Tejal Somvanshi
Applications for key UK immigration routes have nosedived by 37% in the year to March 2025, according to Home Office data.
The numbers tell a stark story: visa applications dropped from nearly 1.24 million to 772,200 over the 12-month period. This decline follows the Conservative government’s immigration policy changes in early 2024 that significantly restricted several visa pathways.
Health and Care Sector Hit Hardest
The health and care worker category saw the most dramatic decline – applications from workers and their families plummeted 78%, from 359,300 to just 80,700. This crushing drop stems directly from the ban on overseas care workers bringing family members.
Monthly applications from main health and care worker applicants, which had surged from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023, fell to 1,700 in March 2025. Their dependants’ applications, once peaking at 23,300 monthly, shriveled to just 3,900.
“The tightening of immigration rules under the previous government has led to a sharp decline in visa applications over the past year,” said Dr. Ben Brindle, researcher at the Migration Observatory at Oxford University. “This was driven primarily by a fall in applications from health and care workers and students’ family members – most of whom now cannot come to the UK.”
Students and Their Families Feel the Squeeze
Student visa dependent’s faced an 83% application collapse after January 2024 rule changes barred most international students from bringing family members. Only those in postgraduate research programs or with government-funded scholarships retained this option. Primary student applications showed a milder 11% decrease.
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Skilled Workers Face Higher Thresholds
The Skilled Worker route saw applications from main applicants drop 16%, while their dependants’ applications fell 13%. The threshold hike to £38,700 for Skilled Worker visas has made hiring foreign talent substantially more expensive for UK employers.
Dr. Brindle noted that some employers are adapting: “Applications from migrants recruited for jobs outside health and care had fallen less than expected. With the increase in salary thresholds, it appears that many employers are simply paying workers more.”
However, he added that the decrease could also reflect employers filling roles through other means or leaving positions vacant.
Family Visas See Roller-Coaster Pattern
Family visa applications spiked from 7,500 in December 2023 to 12,700 in April 2024 after the announcement of increased family income requirements. Post-implementation, numbers crashed to 6,900 in May 2024 and remained at 6,900 in March 2025, with a slight rise driven by Family Reunion visas for refugee families.
Seasonal Trends Continue
The Youth Mobility Scheme and Seasonal Worker routes, which don’t allow dependent’s, maintained their typical spring increases. Youth Mobility applications totaled 22,600 for the year ending March 2025, down 9% year-on-year. Seasonal Worker applications, limited by annual quotas, reached 35,800, a mere 1% decrease.
Post-Brexit Context
Despite the significant drops, Dr. Brindle placed these changes in broader context: “It’s important to remember that the fall in applications was possible because the number of people coming to the UK since Brexit has been so high. Despite these declines, applications from non-EU citizens remain well above pre-Brexit levels.”
As visa fees saw further increases on April 9, 2025, the UK’s immigration landscape appears set for continued changes in the competition for global talent.
