According to a report released by the Home Office, Government of UK, a total of 1,42,848 student visas were granted by United Kingdom to Indian nationals in June 2023. In comparison to June 2022 49,883 more visas were granted in June 2023, reflecting a 54% increase. Of all nationalities, Indian students accounted for one-third of the total sponsored study grants awarded to primary applicants.
Chinese nationals received 1,07,670 study visas for UK, making them the second most prevalent nationality. Together, students from China and India received half of all sponsored study scholarships. The third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively, were held by Nigeria, Pakistan, and the United States.
“Grants to study for Indian nationals have risen markedly since the year ending June 2019 and are now around 7 times higher,” stated an official report released by the Home Office, Government of UK.
“For the year ending June 2023, there were 4,98,626 sponsored study visas that have been granted to main applicants, i.e., 23 per cent more than in the year ending June 2022 and double (+108 per cent) the year ending June 2019, prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic,” it added.
Holders of sponsored study visas may bring their spouses and children to the UK as their dependents. According to the data, 1,54,063 student dependent visas—or 24% of all sponsored study-related visas—were issued.
72% of the total number of dependent visas were issued to family members of students from Nigeria and India. Nigeria has the most number of dependents with 67,516 dependents, followed by India with 43,552. The growth in the number of primary applicants is reflected in the growth in the number of dependents.
The number of sponsored study extension visas nearly doubled (98%) to 66,495 in June 2023. China accounted for two-fifths of the sponsored study extensions, with 9,153 visas issued to Indian nationals making up roughly 14% of the total.
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