Applications in the three major UK visa categories decreased by just over a quarter in 2024, new data from the government shows.
Health and Care, Skilled Worker and Sponsored Study visas are the three major categories attracting applications, and in 2024 decreased by 27.4%.
After the UK witnessed record net migration numbers in 2023 of over 900,000, the Conservative government brought in changes that took away benefits these visas offered.
Partner at Carter Thomas Solicitors Nick Gore said: “The Home Office created a number of strategies to reduce immigration numbers.
“First is the the fees for individuals to submit their applications in most cases are significant and include an application fee and an Immigration Health Surcharge per applicant.”
After the Labour government came into power in 2024, they did not make any changes to the rules introduced by the Conservatives but added some more measures to crack down on the net migration problem the UK is facing.
“If a Skilled Worker wants to move to the UK and bring their partner and two children for instance for three years initially, the fees just to apply can easily be over £10,000.
“In addition, the company looking to sponsor them has to pay a significant amount, often at least £1200 plus the cost of the sponsor license.
“This effectively prices people out of the market,” Gore stated.
Health and Care Worker Visas
The Health and Care Worker category attracted 271,300 applicants between 2022-2024.
After 81,700 applicants in 2022, the number increased to 158,100 in 2023.
However, the UK government announced that from March 2024 dependents of care home workers would no longer be allowed entry, while this rule did not affect applicants applying for jobs in the NHS. In 2024 there were only 31,500 applications, an 80% decrease from the record number in 2023.
Manitha Ramachandran, 38, came to the UK for her Master’s education in 2022. After her course, she decided to take a Health and Care visa to extend her stay, but she met with a few complications before getting an approval.
“I worked at the care home part-time throughout the duration of my course, and when it ended I asked them for sponsorship.
“They did agree to give it, but then the government came up with the rule of dependents.”
Ramachandran had brought her child and husband to the UK as dependents on the study visa.
She then tried to add them as dependents on the health and care visa, but the provision was removed by the government in 2024.
“My kid and husband got it [dependant visas] but I was nervous thinking what if the approval does not come in time.
“Things like, ‘Would they have to leave the country?’ started coming in my thoughts,” she said.
Sponsored Study visas
The Sponsored Study visa attracts the most visa applicants to the UK with the number reaching over 1.3 million over the three years.
Not only does it allow international students to pursue education in the UK, but they are also permitted to work part-time while studying and are handed a two-year extension after the completion of the course.
In 2022 alone, there were 489,000 applications in the sponsored study category.
The visa also enabled dependents to travel on the visa, and the number was 143,800 in 2022.
The number of dependent applications increased by 1% in 2023 and contributed to the record net migration figures, which led the government to take the decision of denying dependents entry on the sponsored study visa from January 2024.
Students pursuing PhD education are still allowed to bring their dependents, but the majority were coming to the UK for Master’s education, which meant their dependents would be denied entry if they applied after 1 January 2024.
This led to a 13.9% decline in sponsored study visa applicants to the UK in 2024.
Mahesh, 26, who worked as a sabbatical officer at the University of Salford, stated the increase in the cost of the postgraduate visa has led to many students leaving the UK right after their Master’s courses.
“I have seen so many students who have decided to go back to their home country rather than taking the post-study visa because of the high charges.
“Even with the job market, students are struggling to find jobs.
“Personally I know so many students who have decided to go back because they can’t afford paying £3,000 to the UK government,” said Mahesh.
Mahesh stated he had been to several student conferences where these issues were discussed.
He said: “There is a chance of a decrease [post-study visa rates], but it will take some time.
“The issue of increased visa rates has been discussed in National Student Union meets, representatives from all universities have brought this up, there are movements, but it will take some time.”
Skilled Worker visa
Another category that has seen a decline is the Skilled Worker visa, but it has been extremely minimal.
The Skilled Worker visa has had only a 0.4% decrease in 2024, despite new regulations placed by the Conservative government on increasing the salary threshold to £38,700 for applicants.
Neha Joy, 27, completed her Master’s degree in 2023 but has been struggling to find an employer who can sponsor her for a Skilled Worker visa, due to the new salary threshold restriction.
She said: “I have made continuous efforts to upskill myself.
“However, despite my degree and previous experience, I am still struggling to find an employer willing to sponsor my visa.
“The situation is incredibly disheartening because it feels as though my skills, experience, and dedication are being overlooked due to bureaucratic restrictions and sponsorship limitations rather than a true reflection of my capabilities.”
The UK government is looking to bring in more rule changes in 2025 to further reduce immigration numbers.
Recently, it was announced the government was bringing in measures for care homes to only continue hiring internationally after they had made all the attempts to hire someone who is already in the UK.
The first two months of 2025 has already seen a decrease of more than a quarter from the January and February application numbers in 2023.
After seeing a record 66,900 applicants in the first two months of 2023, the number reduced to 46,300 in 2025, a 30.8% decrease.
The government has released new rules in 2025 for care-home workers where they have stated the employers would have to hire from the UK before seeking international applications.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra said: “We are now going further, requiring employers in England to prioritise recruiting international care workers who are already here and seeking new sponsorship, before recruiting from overseas.”
Joy added: “I’ve got less than a year left on my visa and the chances are looking unlikely, this means I’ll have a student loan which I would have to take back and thinking about it, I’m worried.”
Feature image: Phil Nash from Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 & GFDLViews
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