Number of UK visas issued for work, study, family or resettlement falls by third
Nearly 935,000 visas were issued in 2024 to people coming to the UK for work, study or family reasons, or through one of the Government's settlement schemes, according to new Home Office data.
The figure, which covers main applicants and dependants, is down by a third (33%) from just under 1.4 million in 2023.
The fall has been driven by a steep drop in the number of people issued with work-related visas, which was down 40% from 613,627 in 2023 to 369,419 last year.
The number of study visas fell year-on-year by 31% from 604,253 to 419,312.
By contrast, there was a small rise in family visas, up 7% from 80,083 to 86,049.
Among the resettlement categories, 19,346 visas were issued under the Ukraine schemes (down 52% year-on-year), 19,273 were granted to British National Overseas status holders from Hong Kong (down 32%), and 13,869 were under the EU Settlement Scheme (down 20%).
In addition, 3,864 were for dependants joining or accompanying others and 3,426 were under other settlement schemes.
The total number of visas issued across all these categories last year, 934,558, is down sharply from 1,393,079 in 2023.
It is also the lowest total for any 12-month period since the year to December 2021, when the figure stood at 858,766.
The drop is likely to reflect changes in legal migration rules introduced since January 2024 by the previous Conservative government, including a ban on overseas care workers and students bringing family dependants, and a steep rise in the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700.
Visas issued for health and care workers and their families have tumbled from 348,157 in 2023 to 110,833 last year – a fall of 68% – while the number of student dependants saw an even larger percentage drop, down 85% year-on-year from 143,267 to 21,976.
Dr Ben Brindle, researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: 'The past few years have seen a 'boom and bust' in some visa categories, particularly students' family members and health and care visas.
'The large declines in visa grants have been possible primarily because the number of visas previously being issued in the post-Brexit immigration system was so high.
'Despite the declines, overall visa grants to non-EU citizens remain well above pre-Brexit levels.'
Christina McAnea, general secretary of the public service union Unison, described the drop in health and care worker visas as 'worrying', adding: 'Without the support of workers from overseas, the social care sector would have collapsed long ago.
'Pay rates remain low so care employers are struggling to fill many thousands of vacancies.
'Hostile words and actions from the previous government, notably the ban on dependants, undoubtedly put off many overseas care staff from coming to work in the UK.
'Other care workers will have been deterred by the many horror stories of the abuse and exploitation of migrants at the hands of cowboy care operators.'
Meanwhile, the director of think tank British Future, Sunder Katwala, said the politics of immigration have yet to 'catch up' with the new reality of falling numbers coming to the UK, particularly in health and social care.
'Keir Starmer's government should not compete in a public auction with the Conservatives or Reform on who can call for the lowest number,' Mr Katwala said.
'He is constrained by the fact that the Government has to deliver, not just make promises.'
Mr Katwala called for the Government's upcoming Immigration White Paper to clarify Labour's aims, and include a yearly plan 'which reflects voters' desire for control of immigration with public recognition of the contribution it can make to much-needed economic growth'.
Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle said the Government is ensuring legal migration 'continues to come down' and that action has been taken to reverse some 'loosening' of visa requirements previously introduced, where 'evidence of abuse' was found.
'Under the Plan for Change our Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system,' the minister added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
25 minutes ago
- The National
SNP must turn support for independence into 'real political action'
The First Minister said he would put building support for independence at the 'heart' of his party's 2026 Holyrood manifesto. It comes after the latest polling put support for Scottish independence at 54%, and even higher if Nigel Farage and Reform UK took power in Westminster. Following the SNP's loss to Labour in the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by-election, the First Minister was quizzed about anger within the Yes movement that he had not 'done enough' to promote the cause of independence since he took over the leadership of the SNP. READ MORE: SNP 'demeaned themselves' with focus on Reform UK at by-election Appearing on BBC Scotland's Sunday Show, Swinney was asked if he was alert to the displeasure of activists over his strategy for independence. 'Of course, I hear that, I listened very carefully to all that is said in political debate in Scotland, particularly debate amongst those who share my objective of winning Scottish independence,' he said. 