Indian student visas to UK drop 11% as post-graduate dominance continues, detentions double
According to the latest Home Office statistics released Thursday, 98,014 Indians were granted visas in the year ending June 2025, compared with 99,919 Chinese
- Aug 22, 2025,
- Updated Aug 22, 2025 11:47 AM IST
Indian student visas to the UK have fallen sharply, continuing a downward trend that has placed Indians just behind Chinese nationals in overall study visa grants. According to the latest Home Office statistics released Thursday, 98,014 Indians were granted visas in the year ending June 2025, compared with 99,919 Chinese. Both groups registered declines from the previous year, Indians down 11 per cent and Chinese down seven per cent.
The Home Office noted that the majority of Indians arrive for post-graduate studies. “The trend in sponsored study visas in recent years has been mainly driven by those coming to study for a Master’s… In the year ending March 2025, four out of five (81 per cent) Indian students came to the UK to study for a Master’s level qualification, compared to just over half (59 per cent) of Chinese students,” it said.
The figures also highlighted a sharp rise in immigration detention. Indian nationals in the UK detention almost doubled in the past year, with 2,715 logged for breaches of immigration law. “Albanians have been the most common nationality entering detention since 2022, but their numbers have been falling; numbers of Brazilian and Indian nationals have both doubled in the last year (up 91 per cent and 108 per cent respectively),” the Home Office stated.
Asylum claims, meanwhile, hit a record high at 111,000 for the year ending June 2025, the most since comparable records began in 1979. The issue has placed the Labour government under pressure after losing a legal battle over housing asylum seekers in hotels.
The broader immigration picture also shows a sharp slowdown. Total visas issued fell by 403,000, or 32 per cent, over the previous year, largely due to restrictions on dependent family members of skilled workers and students. “We are bringing legal migration back under control, with a 48 per cent reduction in work visas this year – and further stronger visa controls and higher skill requirements introduced through our White Paper expected to bring those overall numbers down further,” said UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The Migration Observatory at Oxford University said asylum claims by former study or work visa holders have been rising since Brexit, with Indians ranking sixth among those claimants. “It’s possible we’ll see further declines in the coming months, though probably smaller ones, as the data catches up with more recent restrictions like the closure of the care worker route to overseas recruitment,” said researcher Dr Ben Brindle.
(With PTI inputs)
Indian student visas to the UK have fallen sharply, continuing a downward trend that has placed Indians just behind Chinese nationals in overall study visa grants. According to the latest Home Office statistics released Thursday, 98,014 Indians were granted visas in the year ending June 2025, compared with 99,919 Chinese. Both groups registered declines from the previous year, Indians down 11 per cent and Chinese down seven per cent.
The Home Office noted that the majority of Indians arrive for post-graduate studies. “The trend in sponsored study visas in recent years has been mainly driven by those coming to study for a Master’s… In the year ending March 2025, four out of five (81 per cent) Indian students came to the UK to study for a Master’s level qualification, compared to just over half (59 per cent) of Chinese students,” it said.
The figures also highlighted a sharp rise in immigration detention. Indian nationals in the UK detention almost doubled in the past year, with 2,715 logged for breaches of immigration law. “Albanians have been the most common nationality entering detention since 2022, but their numbers have been falling; numbers of Brazilian and Indian nationals have both doubled in the last year (up 91 per cent and 108 per cent respectively),” the Home Office stated.
Asylum claims, meanwhile, hit a record high at 111,000 for the year ending June 2025, the most since comparable records began in 1979. The issue has placed the Labour government under pressure after losing a legal battle over housing asylum seekers in hotels.
The broader immigration picture also shows a sharp slowdown. Total visas issued fell by 403,000, or 32 per cent, over the previous year, largely due to restrictions on dependent family members of skilled workers and students. “We are bringing legal migration back under control, with a 48 per cent reduction in work visas this year – and further stronger visa controls and higher skill requirements introduced through our White Paper expected to bring those overall numbers down further,” said UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The Migration Observatory at Oxford University said asylum claims by former study or work visa holders have been rising since Brexit, with Indians ranking sixth among those claimants. “It’s possible we’ll see further declines in the coming months, though probably smaller ones, as the data catches up with more recent restrictions like the closure of the care worker route to overseas recruitment,” said researcher Dr Ben Brindle.
(With PTI inputs)