Overview

• Home Office data for the year ending March 2025 shows a 37% overall drop in visa applications, with 772,200 applications compared to nearly 1.24 million the previous year.
• Applications from foreign health and care workers and their families fell by 78%, attributed to a ban on overseas care workers introduced in early 2024.
• Family members of sponsored study visa holders saw an 83% decrease in applications, following restrictions limiting dependents to specific postgraduate students.
• The salary threshold for skilled workers increased to £38,700, contributing to a 16% decline in main skilled worker visa applications and a 13% drop in dependent applications.
• Despite these declines, net migration and applications from non-EU citizens remain significantly higher than pre-Brexit levels, reflecting broader migration trends.