UK hails 63 per cent hike in Indian student visas

The ONS data overall indicates that over the last decade, around 270,000 Indian students have chosen the UK as a higher education destination. In contrast, an estimated 229,000 more non-EU citizens moved to the UK than left in the year ending June 2019.

The UK government on Thursday hailed as “remarkable” a 63 per cent hike in the number of Indian students being granted visas to study at British universities over the past year.

The latest statistics released by the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that 30,550 Indian students received a Tier 4 Study Visa for the year ending September 2019, up from nearly 18,730 the previous year.

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“This is now the third consecutive year in which the numbers have increased. It is important to us, because these young leaders of tomorrow will reinforce the living bridge that connects India and the UK,” said Sir Dominic Asquith, the UK High Commissioner to

The ONS data overall indicates that over the last decade, around 270,000 Indian students have chosen the UK as a higher education destination.

The latest visa statistics also reflect the UK’s popularity among Indian holidaymakers, with more than 512,000 Indian nationals being granted tourist visas during the same period – a 9 per cent increase compared to the previous year. India also continues to top the number of skilled worker Tier 2 visas granted by the UK over the previous year at 56,241, up from 55,136.

“Indian nationals account for over half (51 per cent) of all Tier 2 visas granted. However, in the latest year there were also notable increases in grants for nationals of the Philippines (up 1,998 or 57 per cent), Nigeria (up 1,446 or 71 per cent), India (up 1,105 or 2 per cent) and Egypt (up 1,062 or 76 per cent),” the UK Home Office said in reference to the analysis.

The ONS data, released quarterly, found an overall reduction in net migration from the European Union (EU) into the UK, seen as an impact of the ongoing uncertainties around Brexit and the lower value of the Pound Sterling. The difference between EU nationals arriving and leaving in the year ending June 2019 was 48,000, the lowest level since 2003 when the EU was expanded to eastern European countries such as Poland and Lithuania.

In contrast, an estimated 229,000 more non-EU citizens moved to the UK than left in the year ending June 2019.