Spending and staffing: UK immigration and asylum system

1. Gross expenditure on the UK’s immigration and asylum system is now costing around £1 billion more than in 2015/16. Total spending on operations for the five departments carrying out these Home Office functions was £3.4 billion in 2020/21 (£1 billion more than just under £2.4 billion gross expenditure in 2015/16). While spending on the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) department (which includes asylum) more than doubled (from £900 million to £1.9 billion), and spending on Border Force (BF) increased by £115 million, spending on immigration enforcement fell by £43 million. There was a drop of £42 million from 2018/19 even as illegal entries (for example by small boat) increased substantially.

Figure 1: Gross expenditure, immigration / asylum operations (Home Office).^[1]Gross Expenditure (£000)Gross expenditure, immigration / asylum operationsHome OfficeUK immigration and asylum system: Total annual operating costsOf which: Immigration EnforcementOf which: Border ForceOf which: UKVI (including asylum)Of which: HM passport officeOf which: Policy and international functions2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/2101,000,0002,000,0003,000,0004,000,0002016/17●

 UK immigration and asylum system: Total annual operating costs: 2,321,341● Of which: Immigration Enforcement: 448,029● Of which: Border Force: 502,692● Of which: UKVI (including asylum): 1,047,345● Of which: HM passport office: 261,653● Of which: Policy and international functions: 61,622

2. Even as the total number of staff employed in these functions rose by 4,600 (with a 3,400 increase at UKVI and 1,400 more for BF), there was a fall of 316 in enforcement staff over the period (and a drop of 216 since 2018/19). Spending primarily on temporary agency staff for UKVI, Enforcement and the Passport Office rose by £10 million since 2016/17.

Figure 2: Average number of full-time equivalent staff employed each year (Home Office).^[2]Average number of full-time equivalent staff employed each yearHome OfficeTotal full-time staff (immigration & asylum functions)Of which: Immigration EnforcementOf which: Border ForceOf which: UKVI (including asylum)Of which: HM passport officeOf which: Policy and international functions2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21010,00020,00030,0002016/17●

 Total full-time staff (immigration & asylum functions): 23,380● Of which: Immigration Enforcement: 4,969● Of which: Border Force: 7,670● Of which: UKVI (including asylum): 6,467● Of which: HM passport office: 3,807● Of which: Policy and international functions: 467

Footnotes

1. See Home Office annual reports for 2015/16 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste… t_data/file/539638/HO_AR_16_gov.pdf; 2016/17 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste… l_report_and_accounts_2016_2017.pdf; 2017/18 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste… 179/6_4360_HO_Annual_report_WEB.PDF; 2018/19 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste… 571_HO_Annual_Report_201920_WEB.PDF; 2019/20 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste… port_and_Accounts_2019-20_FINAL.pdf; 2020/21 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste… FINAL_AS_CERTIFIED__accessible_.pdf
2. Ibid.