overstayer population.
What is known
- Fifth report on statistics relating to exit checks, 2019 to 2020 (final edition)
- Visas granted by category total_entry_clearance_visas
What is not known
- Any departure-compliance figure for years after March 2020
- Any official estimate of the overstayer population
Who holds the data
- Home Office (Initial Status Analysis, border crossing data)
Would a Freedom of Information request help?
Possibly. The underlying departure matching still runs, so the figure is a held record; a refusal on intended future publication or cost is likely.
Privacy and disclosure restrictions
Matching of arrivals to departures is incomplete; the reports describe results as minimum compliance levels.
Official sources checked
- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fifth-report-on-statistics-relating-to-exit-checks/fifth-report-on-statistics-relating-to-exit-checks-2019-to-2020
- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developments-in-exit-checks/developments-in-exit-checks
Last reviewed 2026-09-02. Availability changes; if a publication now answers this question, challenge the classification below.