Number applying to work or study in UK falls by more than a third

London: The number of overseas workers and students applying to come to the UK has fallen after curbs on visas introduced by the previous government.

Workers and their family members applying on skilled worker, health and care, and study visas fell by more than a third in July to 91,300 compared with last year.

The decline has been particularly stark in monthly applications for health and care visas, with an 82% fall to 2,900 in July, while the number of people applying to study in the UK has fallen by 15% to 69,500.

The official figures suggest overall immigration figures are likely to tumble significantly.

Net migration hit an all-time high of 764,000 in 2022 and inflows remained higher than historical averages at 685,000 last year.

Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government banned those coming to study in the UK and those on health and care visas from bringing family members and Labour has no plans to change the policy.

The Home Office’s initial figures for July found that about 15% fewer sponsored student visa applications were received last month, continuing the downward trend since the start of the year

It means policies introduced by the previous government could help Keir Starmer, the prime minister, deliver on his promise to reduce “sky-high” levels of net migration.

The University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory has estimated that net migration will continue to drop considerably in the next five years to about 350,000 by 2030, driven in part by more people leaving Britain, declines in the number of overseas students arriving in the UK, and a fall in private sector vacancies.

The thinktank has warned that the fall in numbers could lead to significant “trade-offs” as universities struggle to cope with declining revenues and the health and social care sector faces potential recruitment problems.

The overall number of people applying to come to the UK as skilled workers, healthcare workers or to study has fallen from 143,000 in July last year to 91,300 in July this year – a drop of 36%.

James Cleverly, the then home secretary, announced a ban on care workers bringing partners and children to the UK, which was enacted in March. The Conservative government also tightened the rules around which companies are allowed to sponsor visas amid concerns that the system was being abused.

Labour has announced plans for legislation to improve pay and conditions in the social care sector.

In January, the Conservatives banned international students from bringing over family members unless they were on postgraduate research courses.

A Home Office spokesperson told the Times: “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, [the] 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.”