Indians get most UK visas as migration from EU countries drops sharply

The United Kingdom (UK) granted most visas to skilled professionals and students from India as the net migration from European Union (EU) countries  dropped sharply last year amid uncertainty over Brexit.

Indian professionals, including doctors and software engineers, dominated the UK’s Tier-2 skilled visa category, accounting for 54 per cent of all such visas granted in 2018, revealed the British Home Office.

Figures show that 261,000 more non-EU citizens from countries like India came to the UK, the highest since 2004. In contrast, net migration from EU countries continued to fall to a level last seen in 2009.  

“Different patterns for EU and