Some recent UK visa stats

[Thai Visa Express]

This is from the latest Immigration Statistics ( up to June 2013 ). I think the figures tell their own story :

The number of entry clearance visas issued to those on the ‘family route’ fell by 24% in the year ending June 2013 to 34,201 compared with 12 months earlier (45,281). The fall in visas has been seen across all of the top 20 nationalities for family visas, with the United States seeing the largest fall (-1,242 or -46%), followed by Nepal (-1,030 or -37%) and Pakistan (-966 or -14%).

The 24% fall in family-related visas issued consisted of a 27% fall for partners (to 25,528), a 15% fall for children (to 3,773) and a 13% fall for other dependants (to 4,900).

A visa application is counted as resolved if it has been issued, refused or withdrawn or the application has lapsed. The proportion of all family-related visas resolved that were refused had been between 17 and 22% between the year ending December 2005 and the year ending September 2012. Since then, the proportion refused has increased to 38% in the year ending June 2013. This increase coincides with changes to the family Immigration Rules, which apply to applications made on or after 9 July 2012. However, it is not possible to separately identify whether decisions made on or after 9 July 2012 relate to applications made under the previous or new rules.

Tony M