Law tightened, Indians abandon UK dream; huge decline in student applications

LONDON: After the new visa law came in, the number of Indian students sending applications to study in British universities has dropped drastically. This was revealed in the latest figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS). The total number of international applications rose by 0.7 percent but the number of applicants from India to British universities has decreased by four percent. The figures show that there has been a decrease in the number of applications from Nigeria too.

Nigerian student applications for undergraduate studies fell by 46 percent to 1,590 compared to last year. Meanwhile, applications from India fell by four percent to 8,770. Legislation was introduced in January to ban all but postgraduate research students from bringing family members to the UK. The decrease in the number of applicants from India happened after this. The move was aimed at reducing immigration into the country.

7,45,000 people migrated to the UK in 2022 alone. This is the reason for the strong action of the government before the election year. Earlier, the government had tightened the criteria for getting a dependent visa and post-study work visa for those on student visas. This also led to a decline in students.