# Methodology & Definitions: How Deported.co.uk Counts UK Immigration Data

> **Headline basis:** returns = enforced returns + voluntary returns, the Home Office definition. 2025: **39,371 returns** (9,912 enforced, 29,459 voluntary). The 18,308 port refusals are a separate series, never added to the headline.

Full prose version: [https://www.deported.co.uk/methodology/](https://www.deported.co.uk/methodology/)

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## Definitions

| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Returns (headline) | Enforced returns + voluntary returns. 2025: 9,912 + 29,459 = 39,371. |
| Enforced returns vs enforced removals | Enforced returns: any departure the Home Office enforces, including departures from detention. Enforced removals (escorted removal by Immigration Enforcement) are a subset. |
| Voluntary returns | Assisted (Voluntary Returns Service), controlled (notified departure confirmed at the border) and other verified (found later by exit-record matching). Other-verified means recent quarters revise upward; treat them as minimums. |
| Port refusals | Refused entry at port and subsequently departed. Separate series; adding it to the headline (57,679 for 2025) mixes two processes. |
| FNO returns | Returns of foreign national offenders across all return types; a subset of total returns (5,683 inside the 39,371 headline in 2025), not an additional series. |
| Small boats daily data | Provisional operational counts published the next day; consolidated and finalised in the quarterly Immigration System Statistics. |
| Asylum backlog bases | Cases (applications) vs people (applicants + dependants) differ by roughly a third; awaiting initial decision (Home Office) is a different population from appeals outstanding (tribunal). Every figure on the site names its basis. |
| Tribunal open caseload vs asylum appeals pending | Open caseload counts all live First-tier Tribunal (IAC) appeal types; asylum appeals pending is the asylum-and-protection subset. |
| Net migration | ONS long-term international migration estimates (12+ month change of residence), published twice a year; recent periods provisional and materially revised. |

## Data pipeline

Quarterly detailed datasets are parsed into the JSON files that drive the site, and every figure is reconciled against the Home Office's own published summary tables before publication. Each file records its source publication and a generated_at timestamp.

## Revisions policy

Recent quarters are provisional [p] and revised at each release; the site always shows the latest published vintage. Voluntary returns revise upward; daily small boat counts are finalised quarterly; ONS net migration is revised for up to two years.

## Update cadence

| Release | Publisher | Frequency | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration System Statistics | Home Office | Quarterly (Feb, May, Aug, Nov) | Returns, FNO, asylum, detention, hotels, OIC, finalised small boats |
| Daily small boat arrivals | Home Office | Daily | Small boats tracker (provisional) |
| Small boats time series ODS | Home Office | Weekly (Fri) | Weekly series + French preventions |
| Immigration Enforcement transparency data | Home Office | Quarterly | Illegal working, penalties, sponsor action, FNO community cohort |
| Tribunal Statistics Quarterly | MoJ/HMCTS | Quarterly (Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec) | Appeals, open caseload, clearance times |
| Offender Management Statistics | MoJ | Quarterly | FN prison population |
| Long-term international migration | ONS | Twice a year (May, Nov) | Net migration |
| Stat-Xplore | DWP | Quarterly | UC claimants by nationality |

Dates with countdowns: [https://www.deported.co.uk/releases/](https://www.deported.co.uk/releases/)

## Citation and licence

Cite a page as "Deported.co.uk, [page title], [URL], accessed [date]"; cite the government publication named next to each figure alongside it. URLs and fact anchors are stable. All underlying data: Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0. Site compilations: free to reuse with attribution to deported.co.uk.

## Related Pages

- [Get the Data](https://www.deported.co.uk/datasets/) | [datasets.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/datasets.md)
- [Quick Facts](https://www.deported.co.uk/quick-facts/) | [quick-facts.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/quick-facts.md)
- [Release Calendar](https://www.deported.co.uk/releases/) | [releases.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/releases.md)

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## All Pages

- [Quick Facts](https://www.deported.co.uk/quick-facts/) | [quick-facts.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/quick-facts.md)
- [Returns & Deportation](https://www.deported.co.uk/returns/) | [returns.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/returns.md)
- [Foreign National Offenders](https://www.deported.co.uk/foreign-national-offenders/) | [foreign-national-offenders.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/foreign-national-offenders.md)
- [Why People Are Not Deported](https://www.deported.co.uk/not-deported/) | [not-deported.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/not-deported.md)
- [Appeals Backlog](https://www.deported.co.uk/appeals/) | [appeals.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/appeals.md)
- [Cost of Deportation](https://www.deported.co.uk/costs/) | [costs.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/costs.md)
- [Asylum Statistics](https://www.deported.co.uk/asylum/) | [asylum.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/asylum.md)
- [Small Boat Crossings Tracker](https://www.deported.co.uk/small-boats/) | [small-boats.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/small-boats.md)
- [Foreign Nationals and Benefits](https://www.deported.co.uk/benefits/) | [benefits.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/benefits.md)
- [Asylum Accommodation Costs](https://www.deported.co.uk/accommodation/) | [accommodation.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/accommodation.md)
- [Asylum Accommodation by Council](https://www.deported.co.uk/councils/) | [councils.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/councils.md)
- [Immigration Enforcement](https://www.deported.co.uk/enforcement/) | [enforcement.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/enforcement.md)
- [Labour Market](https://www.deported.co.uk/labour-market/) | [labour-market.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/labour-market.md)
- [Returns by Nationality](https://www.deported.co.uk/nationality/) | [nationality.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/nationality.md)
- [Sponsor Register](https://www.deported.co.uk/sponsored-workers/) | [sponsored-workers.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/sponsored-workers.md)
- [Pledge Tracker](https://www.deported.co.uk/pledges/) | [pledges.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/pledges.md)
- [Policy Timeline](https://www.deported.co.uk/policy-timeline/) | [policy-timeline.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/policy-timeline.md)
- [Party Policies](https://www.deported.co.uk/party-policies/) | [party-policies.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/party-policies.md)
- [Release Calendar](https://www.deported.co.uk/releases/) | [releases.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/releases.md)
- [Weekly News Digest](https://www.deported.co.uk/news/) | [news.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/news.md)
- [2025 Annual Review](https://www.deported.co.uk/2025/) | [2025.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/2025.md)
- [2024 Annual Review](https://www.deported.co.uk/2024/) | [2024.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/2024.md)

- [llms.txt](https://www.deported.co.uk/llms.txt) | [sitemap.xml](https://www.deported.co.uk/sitemap.xml)

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