Number of Indians moving to the UK rises sharply

Despite Brexit and the termination of the Post-Study Work Visa, more Indians are moving to the UK. Between 1^st July 2018 and 30^th June 2019, the number of Indian students in the UK rose by an impressive 42%. As per data released by the UK Home Office, 21,881 T4 Visas were issued to Indian students in the past year which has been at the highest since 2011-2012. Britain had abolished the 2-year Post-Study Work Permit in 2011. This caused a 55% drop in the number of Indian students coming to the UK. From 51,218 Indian students in 2010-11, the numbers went drastically down to 15,388 in 2017-18. It could be due to a weak pound but the number of Indian visitors to the UK also rose by 11%. By June end this year, Indians had received 503,599 Visitor Visas to the UK. Almost half (49%) of all Visitor Visas issued by the UK went to Indian and Chinese travellers. Indians got 1.45 million UK visas in 2018 putting it at the 4^th spot among all the countries.  Only the US, China and Australia got more visas than India did, as per The Times of India. India continued its reign on the top spot for the most number of Work Visas issued. 56,322 Tier 2 (Skilled Work) Visas were issued to Indians in the last year which is much more than any other country in the world. The second spot for Work Visas went to the US with 9,693 visas. Between July 2018 and June 2019, there was also an increase in the number of Tier 1 Visas issued to Indians. From 216 the previous year, the number of Tier 1 Visas went up to 306. Apart from other Tier 1 categories, 12 Indians received the “Golden Visa” while 72 got the Exceptional Talent Visa. Kevin McCole, CEO of UK-India Business Council said that the visa figures highlight the strong India-UK relationship. Indians are making an invaluable contribution to the UK, be it academics, business or the general society. Post-Brexit, as the UK leaves the European Union, there are high chances of the India-UK relationship to further deepen. A bill has been tabled at the UK Parliament for the re-introduction of the Post-Study Work Permit. At present, students are allowed to stay back in the UK for 6 months upon course completion. The UK has issued a warning to Indian students to be wary of fraudsters who claim the current existence of a 2-year Post-Study Work Permit in the UK. Y-Axis offers a wide range of Visa and Immigration services as well as products to overseas immigrants including UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa, Business Visa for the UK, Study Visa for the UK, Visit Visa for the UK, and Work Visa for the UK. If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or  Migrate to the UK, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company. If you found this blog engaging, you may also like… THE UK ANNOUNCES A NEW FAST-TRACK VISA