Prisoners' Release: Foreign Nationals
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders in the UK are currently living in the community while liable for deportation after completing prison sentences.
Answered by Alex Norris
Latest published information shows that at the end of Q4 2025 there were 19,470 foreign national offenders (FNOs) living in the community having completed their custodial sentences and subject to deportation or administrative removal. The published information can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK.
Any FNO convicted of a crime who receives a custodial sentence in the UK is referred to the Home Office for deportation consideration following sentencing. We are focussing resource on those cases currently serving custodial sentences to maximise removals directly from prison.
Where removal is not immediately possible, electronic monitoring can be used to manage FNOs.
We will pursue deportation action against individuals living in the community rigorously, actively monitoring and managing cases through the legal process and negotiating barriers to removal.
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