Over 37,500 Indian students received a Tier 4 (study) visa to the United Kingdom in 2019 -- a 93 per cent increase from the previous year, marking Indians as the fastest-growing nationality for student visa applications to Britain, as per the latest UK Immigration Statistics published on Thursday.
This figure represents the largest number of visas issued to Indian students over the last eight years and continues the strong upward trend in student visa numbers since 2016, the UK Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.
The Indian nationals also received over 57,000 Tier 2 skilled work visas last year. This accounts for over 50 per cent of all skilled work visas granted globally, meaning more were granted to Indians than the rest of the world combined.
"This phenomenal increase in student visa numbers is testament both to the UK's world-leading education system and to the exceptional talents of Indian students. We couldn't be prouder that the best and brightest continue to pick the UK, making the living bridge between our countries stronger each day," Acting High Commissioner to India Jan Thompson said.
"It is exciting to see so many Indian students trusting the UK as the destination for their education and furthering their careers. This bodes very well for both countries' continued focus on realising their knowledge ambitions in a fast-changing world," Barbara Wickham, Director India, British Council, said.
In 2019, 95 per cent of Indian nationals who applied for a UK visa were successful, an increase of 5 per cent on the previous year.
The UK continues to be a popular destination for Indian holidaymakers. More than 515,000 Indian nationals received visit visas last year - an 8 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
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