Visa Policy Changes: Net migration to UK drops by 20%

Net migration to the United Kingdom (UK) saw a sharp decline to 728,000 in the year ending June 2024 —a 20 percent reduction from the previous year’s figure of 906,000.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) disclosed these figures on Thursday, attributing the decline to stricter visa policies introduced earlier in the year.

“Our latest estimates indicate a fall in long-term net migration (the difference between people coming to live in the UK and those leaving to live elsewhere),” the ONS reported.

The report said that a major factor driving the decrease was a reduction in the number of dependants accompanying international students.

The ONS figures revealed that of the 1.2 million people who migrated to the UK during this period, non-EU nationals made up the largest group at 86 percent, followed by EU nationals at 10 percent, and British nationals at 5 percent.

According to ONS, Indian nationals accounted for the highest number of non-EU migrants, with 116,000 arriving for work and 127,000 for education.

“Meanwhile, the number of dependants accompanying work visa holders rose significantly to 233,000, up from 166,000 in the previous year, though recent data suggests this trend is reversing.

“Emigration also increased during this period, with 479,000 people leaving the UK by June 2024, compared to 414,000 the year before. EU nationals represented 44% of those leaving, non-EU nationals 39%, and British citizens 16%”, the report said.

It could be recalled that in January 2024, the UK government had restricted dependants from accompanying students on study visas.

According to the reports, this policy change resulted in a 94,000 drop in study visa applications compared to the previous year.

Further tightening occurred in March when care workers were also barred from bringing family members.

Although skilled worker visa applications initially increased at the beginning of the year, they started to decline after April 2024, when the government revised the list of eligible occupations.