The United Kingdom has seen a notable decline in visa applications following the implementation of stricter immigration policies in December 2023, aimed at limiting international students from bringing their dependents.
Recent data from the Home Office indicates that visa applications decreased from 141,000 to 91,000, a significant drop of over 30 percent.
Under the new policy, international students can only bring dependents if they are enrolled in postgraduate research programs or government-funded scholarships.
These changes are part of the government’s broader strategy to reduce immigration, which hit a record 1.22 million last year.
As a result of these restrictions, study visa fell by 16 percent between January and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. More strikingly, there was an 81 percent decrease in visa applications from students’ dependents, highlighting the impact of the new regulations.
The healthcare sector has also been heavily impacted, with Health and Care Worker visa applications dropping by 80 percent in the same timeframe.
Before these changes, monthly Health and Care Worker visa applications had surged from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023, owing to care workers being added to the skilled worker visa category. However, applications have decreased since August 2023, falling to 2,900 by July 2024, according to the Home Office report.
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