Home Office · Immigration system statistics: entry clearance visa outcomes datasets (refusals)
Entry clearance visas refused
155,468visas
Entry clearance visas refused were 155,468 visas in 2026 Q2, down 10.6% (18,429) from 173,897 in 2025 Q2.
▼ 10.6% · −18,429 against 2025 Q2 (same quarter previous year)
- Home Office count
- 2026 Q2
- published 27 August 2026
- Vis_D02
- row “Case outcome=Refused”
- column “Decisions”
- cell value sum of 1229 rows
The series is falling. Rule: down 10.6% from 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q2.
2005 Q1 to 2026 Q2
The chart as a table
| Period | Entry clearance visas refused |
|---|---|
| 2005 Q1 | 108,812 visas |
| 2005 Q2 | 122,175 visas |
| 2005 Q3 | 132,089 visas |
| 2005 Q4 | 95,973 visas |
| 2006 Q1 | 96,853 visas |
| 2006 Q2 | 123,046 visas |
| 2006 Q3 | 147,316 visas |
| 2006 Q4 | 111,567 visas |
| 2007 Q1 | 109,976 visas |
| 2007 Q2 | 125,617 visas |
| 2007 Q3 | 139,269 visas |
| 2007 Q4 | 94,613 visas |
| 2008 Q1 | 92,365 visas |
| 2008 Q2 | 110,118 visas |
| 2008 Q3 | 132,438 visas |
| 2008 Q4 | 93,682 visas |
| 2009 Q1 | 100,490 visas |
| 2009 Q2 | 105,531 visas |
| 2009 Q3 | 120,849 visas |
| 2009 Q4 | 101,404 visas |
| 2010 Q1 | 89,925 visas |
| 2010 Q2 | 101,632 visas |
| 2010 Q3 | 107,595 visas |
| 2010 Q4 | 80,304 visas |
| 2011 Q1 | 75,410 visas |
| 2011 Q2 | 84,455 visas |
| 2011 Q3 | 95,772 visas |
| 2011 Q4 | 65,134 visas |
| 2012 Q1 | 65,162 visas |
| 2012 Q2 | 81,742 visas |
| 2012 Q3 | 96,166 visas |
| 2012 Q4 | 82,589 visas |
| 2013 Q1 | 68,304 visas |
| 2013 Q2 | 88,236 visas |
| 2013 Q3 | 103,069 visas |
| 2013 Q4 | 72,140 visas |
| 2014 Q1 | 56,847 visas |
| 2014 Q2 | 78,269 visas |
| 2014 Q3 | 96,636 visas |
| 2014 Q4 | 76,731 visas |
| 2015 Q1 | 75,135 visas |
| 2015 Q2 | 99,238 visas |
| 2015 Q3 | 112,239 visas |
| 2015 Q4 | 85,625 visas |
| 2016 Q1 | 79,310 visas |
| 2016 Q2 | 114,335 visas |
| 2016 Q3 | 116,090 visas |
| 2016 Q4 | 87,832 visas |
| 2017 Q1 | 76,332 visas |
| 2017 Q2 | 88,817 visas |
| 2017 Q3 | 87,476 visas |
| 2017 Q4 | 81,408 visas |
| 2018 Q1 | 77,898 visas |
| 2018 Q2 | 98,834 visas |
| 2018 Q3 | 107,411 visas |
| 2018 Q4 | 89,145 visas |
| 2019 Q1 | 83,153 visas |
| 2019 Q2 | 105,223 visas |
| 2019 Q3 | 129,481 visas |
| 2019 Q4 | 113,825 visas |
| 2020 Q1 | 87,477 visas |
| 2020 Q2 | 3,461 visas |
| 2020 Q3 | 32,782 visas |
| 2020 Q4 | 58,734 visas |
| 2021 Q1 | 67,403 visas |
| 2021 Q2 | 52,097 visas |
| 2021 Q3 | 47,875 visas |
| 2021 Q4 | 66,072 visas |
| 2022 Q1 | 91,184 visas |
| 2022 Q2 | 82,953 visas |
| 2022 Q3 | 115,001 visas |
| 2022 Q4 | 178,267 visas |
| 2023 Q1 | 155,305 visas |
| 2023 Q2 | 161,775 visas |
| 2023 Q3 | 173,970 visas |
| 2023 Q4 | 161,466 visas |
| 2024 Q1 | 146,408 visas |
| 2024 Q2 | 155,596 visas |
| 2024 Q3 | 177,531 visas |
| 2024 Q4 | 155,737 visas |
| 2025 Q1 | 142,929 visas |
| 2025 Q2 | 173,897 visas |
| 2025 Q3 | 185,509 visas |
| 2025 Q4 | 161,640 visas |
| 2026 Q1 | 134,795 visas |
| 2026 Q2 | 155,468 visas |
Breakdowns
What this measures
The number of entry clearance (out-of-country) visa applications refused in each quarter, across all visa routes, counting main applicants and their dependants.
What this doesn’t measure
Applications withdrawn or lapsed, in-country refusals of extensions or switches, refusals later overturned at appeal or administrative review, or the refusal rate (refusals as a share of decisions).
Important caveat
Visas issued by nationality are summed from the Home Office detailed outcomes dataset (case outcome "Issued"), counting main applicants and dependants, and reconcile to the summary visa grant totals. An outcome in a quarter may relate to an application made in an earlier quarter. Visa route definitions change over time, so long-run comparisons within a route are not always like for like. Data for 2026 Q1 onwards is provisional and will be revised.
Revision history
No period of this series has been revised since it was first ingested here. Revisions are recorded automatically when a later release publishes a different figure for the same period.
Source
- Publisher
- Home Office
- Publication
- Immigration system statistics: entry clearance visa outcomes datasets (refusals)
- Release
- Year ending June 2026, published 27 August 2026
- Source file
- visd02.xlsx
- File SHA-256
- 5151f0bdce2f057a4a89e712f2234dceedddb9857f5d97820d48c693477fcdef
- Retrieved
- 4 September 2026
- Sheet
- Data_Vis_D02
- Table
- Vis_D02
- Row
- Case outcome=Refused
- Column
- Decisions
- Cell value
- sum of 1229 rows
- Geography
- United Kingdom
- Unit
- visas
- API
- /api/metrics/visa_refusals · /series · /vintages
Government periods
Change during each government, from the level inherited to the last complete period before it left office. Describes the period; does not attribute cause.
| Labour 2024– | 155,5962024 Q2 | 155,4682026 Q2 | ↓ 0.1% |
| Conservative 2019–2024 | 129,4812019 Q3 | 155,5962024 Q2 | ↑ 20.2% |
| Conservative 2017–2019 | 76,3322017 Q1 | 129,4812019 Q3 | ↑ 69.6% |
| Conservative 2015–2017 | 75,1352015 Q1 | 76,3322017 Q1 | ↑ 1.6% |
| Coalition 2010–2015 | 89,9252010 Q1 | 75,1352015 Q1 | ↓ 16.4% |
| Labour 2005–2010 | 108,8122005 Q1 | 89,9252010 Q1 | ↓ 17.4% |
- Release
- Year ending June 2026 · publication page
- Last updated
- 27 August 2026
- Next scheduled release
- 26 November 2026 (official date)