The craze among students to study and work in the UK increased massively
New Delhi: After a long time, almost a decade, the United Kingdom (UK) has become once again a favourite place for students to study and work. Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India said, “India first again. I’m delighted that Indian nationals were issued the largest number of UK study, work, and visitor visas in the year ending June 2022. More strength to the unique living bridge that connects our people,”
“As this shows, we are experiencing an unprecedented demand for visas. I encourage students starting courses soon to apply as early as possible,” she added.
According to the UK immigration statistics, nearly 118,000 Indian students received a Student visa in the year ending June 2022 – an 89% increase from the previous year. India has now overtaken China as the largest nationality being issued sponsored study visas in the UK.
In the year ending June 2022, Indian nationals also received nearly 103,000 Work visas (which includes skilled and seasonal workers) – a 148 percent increase over the previous year. Indian nationals continue to be the top nationality granted Skilled Worker visas, accounting for 46 percent of all skilled work visas granted globally.
Amid the rising craze among Indian students to study in the US, Canada, and Australia, the United Kingdom is still a hot favourite among Indians, whether for study, work, or tourism. The UK was a popular destination for Indian holidaymakers too. Indian nationals accounted for the highest proportion (28 percent) of Visitor visas granted. More than 258,000 Indian nationals received visit visas in the year ending June 2022 – a 630 percent increase compared to the previous year.
The United Kingdom, over the past few years, has revamped its immigration pathways, making it easier for foreigners to move to the country for work and study. The latest is a new work visa, launched this week – the Scale-up visa. The new visa system aims to encourage innovation by streamlining the process for ‘Scale Up’ businesses to bring those who are “very highly skilled” and “academically elite” to the UK.
(Vinayak)
