The UK’s new immigration rules resulted in a dramatic reduction in visa applications, which fell from 141,000 to 91,000.
There are indications that the United Kingdom saw a large decline in visa applications following the implementation of harsher immigration laws in December 2023, which restricted overseas students from bringing dependents.
Official numbers issued by the Home Office over the weekend indicated that the number of visa applications plummeted from 141,000 to 91,000.
The decline, which amounts to more than 30%, occurred after the new laws went into effect in January 2024.
The policy modifications prohibited overseas students from bringing dependents unless they were enrolled in postgraduate research courses or government-sponsored scholarship programs.
The reforms are part of the government’s efforts to reduce immigration, which hit a record high of 1.22 million last year.
These constraints have had a particularly obvious impact on the education sector.
Between January and July 2024, study visa applications decreased by 16% compared to the same period in 2023.
More notably, visa applications from students’ dependents fell by 81%, indicating the strong impact of the new requirements.
The healthcare sector has also been severely impacted, with applications for Health and Care Worker visas dropping by 80% during the same period.
This followed an increase in applications after care workers were added to the skilled worker visa category in 2022.
However, the trend reversed in August 2023, with the number of applications dropping to only 2,900 in July 2024.
“The monthly number of Health and Care Worker visa applications from main applicants climbed from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023, after the addition of care workers to the skilled worker visa. “Applications have decreased since August 2023, dropping to 2,900 in July 2024,” the report stated.