Applications for UK’s Most Popular Visas Down by 40% in 2025

Key Takeaways

  • The number of visa applications for the UK’s most popular visas has decreased by a third.
  • Data for March 2025 show that 772,200 applications from foreign skilled workers, healthcare professionals, and their families, among others, were recorded.
  • This steep decrease follows the UK government’s efforts to decrease the number of visa applications, which was completed by introducing bans and stringent salary thresholds.

The UK government has been successful in reducing the number of migrants in the country, as the number of visa applications filed in March dropped to 772,200.

According to the data published by the Home Office, the number of migrants applying for visas to the UK is down by more than a third compared to 2024 numbers, VisaGuide.World reports.

The data further reveals that the number of applications has decreased from 1.24 million recorded in March of 2024 to over 700,000 – representing a 37 percent drop.

The most popular UK visas among foreign workers include those for skilled workers, health and care workers, sponsored study, family, seasonal workers, and the youth mobility scheme.

Stringent Anti-Immigration Measures Drive a 37% Decrease in UK Visa Application Rates

Due to the UK government’s efforts to reduce the number of migrants, fewer migrants have filed visa applications to the UK. Some of these measures included an overseas ban on workers and students bringing dependants to the UK.

As the Standard UK reports, another reason why the plummeting numbers have occurred is related to the threshold of the salary needed for skilled workers in order to live in the UK. This amount was set at £38,700, which is equivalent to €44,506 or $50,639 per year – about $4,219 monthly salary.

This was driven primarily by a fall in applications from health and care workers and students’ family members – most of whom now cannot come to the UK. Main applications from health and care workers also fell, possibly reflecting fewer vacancies and government focus on exploitation in the sector. 

Ben Brindle, Researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford

The data show that the drop in visa applications for healthcare workers and their family members is most evident – 78 percent down from 2024 figures. From 2023 to 2024, the number of foreigners applying for UK visa applications, including their families, stood at 359,300. This number dropped to 80,700 in the 2024/2025 period.

UK: Significantly Fewer People From India, Nigeria & Bangladesh Applied for Visas in 2024

Data published by the Home Office has revealed that the number of visas is decreasing, especially those for sponsored study visas, which were down by 14 percent in 2024. Indians, Nigerians, and Bangladeshis – once some of the leading nationality groups as visa applicants to the UK, are the most affected.

While fewer visa applicants from India, Nigeria, and Bangladesh were recorded to the UK in 2024, the number of visa applicants from China boomed, with the Chinese becoming the top applicants for study visas to the UK.

The top ten nationalities that obtained the most UK study visas in 2024 are the Chinese (102,940 visas), followed by Indians (88,860), Pakistanis (35,045), Nigerians (18,900), and Americans (15,275).

More News