Government cannot say how many migrants are in the UK, Lords Committee finds
Key Points
- Lords committee says Government cannot say how many migrants are in the UK
- No departure records for migrants arriving or due to leave between 2021 and 2026
- Home Office has not published exit check data since 2020
- Overstayer enforcement driven by "risk and opportunity", not data
- Committee urges exit checks to resume before 2026 summer recess
- Net migration was 171,000 in year ending December 2025
The Government does not know how many migrants are in the United Kingdom, a House of Lords committee has found, describing the gap in the data as the most disturbing revelation of its inquiry.
In a report published on Tuesday (23 June), the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee said that for large numbers of people who entered the country on visas, there was no data to confirm whether they had left when required to.
The committee said there was an absence of departure records for migrants who arrived in, or were due to leave, the UK between 2021 and 2026, and described the failure as ongoing.
“This is simply not good enough and this data failure should be addressed as a matter of urgency,” the committee said.
A problem with the data
At the centre of the problem is the suspension of exit check statistics. The committee noted that the Home Office has not published exit check data since 2020, leaving it unable to reliably determine the whereabouts of those who overstay their visas.
As a result, the report said, enforcement activity is largely driven by risk and opportunity rather than by data.
The committee said the Home Office’s migration statistics focus primarily on entry into the country, whether by visa or irregular arrival, while the evidence base on what happens to migrants once they are in the UK – including their employment status and use of public services – is significantly weaker.
These gaps, it said, make it very challenging to develop and analyse policy, and prevent scrutiny bodies from assessing the likely impact of Government proposals.
The committee called on the Home Office to resume publishing exit check statistics as a matter of urgency, and certainly before the 2026 summer recess, with annual updates thereafter. If that did not happen, it said, the government should provide a statement to Parliament explaining why.
The findings come against a backdrop of falling overall migration.
The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show net migration of 171,000 in the year ending December 2025, down from 331,000 the previous year and a peak of 944,000 in the year ending March 2023.
The committee also argued that, in the absence of good data, misinformation on migration and settlement flourishes, hampering both public understanding and the ability of ministers to make informed decisions.
