Indications have emerged that the United Kingdom recorded a significant drop in visa applications following the introduction of stricter immigration policies in December 2023 to restrict international students from bringing their dependents.
Official figures released by the Home Office at the weekend showed that the number of visa applications fell from 141,000 to 91,000.
The drop, which translates to over 30 per cent, was recorded after the new rules came into effect in January 2024.
The policy changes restricted international students from bringing dependants unless they were enrolled in postgraduate research courses or government-funded scholarship programmes.
The changes were part of the government’s efforts to curb immigration, which reached a record high of 1.22 million last year.
The impact of these restrictions has been particularly pronounced in the education sector.
Between January and July 2024, study visa applications dropped by 16 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.
More significantly, there was an 81 per cent decline in visa applications from the dependants of students, reflecting the sharp effect of the new rules.
The healthcare sector has also been severely affected, with applications for Health and Care Worker visas plummeting by 80 per cent during the same period.
This followed a surge in applications aftercare workers were added to the skilled worker visa category in 2022.
However, the trend reversed after August 2023, with the number of applications falling to just 2,900 in July 2024.
“Monthly numbers of Health and Care Worker visa applications from main applicants increased from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023, following the addition of care workers to the skilled worker visa. Applications have decreased since August 2023, falling to 2,900 in July 2024,” the report said.
Segun James
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