'When I became First Minister a year ago we were in a very difficult situation, as demonstrated by the poor election result that we got last summer, and I had to rebuild our position so that we could get a hearing from the public within Scotland, and I've been doing that by trying to improve the performance of the Scottish Government on delivering on the priorities of the people. "I focused our agenda directly on the concerns of the public in Scotland.' Swinney insisted it was 'always' a part of his plan to set out 'where the hope comes from' in politics, and that this is from Scottish independence. He added: 'Because all the challenges we face in society today, whether it's about Brexit or about an immigration policy that from the UK government is going to be disastrous for the Scottish economy, or the spike in energy prices are all a product of Westminster decision making. (Image: BBC) "And what I've got to do is I've got to relate all those issues to the concerns of people in Scotland, and set out that the answer to that is Scottish independence, and that's the agenda that I set out to my party I would take forward in the run up to the 2026 election.' Asked what the SNP will be putting in their Holyrood 2026 manifesto in regards to independence, such as a bid for a new referendum and what would equate a mandate for Scottish independence, Swinney said: 'What should be in our manifesto is the arguments why Scotland should be an independent country, and how we can build the future of our country based on the opportunities of independence. 'Fundamentally, Scotland will only become independent when the people of Scotland want that to be the case. 'And we saw in the course of the last few weeks, strengthening of the opinion poll position in favor of Scottish independence.' Martin Geissler pointed out that while support for independence was high, the SNP had recently lost the Hamilton by-election, with less than 30% of the vote. READ MORE: Scottish independence 'already begun as UK political culture diverges' 'That's exactly the point I was coming on to,' Swinney replied. 'My challenge is to make sure that we can turn that aspiration in the public for Scottish independence into a real political action to make sure it happens. 'And that comes about by the SNP performing much better, of getting into a commanding position in Scottish politics, and making sure that we can deliver on the expectations and aspirations of the people of Scotland. 'That's what I'm focused on, about making the argument, because if we make the argument and build support for Scottish independence, I think it is absolutely impossible to stand in the way of the democratic will of the people of Scotland if they want Scotland to be independent, and that will be at the heart of the thinking that I bring to the SNP manifesto in 2026.' Swinney also hinted that there could be a reshuffle on the horizon for Scottish Government ministers. Noting that Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Mairi McAllan, is due to return from maternity leave, he would 'have a look at the team' in 'due course'. The First Minister also defended his tactics of calling out Reform in the Hamilton by-election instead of focussing on Labour as the SNP's main rival. We previously told how party activists said they were shut down by SNP HQ for questioning the strategy. Swinney told the BBC that Labour's vote was collapsing while Reform support was 'surging'. 'I said to people the best way to do that was to vote SNP, to stop Farage, because the Labour vote was collapsing on its performance last year, and it did," he said.
Daily Mirror
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Tory refuses 4 times to apologise for Liz Truss chaos in excruciating BBC clash
Chris Philp, who held a key Treasury role during Liz Truss' short spell in No10, was pressed by Laura Kuenssberg to say sorry as the Tories try and move on from the misery caused when in power A former Treasury ally of Liz Truss refused FOUR times to apologise for the chaos the Tories unleashed in an excruciating TV exchange. Chris Philp, who is now Shadow Home Secretary, was told that not saying sorry "drives people bananas" by the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg. The Conservative frontbencher, who was Chief Secretary to the Treasury during Ms Truss' short spell in charge, admitted that "mistakes were made" - but offered no apology despite being repeatedly pressed. It comes after his colleague, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, vowed "never again" to pledge unfunded tax cuts as the Tories try to move on. Asked for the first time if he would apologise, Mr Philp said: "Well I think Mel, openly and honestly acknowledged that mistakes were made in that time. Mistakes were made. And what Mel was saying is that those mistakes will never be made again by a Conservative administration." He went on to accuse Nigel Farage's Reform of "making extravagant promises about massive tax cuts and increases in welfare that are completely unfunded". But Ms Kuenssberg refused to drop the matter, saying: "You were the Chief Secretary to the Treasury at the time. There were £45billion of unfunded tax cuts. Mortgage rates went soaring, there had to be emergency intervention. "I'll ask you again - do you want to just say sorry for that? Maybe so you can move on?" Mr Philp stammered: "Well, I think huge mistakes were made..." But the BBC host cut in: "Isn't this precisely the thing that drives people bananas about politicians? You make a speech in London, your colleague makes a speech in London expressing contrition, which is a fancy way for saying we got it wrong, we're sorry. "Will you say sorry to people for the Liz Truss implosion?" Mr Philp continued: "Oh, well, that was pressed on this Mel Stride and he said mistakes were made. "And it's not going to happen again. It's very, very clear indeed. And it's relevant because we see another party, Reform, saying you know what Liz Truss said times, times five times three on a whole bigger scale. So we've learnt from that episode and those mistakes will never be made again." Ms Kuenssberg tried one more time, asking: "As a as a human being, if you make a mistake, you say, yeah, we messed up and you just say, then you say, sorry." The Shadow Home Secretary retorted: "Look, we've been really clear. I mean, I don't know how many more times to say it was a mistake. They got it wrong. And those mistakes will never be made again."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Revealed: Home Office pays migrants £53m to leave UK
