UK student visas for Indians drop 11% as work visas fall 48% in 2025

UK student visas for Indians dropped 11% to 98,014 in June 2025, while work visas plunged 48%, pushing overall visa numbers down 32%

Indians granted visas to study at UK universities continued to fall, though the majority of students still prefer postgraduate qualifications, according to new Home Office data released on Thursday.

 

Indian nationals were issued 98,014 study visas in the year ending June 2025, placing them just behind Chinese students who received 99,919. Both groups recorded a drop compared to last year, with Indian visas down 11 per cent and Chinese visas down seven per cent.

 

“The trend in sponsored study visas in recent years has been mainly driven by those coming to study for a Master's… In the year ending March 2025, four out of five (81 per cent) Indian students came to the UK to study for a Master's level qualification, compared to just over half (59 per cent) of Chinese students,” the Home Office said.

 

Key takeaways from UK Home Office's latest release:

 

• 98,014 Indian student visas granted in year ending June 2025 (down 11%)

• 99,919 Chinese student visas granted in same period (down 7%)

• 2,715 Indians detained for immigration breaches (up 108% from last year)

• 111,000 asylum applications lodged in year ending June 2025 (highest since 1979)

• Work visas down 48% year-on-year

• Overall visas fell by 403,000 (32%), mainly due to dependants of workers and students

 

Indian nationals in detention rise sharply

 

The same data release also drew attention to immigration enforcement, showing Indian nationals in detention almost doubled in the past year.

 

“Albanians have been the most common nationality entering detention since 2022, but their numbers have been falling; numbers of Brazilian and Indian nationals have both doubled in the last year (up 91 per cent and 108 per cent respectively),” the Home Office said.

 

In total, 2,715 Indians were logged as being held for breaches of UK immigration law. Most were later released on bail. 

 

Record asylum claims since 1979

 

The UK received 111,000 asylum applications in the year ending June 2025, the highest number since comparable records began in 1979. The issue has drawn intense debate in recent weeks after the Home Office lost a legal challenge over using hotels to house asylum seekers, while opposition parties press the Labour government to accelerate deportations.

 

The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford noted that asylum claims from people who initially entered on study or work visas have increased since Brexit. Pakistanis and Bangladeshis ranked highest in this category, with Indians sixth.

 

“There are several potential explanations for recent increases in asylum applications, although there isn't enough evidence to be sure which have been most important. They include the intensification of smuggling activity (especially across the English Channel), larger numbers of people claiming asylum after arriving on visas, a larger number of pending and recently refused asylum seekers in Europe,” said Dr Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory. 

 

Work visas see steep decline

 

Overall immigration numbers fell 30 per cent compared with the previous year, driven largely by a sharp decrease in work visas — a route heavily used by Indians.

 

“We are bringing legal migration back under control, with a 48 per cent reduction in work visas this year – and further stronger visa controls and higher skill requirements introduced through our White Paper expected to bring those overall numbers down further,” said UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

 

A wider decline in visas — down 403,000 or 32 per cent — was linked to restrictions on dependent family members of students and skilled workers introduced under tighter government rules.