Migrant work and student visa applications plummet after Conservative rules change

The number of students and overseas workers applying for UK visas has dropped following curbs introduced by the previous Conservative government.

Workers and their family members applying for skilled worker, health and care, and study visas fell from 141,000 in July 2023 to 91,000 last month, statistics from the Home Office show.

There was a particularly sharp decline in monthly applications for health and care visas, with an 82 per cent fall to 2,900 in July.

The number of people applying to study in the UK fell by 15 per cent to 69,500.

The drop comes following strict visa curbs brought in by the Tory government under Rishi Sunak, which banned most international students and health and social care workers from bringing family members to the UK, as well as raising the salary threshold from £26,200 to £38,700.

After legal net migration soared to all-time high of 764,000 in 2022, the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory has suggested it will continue to decrease significantly in the next five years to around 350,000 by the end of the decade. It puts this down to factors including more people leaving the UK, a decline in the number of international students and a reduction in private sector jobs.

It warned universities will be forced to deal with the loss of income from overseas students and that the health and social care sector will face recruitment problems.

The Labour government has previously announced plans for a “fair pay agreement” for social care workers, to empower workers and unions to negotiate higher pay and better conditions.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have set out a clear plan to bring down historically high levels of legal migration by tackling the root causes behind high international recruitment.

“By linking immigration, labour market and skills systems we will ensure we train up our homegrown workforce and address the shortage of skills. Immigration brings many benefits to the UK, but it must be controlled and delivered through a fair system.”