The number of people applying for UK visas to work in the healthcare sector fell by 81% between April and July 2024, as the British government led by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made it even more challenging for health and care workers to bring their families. From April 11, the minimum income required to sponsor a spouse or partner visa was increased from £18,600 (roughly Rs. 19,37,718) to £29,000 (roughly Rs. 30,21,174), an increase of 55%.
There are also plans to increase it to £38,700 (roughly Rs. 41,31,486) by 2025, as part of efforts to reduce migration.
However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has now shelved plans to further raise the minimum income requirement to sponsor a family member on a family visa.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that “No further change” to £29,000-a-year salary cap The ban will continue until the review of the family visa policy is completed. This ban is being seen as a relief for many Indians who are planning to bring their families to Britain.
But, this policy change has had a significant impact on Indian families.
According to Home Ministry data, Indians were the second-largest group under the family visa category in 2023, with 5,248 visas issued, after Pakistanis and ahead of Bangladeshis. The new rules have made it significantly more difficult for these families to be reunited in the UK.
Decline in health and care worker visa applications
Following the inclusion of care workers in the skilled worker visa category, the number of health and care worker visa applications from main applicants increased from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023.
However, after a change in the rules, the number of applications dropped to 2,900 by July 2024.
Applications for dependents in this category also saw a sharp decline, from 23,300 in August 2023 to 5,100 in July 2024, an overall decrease of 71% from April to July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Skilled worker visa applications have shown some resilience, with applications rising to 10,100 in April 2024, before falling to 6,000 in July 2024. There were 28,600 applications for skilled worker visas between April and July 2024, an increase of 23% compared to the same period in 2023.
Dependents of skilled workers also followed a similar trend, reaching a high of 8,100 in January 2024 and then declining to 5,800 in July 2024. There were 23,400 applications for dependents from April to July 2024, a 26% increase over the previous year.
Study visa applications from main applicants in the first seven months of 2024 declined by 16% compared to the same period in 2023.
This was largely influenced by new rules effective from January 2024, which prohibit 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 fell by 81% during the same period.