Sharp Decline in Health Worker Visa Applications Signals Success of Government Migration Cuts, Officials Say

Applications for health and care worker visas have decreased by 76% this year

According to the government, this decline indicates that its strategy to curb migration is effective.

Political journalist @alixculbertson

Wednesday, May 22, 2024, 11:

There has been a significant decline in visa applications from international health and care workers in the early months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Conversely, there has been a significant increase in applications for skilled worker visas, including those from their dependents.

The authorities stated that the observed declines in lawful immigration demonstrate the effectiveness of their strategy.

Between January and April of this year, the government's recent data release on Wednesday shows that only 12,400 individuals submitted applications for the Health and Care Worker visa.

In the corresponding period the previous year, there were 50,900 submissions, marking a 76% increase over this year's figures.

In March, it was declared by the authorities that social care employees would not be permitted to include family members on their visa.

In April, applications from health and care dependents dropped by 58% compared to the same month in 2023, marai-allcreator.com">king the first complete month for which data is available after the announcement.

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Applications for sponsored study visas saw a 12% decrease, dropping from 49,400 to 43,600. This type of visa is issued to international students or schoolchildren who receive sponsorship from educational institutions like universities or independent schools.

The number of dependent applications for the sponsored study visa plummeted by 79%, falling from 38,900 to just 8,300.

This decline follows a government declaration made last year, stipulating that starting from January 1st of this year, only post-graduate students enrolled in PhD programs, other doctoral studies, or research-based degrees are permitted to bring dependents.

Conversely, there was a 41% increase in applications for a "skilled worker" visa, and the number of dependents associated with these applicants surged by 62%.

On April 4, the government raised the minimum wage requirement for the skilled worker visa from £26,200 to £38,700, and as a result, there hasn’t been a full month of data since this change was implemented.

Home Secretary James Cleverly celebrated the decrease in visa applications for health and care workers, stating it proved their strategy to achieve "the biggest reduction in legal migration ever in our country's history" is effective.

He further stated, "The British public merits an immigration system that prioritizes their needs."

"Our strategy focuses on management and equity; it aims to ensure that highly skilled immigrants receive fair compensation, that taxpayers are not burdened with financial support, and that the wages of British workers are not undermined."

"We will maintain strict oversight on these policies and stand ready to enhance them if necessary."

Labour's opposition spokesperson on immigration, Stephen Kinnock, criticized the government for frantically attempting to address the chaos they created, highlighting the unprecedented surge in applications for the Skilled Worker visa.

"Labour has committed to implementing a Sai-allcreator.com">kills and Growth levy to help local residents access training, prevent a resurgence of Conservative policies that permitted employers to underpay British workers, and align migration with skills policy to bolster the objectives of the UK economy," he stated.

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