05 Jan

Indian professionals, students, and healthcare workers lead UK visa numbers

In the latest immigration statistics released by the UK Home Office, Indian skilled workers, medical professionals, and students maintained their prominent position in the country's visa landscape. According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) covering the year ending September 2023, Indian nationals not only topped the Skilled Worker visa route but also dominated the Health and Care Visa route.

In the Skilled Worker category, there was a modest 9% increase in visas granted, with Indian nationals leading the pack. Notably, the 'Skilled Worker – Health and Care' visas witnessed a substantial surge, more than doubling with a 135% increase to reach 143,990 grants. The largest spikes on this visa were seen among Indian, Nigerian, and Zimbabwean nationals.

While the Health and Care visa recorded a significant 76% rise in Indian applicants, the Skilled Worker route experienced a minor decline of 11%, dropping from 20,360 visas in September 2022 to 18,107 in September 2023.

The post-study Graduate visa route also saw a substantial representation from Indian nationals, constituting 43% of students granted leave to remain. The sponsored study visa grants to Indian nationals increased by 5% compared to the previous year, reaching 133,237. This figure is nearly five times higher than in the year ending September 2019, highlighting the growing preference for Indian students.

In the 'Visitor' visa category, Indian nationals held the highest proportion at 27%, followed by Chinese (19%) and Turkish nationals (6%).

However, in the category of dependants of overseas students, Indian nationals ranked second, with 43,445 dependants, following Nigerian nationals. This shift comes in the wake of new regulations limiting dependant family members for international students, particularly for those on postgraduate research programs.

The India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership influenced the voluntary returns of illegal migrants to the UK, with 64% being primarily Albanian, Indian, and Chinese nationals.

Despite the Conservative Party-led UK government's commitment to reducing overall migration, the ONS data indicated a slight drop in figures. Net migration for the 12 months until June 2023 was 672,000, lower than the previous year's 745,000. The top five nationalities outside the European Union (EU) for immigration flows into the UK were Indian, Nigerian, Chinese, Pakistani, and Ukrainian.

Jay Lindop of the ONS Centre for International Migration cautioned against premature conclusions, stating it is too early to determine if this marks the start of a new downward trend. The shifting patterns and behaviors in migration, driven by non-EU arrivals, suggest a complex landscape influenced by evolving global circumstances.