The UK has paid migrants £53 million to leave the country over the past four years, The Independent can reveal. Under a voluntary return scheme run by the government, migrants can receive up to £3,000 as an incentive to return to their home country, as part of what are known as 'assisted returns'. They also have their flights paid for as part of the deal. Assisted returns have been on the rise in recent years, with 2,179 people travelling home this way in 2022 compared to 6,799 people in 2024. Between 2021 and 2024, 13,637 people have taken an assisted return, according to Home Office data. In the UK, a person can qualify for this money if they are returning to a developing country, are a failed asylum seeker, are a confirmed victim of modern slavery, are sleeping rough or have a medical condition. In 2024, over half of the foreign nationals who accepted assisted returns were from Brazil, with 3,573 taking up the offer. The second highest nationality was India, with 915 people returning in 2024, and then 271 going back to Honduras. The Home Office insists the voluntary return scheme is a 'much more cost-effective alternative for the taxpayer' than paying for accommodation and support for those facing deportation from the UK. Charity Asylum Matters also said a properly-run system can be much cheaper than the 'expensive cruelty of forced removals', but can also result in 'immeasurable better outcomes' for the asylum seekers. But it called for bespoke support for migrants, with independent bodies funded to provide advice and tailored help to those returning to countries. In 2015, the government cancelled funding for independent advice for those considering return. Asylum Matters executive director Louise Calvey told The Independent: 'When a supportive, dignified system is provably more cost effective than the alternative, it becomes clear we need to have honest conversations about the amount of money we're prepared to waste on cruelty and hostility. 'Such a system shouldn't just mean handing someone a plane ticket and a cash card. Without bespoke support, rooted in non-governmental bodies able to give independent advice and tailored help, both in the UK and in the country of return, people are effectively abandoned back into the difficult circumstances they had fled.' Sir Keir Starmer boasted in March that migrant returns had reached the highest rate in eight years, under Labour. He claimed to have 'removed more than 24,000 people with no right to be here', but was criticised for not making clear that this included people who had left the UK voluntarily. Invoices analysed by government procurement experts show the Home Office paid Prepaid Payment Solutions Ltd £53,894,226 from 2021 to February 2025 for voluntary assisted returns. Prepaid Payment Solutions Ltd offer 'versatile payment solutions including virtual and physical cards…for businesses and government entities'. Under the scheme, up to £3,000 is provided as a single payment on a card, which can only be used in the country of return, according to advice from the No Recourse to Public Fund network. Similar schemes are in place in EU countries. In Italy, migrants are offered €615 before their departure or immediately on arrival in the country of origin, and then given €2,000 plus €1000 for each family member. Families with a child under 18 also qualify for support of up to £3,000. If someone accepts this offer, they will then be subject to a 're-entry ban', which is meant to stop them returning to the UK for a specific time period. How long the ban is depends on the person's immigration record and on how much support they had from the Home Office when they left. Meanwhile, Dolores Modern, from the Latin American Women's Rights Service, said they have heard about Brazilian community Facebook groups sharing information about voluntary returns. Ms Modern said that her organisation doesn't encourage voluntary returns because it is hard for people to fully consent to the process. She said: 'You can never be sure that there is real informed consent. Sometimes they might be feeling pressured. 'Many Brazilians come here not knowing that they are not allowed to work, and learning that once they are here. If they do get in an exploitative work situation, their visa often runs out when they are in that exploitation and they don't know who to turn to, they don't know that they can go to the police. They find themselves trapped, and once they are out, they might consider voluntary return. 'People also come here escaping violence and then once they are here they find their situation very difficult, and they might consider returning as one of their options. 'We had one recent case of a woman who was in the domestic servitude of another woman, she was brought to the UK specifically from Brazil for that job. She found herself in a really precarious and exploitative situation, and when she managed to escape that situation she knew she wanted to go back to Brazil. The consulate spoke to her about voluntary return, and she went back.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Since coming to office, this government has taken immediate action to ensure immigration rules are respected and enforced. We have returned nearly 30,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders with no right to be in the UK, a 12 per cent increase compared to the same period 12 months ago. 'Under successive governments, the facilitation of voluntary returns has been considered a much more cost-effective alternative for the taxpayer than paying for the accommodation and support of individuals awaiting enforced deportation from the UK. To put this total in perspective, around £54 million was being spent every six days on asylum hotels alone under the previous administration, at the peak of their use in Autumn 2023.'
