Indian students are turning away from UK universities for higher studies. Here's why

London: The number of Indian students opting for UK universities to pursue higher studies continues to drop due to greater migration curbs, according to the latest UK Home Office data. The data for the past year until June 2024 shows a 23 per cent fall in Indian students coming to the UK for higher studies, even as Indians continued to represent the largest group availing Graduate Route visa grants that allow them to work in Britain for two years after receiving their degree.

The situation is particularly concerning due to an increasing anti-immigration sentiment in the UK, which worsened to the recent far-right protests demanding greater curbs on immigration in the country. This fall in Indian student numbers is the first indication of the impact of tighter curbs on the right of most student visa holders to bring along dependent family members, which came into effect under Rishi Sunak earlier this year.

“There were 110,006 sponsored study visa grants to main applicants who were Indian nationals in the year ending June 2024 (25 per cent of the total), 32,687 fewer than the previous year,” the Home Office statistics reveal. "Most of the increase in foreign students between 2019 and 2023 were from Indian and Nigerian nationals, but numbers for these nationalities have fallen in the latest year (by 23 per cent and 46 per cent respectively)."

Concern among UK universities

In April, the UK, then under former PM Rishi Sunak, announced a 55 per cent hike in the salary requirements of British citizens and residents, including those of Indian heritage, who wish to sponsor their relatives on a family visa. Individuals are now required to have a minimum annual salary of GBP 29,000, up from GBP 18,600 for someone to be sponsored to come to the UK on a family visa.

The India-UK Young Professionals Scheme, which involves a two-way flow of young graduates to live and work in either country for up to two years, brought in 2,234 Indian nationals since the first ballot was held in February last year – well below the annual 3,000 visa cap. A gradual decline like this is expected to cause concern among UK universities who struggle through financial pressures and rely on higher fees paid by overseas students.

Additionally, the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK fears a review launched into the Graduate Route visa last year, which concluded only in May to confirm it would not be abandoned, put many Indians off applying. "NISAU has engaged with millions of students in India to spread the message that the UK remains a warm and welcoming destination for Indian students," said union chairman Sanam Arora.

Home Officer announces review of migration committee

Meanwhile, the Home Office has announced an independent review by its Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) into two specific job sectors of IT and engineering to reduce the UK’s reliance on foreign workers. Indian IT professionals, who make up a large chunk of these visas, are likely to be impacted once the MAC review is tabled in the coming months.

“These sectors are vital to the UK’s economic growth and national infrastructure. They should be drawing from a growing pool of homegrown talent,” said Seema Malhotra, the Indian-origin minister for migration and citizenship in the Home Office, highlighting the growing dependence on foreign recruits due to lack of domestic training in healthcare and IT occupations.

The previous Conservative government had clamped down on dependents under the Health Care Visa, which was retained under the Labour regime. The UK has reduced grants for ‘Health and Care Worker’ main applicants by 81 per cent to 6,564 grants between April and June 2024, while applicants in the 'Worker' category fell by 3 per cent last year.

(with PTI inputs)

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