To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits carrying an entitlement to settlement in the UK were issued to non-EU citizens in each year since 1992.

The following table shows how many work permits carrying a potential entitlement to settlement in the UK have been issued to non-EU citizens in each year since 2000. Work permit holders may only apply for settlement if they hold a work permit that leads to settlement and they remain in continuous employment in the UK for a minimum period of five years. The figures do not reflect the number of people granted settlement on the basis of work permit employment.

The current work permit arrangements were introduced in 2000. We cannot provide figures prior to this date without incurring disproportionate costs. The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.