UK visa applications fall by 35% following new immigration regulations

The United Kingdom has experienced a significant 35% decline in visa applications over the past year, following the implementation of stricter immigration rules aimed at reducing the influx of foreign nationals.

According to Home Office data released on August 8, 2024, visa applications decreased from 141,000 to 91,000 after the new regulations took effect in January 2024. These policy changes, introduced in December 2023, specifically targeted international students, restricting their ability to bring dependants unless they were enrolled in postgraduate research programs or receiving government-funded scholarships.

This move is part of a broader effort to address the record-high immigration levels, which reached 1.22 million last year. The impact has been particularly felt in the education sector, with a 16% drop in study visa applications between January and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Visa applications from student dependants plummeted by 81%, highlighting the sharp effect of the new rules.

The healthcare sector has also suffered, with Health and Care Worker visa applications falling by 80% in the same period. This drop follows a surge in applications after care workers were added to the skilled worker visa category in 2022. However, the trend reversed after August 2023, with applications falling to just 2,900 by July 2024.

Nadra Ahmed, Executive Co-Chairman of the National Care Association, voiced concerns that many healthcare workers are now choosing to move to countries with less restrictive immigration policies.

Despite these challenges, the UK government remains committed to controlling immigration while working to develop a “homegrown workforce” to address the shortage of skilled workers.