Work visas to foreign nationals fall by nearly half — UK Home Office

• Work visas fell by nearly half, dropping from 545,855 to 286,071, as tougher UK restrictions took effect.
• Humanitarian visa approvals for Ukrainians reduced sharply by 48 per cent year-on-year, reflecting stricter migration control measures.

The number of visas granted to foreign nationals for work, study, family, and humanitarian purposes in the United Kingdom has dropped sharply.

Fresh figures from the UK Home Office show that 834,977 entry visas were issued in the year ending June 2025.

The number represents a 32 per cent decline from the 1.23 million visas granted in the preceding 12 months.

Work-related visas recorded the steepest fall, plunging 48 per cent from 545,855 to 286,071.

Study visas dropped 18 per cent, from 530,312 to 435,891.

Family visas also dipped 15 per cent, declining from 83,912 to 70,961.

Humanitarian and resettlement categories also saw reductions across all schemes.

A total of 14,216 visas were issued under the Ukraine schemes, representing a 48 per cent year-on-year drop.

Similarly, 11,804 visas went to British National Overseas status holders from Hong Kong, down 47 per cent.

The EU Settlement Scheme accounted for 9,357 visas, which is 34 per cent lower compared to last year.

Additionally, 3,640 visas were given to dependants, while 3,037 were issued under other settlement programmes.

The overall total is the lowest recorded since September 2021, when 802,415 visas were issued.

The Home Office attributed the decline to migration rules introduced by the previous conservative administration.

These included restrictions on international students bringing family members and a ban on care workers entering with dependants.

The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the government was committed to restoring order to the immigration system.

“We inherited a broken immigration and asylum system that the previous government left in chaos,” she said.

“Since coming to office, we have strengthened Britain’s visa and immigration controls, cut asylum costs and sharply increased enforcement and returns, as today’s figures show.”

She added, “The action we have taken in the last 12 months — increasing returns of failed asylum seekers by over 30 per cent, cutting asylum costs by 11 per cent, reducing the backlog by 18 per cent and our forthcoming plans to overhaul the failing asylum appeal system — are crucial steps to restoring order and putting an end to the chaotic use of asylum hotels that we inherited from the previous government.”

“At the same time, we are bringing legal migration back under control, with a 48 per cent reduction in work visas this year — and further stronger visa controls and higher skill requirements introduced through our White Paper expected to bring those overall numbers down further.”