UK witnesses increase of 63 per cent student visas from India

NEW DELHI: There has been a 63% increase in the number of visas issued to Indians for study in the UK in the last one year, data released by UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

The statistics, published on November 28, shows that over 30,550 Indian students received tier-4 (study) visa for the year ended September 2019 compared with 18,730 in the previous year. This was the largest number of grants to Indian students since 2011.

According to the British government, during the year, 276,889 sponsored study (tier-4) visas were granted (including dependants), a 16% increase from a year ago and the highest level since since 2011

There was an increase in student visas granted to Chinese nationals too– up 21% y-o-y to 119,697. Chinese and Indian nationals together accounted for over half of all non-EEA tier-4 visas granted, at 43% and 11%, respectively.

In the last decade, more than 270,000 Indian students have enrolled for studies in the UK, which is home to three of the world’s top 10 universities, according to a UK Foreign Office statement.

The latest visa statistics also show that the UK remains a popular destination for Indians. More than 512,000 Indian nationals received visit visas—a 9% increase compared with the previous year.

Overall, it is estimated that more than 1 in 5 of all UK visas go to Indian nationals and 90% of Indian applications are successful. Indian nationals also accounted for nearly 51% of all tier-2 visas granted globally – with over 56,000 Indians receiving skilled work visas in the reporting period.

In addition to those coming on tier-4 visas, short-term student visas were granted to 118,172 persons during the year, the highest so far which is 4% more than the previous year’.