UK sees 81% drop in healthcare visas amid new tighter norms; Indians hit hard

PTC Web Desk: The United Kingdom (UK) has witnessed a dramatic 81% drop in healthcare visa applications between April and July 2024, largely due to changes implemented by the British government under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. These changes made it more difficult for healthcare workers to bring their families to the UK, affecting a significant portion of visa applicants from countries like India.

On April 11, 2024, the minimum income requirement to sponsor a spouse or partner visa increased from £18,600 (approximately Rs 19.38 lakh) to £29,000 (around Rs 30.21 lakh), marking a substantial 55% rise. The government had initially planned to raise this threshold further to £38,700 (approximately Rs 41.31 lakh) by 2025 as part of broader efforts to curb immigration.

However, the current administration under Prime Minister Keir Starmer has temporarily halted these plans, announcing a review of the family visa policy before any further changes are made.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that there will be “no further changes” to the £29,000 minimum income requirement until the review is completed, providing some relief to those affected, particularly Indian nationals who have been striving to reunite with their families in the UK. Indians have historically been one of the largest groups applying for family visas, with Home Office data showing 5,248 family visas were issued to Indian nationals in 2023, second only to Pakistan.

The tougher rules have, however, posed significant challenges for Indian families trying to reunite in the UK. The stringent income requirements have particularly impacted healthcare workers, who make up a large portion of Indian immigrants in the UK. Before the rule change, there had been a substantial increase in healthcare visa applications, particularly after care workers were added to the Skilled Worker visa category in early 2022. The number of Health and Care Worker visa applications surged from 4,100 in February 2022 to 18,300 in August 2023. However, this upward trend reversed sharply after the income requirement changes, with applications plummeting to 2,900 by July 2024.

The number of dependents applying under the Health and Care Worker visa category also fell dramatically, dropping from 23,300 in August 2023 to 5,100 in July 2024—a 71% decrease between April and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Despite this decline, the Skilled Worker visa category has shown some resilience. Applications for Skilled Worker visas peaked at 10,100 in April 2024 before declining to 6,000 in July 2024. Overall, there were 28,600 applications for Skilled Worker visas between April and July 2024, reflecting a 23% increase from the same period in 2023. Dependents of Skilled Workers also followed a similar pattern, with applications peaking at 8,100 in January 2024 before decreasing to 5,800 in July 2024. From April to July 2024, there were 23,400 applications for dependents, a 26% increase compared to the previous year.

On the other hand, the number of student visa applications has decreased notably in 2024. In the first seven months of the year, applications from main applicants dropped by 16% compared to the same period in 2023. This decline is largely attributed to new regulations introduced in January 2024, which restrict students from bringing dependents unless they are enrolled in postgraduate research courses or government-funded scholarship programmes. As a result, applications from dependents of students have plummeted by 81% during the same period.