The United Kingdom has witnessed a substantial decrease in visa applications following the implementation of stricter immigration policies in December 2023, aimed at limiting the ability of international students to bring dependents.
According to official figures released by the Home Office over the weekend, visa applications have plummeted from 141,000 to 91,000, marking a dramatic drop of over 30%.
The new regulations restrict international students from bringing dependents unless they are enrolled in postgraduate research courses or government-funded scholarship programs. These measures are part of the UK government’s broader effort to reduce immigration, which hit a record high of 1.22 million last year.
As a result of these changes, study visa applications between January and July 2024 saw a 16% decline compared to the same period in 2023. Even more strikingly, visa applications from the dependents of students dropped by 81%, highlighting the significant impact of the new rules.
The healthcare sector has also been severely impacted, with applications for Health and Care Worker visas falling by 80% during the same period. The Home Office report noted that the number of Health and Care Worker visa applications from main applicants surged from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023, following the inclusion of care workers under the skilled worker visa category. However, applications have sharply declined since August 2023, with just 2,900 applications recorded in July 2024.