Many people applied for different types of visas, including work visas, study visas, and family visas, but numbers dropped in all categories. The biggest fall was in applications from family members of international students. This group saw an 83 percent decrease, showing that far fewer students are now bringing their relatives with them to the UK.
Just a year ago, visa applications were at an all-time high, with 906,000 applications. But this year, the number dropped sharply. Experts believe this happened because of tougher immigration rules that were introduced in 2024 by the former Conservative Government.
One of the biggest changes was a ban that stopped overseas students and care workers from bringing their family members to the UK. This rule made it much harder for people who planned to study or work in health and care roles to move with their families. Another change was an increase in the minimum salary required to get a skilled worker visa. Now, workers must be offered at least £38,700 a year to be eligible, which is higher than before.
Dr Ben Brindle, a migration expert from the University of Oxford, said these rule changes have had a big impact. He explained that the sharpest drops in visa numbers were among health and care workers and students’ family members, who are now mostly unable to apply.
Even main applications from health and care workers—people who were actually coming to work in the UK—also went down. Dr Brindle suggested that this could be because there are now fewer job vacancies in the sector. It may also be due to the government’s stronger focus on fighting abuse and exploitation in the care industry, which may have slowed down recruitment.
However, not all visa categories dropped as much. Dr Brindle said that applications for jobs outside the health and care sector did not fall as steeply as expected. This suggests that other industries are still hiring, and some businesses are willing to adjust in order to bring in workers.
He also pointed out that many employers are now offering higher salaries to match the new visa requirements. By paying workers more, these companies are helping them meet the new salary threshold for skilled worker visas. So, while there are fewer applicants overall, some migrants can still qualify under the updated rules, especially in sectors that are still growing.