According to the latest statistics on British immigration, the number of student visas issued by the UK to Indian nationals increased by 102% during the 12-month period ending September 2021, while the number of skilled worker visas issued to Indians increased by 47% during the same period.

Statistics released by the British Home Office on Thursday show that Indians are also the nationalities with the most high-value work visas, accounting for about one-sixth or 17% of the total.

British High Commissioner Alex Ellis said on Twitter on Friday that the number of student and skilled worker visas issued to Indians has increased, and said that “the huge demand is that visa turnaround time is longer than usual. The longer reason”.

Since work visas were cancelled after graduation in 2012 and more and more Indians began to study in European countries such as France and Germany, the number of Indian students in the UK has declined. In July, the UK opened up a new graduate immigration route, allowing Indian students to find work in the UK longer after completing their studies, thus benefiting them. Compared with the year ending September 2020, there has been an increase of 45,677 (102%)) student visas granted to Indians, bringing the total to 90,669. This is 197% higher than the 30,496 visas for the year ended September 2019.

Indians are still the nationality with the second largest number of sponsored study visas. The number one place is Chinese students, who received 135,457 visas in the year ending September 2021, up from 52,698 the year before, an increase of 157%.

Indian and Chinese nationals together account for more than half (53%) of all sponsored study visas.

In terms of work visas, Indians are the highest nationality for obtaining high-value work visas, accounting for about one-sixth or 17% of the total. It is followed by US and Chinese citizens, accounting for 11% and 10% respectively. High-value work visas include visas granted to outstanding talent pathways, investors and entrepreneurs.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, China, India, and Pakistan were the top three countries in this category in the year ending September 2019.

Indian nationals also account for more than two-fifths or 42% of all skilled work visas granted by the United Kingdom.

In terms of visit visas, the UK issued 260,275 such visas in the year ending September 2021, a decrease of 72% from the previous year. Among them, the Chinese (decreased by 145,472 visas or 93%) and India (decreased by 120,408 or 70%) national.

Nationals of China (4%) and India (20%) together account for almost a quarter of the total number of visitor visas granted. A statement from the UK Home Office said: “This is about half of what it was before the pandemic, when Chinese and Indian nationals combined accounted for less than half of all grants.”

In the year ending September 2021, Indians ranked second among the top five nationalities for obtaining family-related visas, second only to Pakistani nationals.

Read More At : Hindustan Times