The United Kingdom is continuing to register drops in the number of international students applying for visas to pursue their studies in the country.
The most recent figures from the UK Home Office show that only around 8,900 international students applied for visas in October 2024.
This number represents a 14 percent decrease compared to the same month in 2023 and the lowest monthly total since March of this year, VisaGuide.World reports.
In addition to registering a decrease in the number of visa applications in October, the overall numbers for the first ten months of this year also remain below the figures recorded last year.
Data show that from the beginning of January of this year until the end of October, a total of 359,600 international students applied for a student visa. While this might seem like a large number, it still remains 16 percent below the number of students who applied for a visa in the same ten-month period in 2023.
As Times Higher Education explains, RSM, which is an audit, tax, and consulting firm, said that this downward trend is due to the changes that the UK has made to its visa policies in January 2024.
Commenting on the matter, the higher education specialist at RSM, Louise Tweedie, said that the drop in visa applications from international students brings significant losses for the sector and institutions.
This is a significant income loss for the sector and will hit some institutions hard, especially those impacted by the changing profile of home students.
The same stressed that the changes in student choices will require some institutions to revisit their financial forecasts and also reassess their financial sustainability plans.
International Students No Longer Able to Bring Their Family Members to UK Since January
In January of this year, the UK government introduced new stricter rules for international students who want to bring their family members to the country.
In line with the new measure that became effective on January 1, 2024, international students have not been allowed to bring their family members to the UK.
According to the UK authorities, this measure was introduced with the aim of reducing migration and preventing misuse of the immigration system.
Under the new rules, it has been estimated that about 140,000 fewer individuals will enter the UK.
While the measure has been seen as necessary by the government, the UK universities have expressed concerns as they fear that international students will now choose other destinations to pursue their studies instead of the UK, leading to losses.