In total, 142,848 study visas were granted to Indian students, marking an increase of 49,883 as compared to June 2022. The number is also seven times higher than June 2019. The UK-issued study visas were close to 500,000 in June 2023, representing a rise of 23%.
As per the reports, almost 154,000 study-related visas were granted to students dependents coming to the country. The statistics also revealed that 98,394 graduate route extensions were provided in the year, of which over two-fifths were granted to Indian students. However, the previous analysis shows that 20 percent of students whose leave was going to expire switched to the graduate route after their studies.
Earlier this year, the officials announced that they would not allow masters students to bring dependents with them. On the other hand, postgraduate research students were given leverage to bring dependents to the UK after 2024.
According to the analysis by the Home Office, non-EEA students are behind the rise in study visas issued, which increased by 24%. Moreover, the officials report that there is a slight fall in the number of EU students in the country.
Chinese and Indian students are responsible for the issuance of half of the sponsored study visas. Since then, around 107,670 student visas have been granted to Chinese students. However, this shows a drop of 6% from 2022. Not only this, Pakistan, Nigeria, and the US are also counted among the top nationalities that were granted study visas.