Next update due: 13 February 2025
The visa application data in this release provides statistics on numbers of people with an intention to enter the UK for work and study reasons.
On 4 December 2023, the Home Office announced changes to the Immigration Rules and published further details on 21 December. These changes came into effect following updates released on 19 February and 14 March. Policy changes are one of a range of factors that can impact visa applications.
The statistics in this release are provisional. Finalized numbers will be published in the quarterly Home Office Immigration system statistics.
1. Work visas
Figure 1: Monthly applications for ‘Skilled Worker’ and ‘Health and Care Worker’ visas, January 2022 to December 2024
Figure 1 shows that 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 Shortage Occupation List. Monthly applications have decreased since August 2023, falling to 2,000 in December 2024.
There were 21,300 applications from main applicants for Health and Care visas between April and December 2024 – 82% fewer than the same 9 months in 2023. This followed policy changes affecting social care workers and their family members introduced in March 2024. However, falls were seen since the latter part of 2023 likely due to more scrutiny applied by the Home Office to employers in the health and social care sector, and compliance activity taken against employers of migrant workers.
Monthly applications for dependents on the Health and Care Worker route increased in-line with main applicants, peaking at 23,300 in August 2023. Applications for dependents have decreased since December 2023, falling to 3,900 in December 2024.
There were 42,500 applications for dependents on the Health and Care route between April and December 2024 – 76% fewer than the same 9 months in 2023.
In contrast, the monthly number of Skilled Worker visa applications from main applicants were broadly stable between January 2022 and March 2024 at around 6,000 applications per month. Applications temporarily increased to 10,100 in April 2024, before reducing again and falling to 4,200 in December 2024.
There were 50,900 applications for Skilled Worker visas from main applicants between April and December 2024 – 6% fewer than the same 9 months in 2023.
Applications for dependents on the Skilled Worker route were broadly in-line with main applicants. There were 42,900 applications between April and December 2024, similar to the same 9 months in 2023.
2. Study visas
Figure 2 shows that applications from Sponsored study visa main applicants in January to December 2024 (407,900) were 14% lower than January to December 2023.
There were 22,600 applications from dependents of students between January and December 2024, 84% fewer than January to December 2023. This followed the rule changes that came into effect in January 2024 which prevent students from bringing dependents, apart from those studying postgraduate research courses or courses with government-funded scholarships.
3. Policy changes
The changes to Immigration Rules affecting ‘Skilled Worker’, ‘Health and Care Worker’, ‘Sponsored study’ and ‘Partner’ visas are as follows:
- from 1 January 2024, international students were no longer able to bring dependents on all but postgraduate research courses and courses with government-funded scholarships
- from 11 March 2024, social care workers arriving from overseas are no longer allowed to bring dependents
- (that is, partners and children) on their visa
- from 4 April 2024, the baseline general salary to be sponsored for a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa increased from £26,200 to £38,700, while the ‘going rate’ minimum salary specific to each job has also gone up significantly
- a list of jobs for which it is possible to sponsor someone for a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa at a reduced minimum salary was reduced and renamed the Immigration Salary List
- from 11 April 2024, the minimum income normally required to sponsor someone for a spouse/partner visa was increased from £18,600 to £29,000
Source: https://search.app/7b74NqQGZkSUsmMdA
