The recent immigration figures of the United Kingdom show a decline in the immigration number. According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics, 1.2 million people immigrated to the UK in the year to June 2024. Of them, one million (86 per cent) were non-EU nationals, 10 per cent were EU nationals and 5 per cent were British.
In June 2023, the UK granted 1,42,848 student visas to Indian nationals, a 54 per cent increase from June 2022, with Indians accounting for one-third of all sponsored study grants — the highest among all nationalities. Data revealed that Indian students favoured one-year Master’s programmes, which previously allowed them to bring family members. However, in January 2024, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak introduced a ban on international students bringing dependents unless enrolled in postgraduate research programmes and restricted visa-to-work transitions before completing studies. These changes took effect immediately.
As a result of these changes, the number of international students registered a drop in the following months. Between October 2023 and September 2024, 392,969 student visas were issued, a 19 per cent decline year-on-year, while dependent visas fell by 69 per cent to 46,961. Among non-EU nationals, India led with 2.40 lakh immigrants, followed by Nigerians (1.20 lakh), Pakistanis (1.01 lakh), Chinese (78,000), and Zimbabweans (36,000).
| Country | Student visas |
| Nigerians | 1.20 lakh |
| Pakistanis | 1.01 lakh |
| Chinese | 78,000 |
| Zimbabweans | 36000 |
According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics data, key reasons for non-EU immigration included work (417,000), study (375,000), asylum (84,000), family (76,000), and humanitarian purposes (67,000).
A similar trend was observed in other datasets too. Enroly, a service that assists international students with university enrolments, observed in March that the key metrics for the January 2024 intake were down by around a third year-on-year on its platform. The overall deposit payments are down by 34.95 per cent, CAS (confirmation of acceptance for studies) issuance is down by 32.12 per cent and visa issuance is down by 33.11 per cent. Back in November 2023, the overall deposit payments were down by 52 per cent, CAS issuance by 64 per cent and visa issuance by 71 per cent, when compared to January 2023.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service’s 2023 data showed that 71,575 of all ages were accepted on to UK courses in 2023 – 3 per cent less than the year before. Also, the percentage of CAS issuance for Indian candidates decreased by 32.55 per cent.
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