The number of Indian students in the UK has declined, which is due to migration restrictions, especially the ban on bringing dependents. According to UK Home Ministry data, the number of students coming to the UK from India fell by 23 percent in the year ending June 2024. This decline is mostly due to strict restrictions on the right of student visa holders to bring dependent family members with them. However, Indian students still remain at the top in terms of obtaining visas to study in the UK.
According to data released by the Home Ministry for the last one year ending June 2024, the number of Indian students coming to Britain for higher studies has decreased by 23 percent. But they represent the largest group in terms of obtaining permission to stay on visas based on graduate education. This category of visa allows foreign students to work in Britain for two years after their degree. This decline in the number of Indian students is the first sign of the impact of tight restrictions on the right of most student visa holders to bring dependent family members with them, which came into force earlier this year.
Two-way traffic facility
According to Home Ministry data, the main applicants in the year ending June 2024 were Indian citizens who were granted 1,10,006 sponsored study visas (25 per cent of the total), which is 32,687 less than the previous year. According to the report, most of the increase in the number of foreign students between 2019 and 2023 was of Indian and Nigerian citizens, but in the latest year the number of students from these countries has declined (23 per cent and 46 per cent respectively). Under the India-UK Young Professionals Scheme, young graduates get two-way movement to live and work in any country for two years.
What do the figures say?
Under this, 2,234 Indian citizens came to Britain in the first phase in February last year, which is much less than the annual 3,000 visa limit. Meanwhile, Indians topped the list of foreigners traveling to Britain on visitor visa last year, who were granted 25 percent of British ‘visitor visas’, while Chinese citizens were granted 24 percent visas. Between April and June 2024, the number of visas given to the main applicants ‘health and care workers’ fell by 81 percent to 6,564, while in the same period in 2023 there were 35,470 visas."text-align: justify;">Read this also – Who is the highest officer of CISF, see the complete list in one click
