UK immigration drops as non-EU arrivals surge

The United Kingdom's most recent immigration statistics indicate a decrease in the number of new immigrants.

In the year ending June 2024, 1.2 million people arrived in the UK, according to the UK's Office for National Statistics.

10% were EU citizens, 5% were British, and one million (86%) were non-EU citizens.

Indians accounted for one-third of all sponsored study grants, the greatest %age of any nationality, and the UK granted 142,848 student visas to Indians in June 2023, a 54% increase from June 2022.

Indian students preferred one-year master's programs, which previously permitted them to bring family members, according to data.

However, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak restricted visa-to-work transitions prior to finishing studies and prohibited foreign students from bringing relatives unless they were enrolled in postgraduate research programs in January 2024.

These modifications were implemented right away.

The following months saw a decline in the number of international students enrolled as a result of these modifications.

Between Oct 2023 and Sep 2024, 392,969 student visas were granted, a 19% decrease from the previous year, and 46,961 dependent visas, a 69% decrease.

With 2.40 lakh immigrants, India was the largest country among non-EU countries. Nigeria (1.20 lakh), Pakistan (1.01 lakh), China (78,000), and Zimbabwe (36,000) were next in queue.

Key reasons for non-EU immigration were employment (417,000), study (375,000), asylum (84,000), family (76,000), and humanitarian motives (67,000), according to data from the UK's Office for National Statistics.

Other data also showed a similar pattern.

In March, Enroly, a website that helps overseas students enroll in universities, saw that the Jan 2024 intake's key metrics were down almost a third from the previous year on its platform.

Visa issuance is down 33.11 %, CAS (confirmation of acceptance for studies) issuance is down 32.12 %, and overall deposit payments are down 34.95 %.

Comparing Nov 2023 to Jan 2023, there was a 52% decrease in total deposit payments, a 64% decrease in CAS issuance, and a 71% decrease in visa issuance.

According to figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, 71,575 students of all ages were admitted to UK courses in 2023, which was 3% fewer than the previous year.

Additionally, the proportion of Indian candidates that received CASs dropped by 32.55%.