UK visa applications fall by 35% after new immigration rules introduced

In the UK, visa applications have fallen by 35% in the past year as new, tougher immigration rules are introduced to limit the number of foreign nationals entering the country.

Official Home Office figures were published on Thursday 8 August 2024. After the new rules were introduced in January 2024, visa applications fell from 141,000 to 91,000.

The policy changes introduced in December 2023 specifically affect international students, who are prohibited from bringing their dependents with them unless they are enrolled on government-funded scholarships or are taking postgraduate research courses.

The move was part of a wider government campaign to curb immigration, which reached a record 1.22 million last year.

The education sector has been disproportionately affected by these restrictions.

Student visa applications fell by 16% between January and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Significantly, the number of visa applications from family members of students fell by 81%, indicating the immediate impact of the new rules.

The healthcare sector has also been hit hard, with applications for visas for health and care workers falling by 80% over the same period.

In 2022, aftercare workers were added to the skilled worker visa category, with an increase in applications.

However, after August 2023, this trend changed and in July 2024, only 2,900 applications were submitted, reversing the previous trend.

“Monthly applications for health and care worker visas by primary applicants increased from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023 following the addition of care workers to the skilled worker visa. Applications decreased from August 2023, falling to 2,900 in July 2024,” the report said.

Nadra Ahmed, co-chair of the board of the National Care Association, expressed concern about the growing number of health care workers choosing to relocate to countries with less stringent immigration laws.

Despite these obstacles, the UK government remains steadfast in its resolve to restrict immigration while focusing on building a “local workforce” to ease the country’s skills shortage.