Over the past year, the United Kingdom has experienced a significant 35 percent decline in visa applications, following the enforcement of stricter immigration rules designed to limit the number of foreign nationals entering the country.
Data released by the Home Office on Thursday, August 8, 2024, shows that visa applications decreased from 141,000 to 91,000 after the new regulations were implemented in January 2024.
The policy changes, introduced in December 2023, were specifically aimed at international students, preventing them from bringing dependants unless they were enrolled in postgraduate research programs or government-sponsored scholarship schemes.
This initiative was part of a larger government strategy to reduce immigration, which had surged to a record 1.22 million last year.
The consequences of these restrictions have been especially evident in the education sector.
From January to July 2024, study visa applications decreased by 16 percent compared to the same timeframe in 2023.
Even more notably, there was an 81 percent reduction in visa applications from students’ dependents, highlighting the significant impact of the new regulations.
The healthcare sector has been significantly impacted, with Health and Care Worker visa applications dropping by 80 percent during this time.
This decline came after a surge in applications when care workers were included in the skilled worker visa category in 2022.
However, the trend changed after August 2023, with applications decreasing to only 2,900 by July 2024.
“Monthly numbers of Health and Care Worker visa applications from main 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 have decreased since August 2023, falling to 2,900 in July 2024,” the report said.
Nadra Ahmed, the Executive Co-chair of the National Care Association, voiced worries that a growing number of healthcare professionals are choosing to move to countries with more lenient immigration regulations.
In spite of these difficulties, the UK government is determined to maintain strict immigration controls, while also prioritizing the cultivation of a “homegrown workforce” to tackle the country’s skilled worker shortage.
The PUNCH
