Ryan FowlerNew Home Office data shows a significant drop in the number of people applying for visas to work and study in the UK, with applications falling by 395,100, or 42%, between April and December 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The figures reveal that 547,000 applications were received in the nine-month period, down from 942,500 a year earlier.
The government’s objective was to reduce net migration by 300,000 annually, and the latest data indicates that the measures introduced to curb legal migration have exceeded initial expectations.
The sharp decline has been primarily driven by fewer overseas students and foreign care workers applying for visas. The drop in student numbers comes amid tightened rules on family dependents accompanying international students, introduced in mid-2024 to curb migration inflows.
The care sector, which has relied heavily on overseas workers in recent years, has also seen a marked decrease in applications following changes to visa rules for health and social care workers. Critics of the new measures argue that restricting care worker migration could worsen staffing shortages in an already stretched sector.
