Rise in students bringing over families... and work visas soar

IMMIGRATION surged last year with the number of work visas almost doubling compared to prepandemic levels.

The Home Office said 268,000 foreign nationals were granted work permits, a 64 per cent year-on-year rise and up 95 per cent compared with 2019.

A main reason for the surge in work visas is that – after Brexit brought an end to European Union free movement in the UK – employers are hiring more non-EU nationals who require visas.

The Home Office issued a total of 1.56million visas last year, excluding short-term visitor permits, compared with 1.02million in 2021. Last year saw a significant rise in the number of student visas handed out, up 81 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels.

India had the greatest number of nationals moving to the UK to study, with 139,539 visa grants, up 307 per cent on 2019.

But the largest rise over the same period was among Bangladeshis, increasing 775 per cent from 1,745 to 15,277. They were closely followed by Nigerian nationals.

The figures also showed a huge increase in the number of students bringing family members to Britain – 136,000 compared with just 16,000 in 2019.

The Government has hinted at plans to crack down on student visas as a first step towards reducing overall immigration levels. Firm proposals are expected to be published within weeks as part of a flagship package of immigration measures.

Madeleine Sumption, director of Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, said: ‘Migration patterns to and from the UK have changed dramatically since Brexit.

‘The current situation can’t be considered a long-term “new normal” although it could last a good couple of years.’