Here the PA news agency looks at the most common nationalities of migrants arriving in the UK both legally and illegally, those applying for asylum, and those currently in prison. Of this figure, the most common nationality was Indian, accounting for almost one in five (165,970 visas issued or 19.9% of the total). The most common nationalities of migrants arriving in the UK illegally are among the least common nationalities of those granted visas to come to the country legally. Pakistani was the most common nationality among applicants, accounting for 11,234 people, or 10.1% of the total. Afghan was the second most common nationality (8,281 or 7.5%), followed by Iranian (7,746 or 7.0%), Eritrean (7,433 or 6.7%) and Bangladeshi (6,649 or 6.0%).

Source: The Times November 17, 2025 12:05 UTC