Indian nationals accounted for the highest proportion of work visas issued to people applying to come to the UK last year, along with the second highest proportion of study visas.
Some 369,419 work-related visas were issued in 2024, of which Indian nationals made up 22% (81,463), according to the latest available data from the Home Office.
This was well ahead of the next highest figures, which were for nationals from Pakistan (9%), followed by Nigeria (7%), the Philippines (6%), and Zimbabwe (5%).
Of the 81,463 Indian nationals who were granted a work visa last year, 34,954 (43%) were classed as main applicants and 46,509 (57%) were classed as dependants, or immediate family members.
The most common categories of work visa issued to Indian nationals in 2024 were the health and care worker visa (30,301 out of 81,463, or 37%) and the skilled worker visa (27,922 or 34%).
Among the smaller categories were senior or specialist business workers (6,219 nationals), creative workers (1,860), international sportspeople (241), religious workers (148), seasonal workers (101) and religious ministers (70).
The total number of work visas issued to Indian nationals has halved year-on-year, from 162,655 in 2023 to 81,463 in 2024 (a drop of 50%).
This is likely to reflect changes in legal migration rules introduced in early 2024 by the previous Conservative government, including a ban on overseas care workers bringing family dependants, and a steep rise in the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700.
The number of main applicants from India granted work visas fell 53% year-on-year, while the number of dependants dropped 48%.
A separate 419,312 study visas were issued by the UK in 2024, of which 92,355 (22%) were for Indian nationals – the second highest proportion after China (103,561 or 25%).
Almost all of the 92,355 visas were for main applicants: 88,909, or 96%.
The remaining 3,446 (4%) were for dependants.
International students cannot apply for a study visa unless they have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed student sponsor, such as a school, college or university.
The total number of study visas issued to Indian nationals has dropped year-on-year, from 159,371 in 2023 to 92,355 in 2024: a decrease of 42%.
This is again likely to reflect changes in migration rules implemented at the start of 2024, which stopped students bringing family members to the UK apart from those doing postgraduate research courses or on government-funded scholarships.
While the number of main applicants on study visas from India has fallen by 26%, from 119,970 in 2023 to 88,909 in 2024, the number of dependants is down by 91%, from 39,401 to 3,446.
