Indian students are increasingly hesitant to apply to UK universities due to tighter immigration regulations, leading to a 23% decline in sponsored study visas. In the year ending June 2024, the UK issued 110,006 visas to Indian students, a decrease from 142,693 the previous year.
Indians continue to be the largest group receiving student visas from the UK, but recent data from the UK Home Office reveals a growing reluctance among Indian students to apply due to tougher immigration rules. The number of student visas granted to Indian students dropped by 23% in the year ending June 2024, totaling 110,006 visas—a decrease of 32,687 from the previous year’s 142,693.
This decline follows a period of increasing interest among Indian students in UK higher education from 2019 to 2023. Historically, Indian students have preferred UK universities for postgraduate studies, with 81% of the latest year’s visa holders pursuing master’s programs.
The decrease is not unique to Indian students; Nigerian students have also seen a significant drop in visas, down by 46%. Meanwhile, Pakistani nationals have now surpassed Nigerians, becoming the third-largest group of foreign students in the UK.
Chinese students, the second largest group, received 107,236 visas, making up 25% of the total. However, a smaller proportion of Chinese students are enrolled in master’s programs compared to their Indian counterparts.
The UK Home Office noted, “Most of the increase in foreign students between 2019 and 2023 came from Indian and Nigerian nationals. However, numbers for these groups have fallen by 23% and 46% respectively in the latest year, with Pakistani nationals now the third largest group.”
This decline could pose significant challenges for UK universities, which depend heavily on international students for both enrollment and financial support.
Drop in Dependant Visas
One key factor contributing to this decline is the UK government’s recent tightening of visa policies for dependants. Starting January 2024, only research-based postgraduate students will be allowed to bring partners and children to the UK. This policy shift has resulted in an 81% reduction in dependent visas issued in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with only 11,675 visas granted.
For the year ending June 2024, 94,253 dependent visas were issued—39% fewer than the previous year but still nearly six times the number issued in 2019.
In addition, the previous government raised the annual salary requirement for bringing a dependant to the UK, which took effect on April 11 as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s initiative to curb legal migration. The current threshold is GBP 29,000 (about Rs 30,21,174), up from GBP 18,600 (approximately Rs 19,37,718), with plans to increase it further to GBP 38,700 (around Rs 41,31,486) by 2025 now paused under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government.
This pause in raising the income threshold will provide some relief to Indian students who wish to bring their families to the UK.
