UK Study Visa Decline by 16% as per Home Office Statistics After New Immigration Rules

Year-on-year UK international student visa decline by 16% continues, as confirmed by the Home Office stats. With a 16% decline between 2023-24 (visa applications falling from 4,28,00 to 3,59,000), the sharp decline in UK student visas is expected to take a further nosedive. According to the statistics published on November 14, there have been just 3,59,000 applications from January to October this year, 16% year-on-year less. The research also states that this year, approximately 1.2 million people migrated to the UK. Among this, almost one million, 10 percent, and 5 percent were reportedly non-EU nationals (India leading with 2.40 lakh immigrants), EU nationals, and British.

In January 2024, the UK government came up with new legislation that restricted international students from bringing their family members with them to study in UK. Initially, they were allowed to bring their families with them to the UK, even when they were enrolled in a one-year master's program. Now, only those postgraduate students or those who are pursuing courses with government-funded scholarships are allowed to get dependents with them to the United Kingdom.

Universities cross-subsidise the local teaching and research activities through money received from tuition fees of international students. Student visa applications typically peak from July to September prior to the onset of an academic year. But with these changes in the immigration rules, the number of students going to the UK declined subsequently, as well as the number of dependents also declined. 3,92,969 student visas were issued from September 2023 to October 2024, while dependent visas also decreased by 69%.

Why has the UK become less attractive for international students?

Previously, the United Kingdom held a prominent position as a study abroad destination for international students; however, the new immigration rules coincided with a decline in international visa applications. Now that students won’t be able to bring any of their family members with them, unless special conditions, this has impacted them deeply and has affected their decision to study in the UK. This has resulted in the fall of the dependent’s visa as well to a staggering 85%, with just 19,100 applications recorded.

Is UK ready to face the consequences of this alarming income loss?

“This alarming income loss for the education sector will deeply impact several reputed institutions, especially those that are directly connected to the changing profile of home students, as a majority of students are registering at expensive educational institutions," says Louise Tweedie, partner and higher education specialist at the RSM audit company. “These changing rules will require universities to revisit their financial trends and check if they are ready to sustain the dynamic financial scenario in the UK or not.”.

“The audit committees and boards will be under strict scrutiny as part of the year-end. The upcoming increase in the tuition fee from August 1, 2025, will boost up the education sector's finances, emphasising the need for long-term and sustainable planning for the universities.”.

Earlier this year, there had already been a warning from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) on the sharp decline of international students in the UK. There is always a greater influx of international student visas between July and September before the commencement of the new academic year. The timing of this sharp fall in the numbers raises questions about the efficiency of educational institutions in combating the financial crisis forecasts.

“The coming academic year could bring in a new set of challenges, especially for those educational institutions that rely heavily on international student fees," says Kate Odgen, the senior research economist at the IFS.

Even stricter rules around international students

The government of the United Kingdom has been transparent about the pressing need to strike a balance between student enrolment and stricter immigration controls. Earlier in May 2024, the government released a blueprint that gave a hint about tightening the international student recruiting. As a new measure, it was instructed to the universities to hire only genuine international students, rather than those students who want to use education as a gateway to immigration.

India always remains the priority

The United Kingdom has always considered India to be a priority. “India is an absolute priority for fostering healthy international relationships," says Sir Steve Smith, the International Education Champion of the UK government.