Home Office UK has published statistics indicating sponsored study visa applications were 411,100 for the financial year that ended in January 2025, representing a 13% increase over the previous year.

However, dependent applications by dependents of students saw an 84% drop with only 21,500 dependent applications being submitted. This steep drop follows directly due to the January 2024 policy limiting dependant visas to just students taking postgraduate research courses or who are government-subsidised.

New immigration policies reshape the landscape

The UK government has introduced a sequence of interrelated policy reforms across several visa categories:

Foreign social workers holding 'Skilled Worker' visas can no longer sponsor dependents from March 11, 2024, and the minimum general wage requirement increased considerably from £26,200 to £38,700 from April 4, 2024. Additionally, the government increased the minimum income threshold for spouse or partner visas from £18,600 to £29,000 as of April 11, 2024, and renamed the list of jobs to be sponsored with lower minimum earnings as the "Immigration Salary List."

These shifts cumulatively constitute a profound rebalancing of the UK's policy on skilled immigration, with spillover impacts in different sectors and communities.

Why students still choose the UK

In spite of these policy changes, most international students still view the UK as a top destination for education, although their reasons and situations differ:

For Satyam Surana, a new LLM graduate of The London School of Economics, the choice was spurred by the UK's traditional fame in legal studies. "The UK has ever been a centre for sophisticated learning," he explains, pointing to how institutions such as LSE have formed "global legal legends and reformists" such as Dr Ambedkar. This legacy and ongoing world ranking were strong motivators throughout his studies.

Practicality and efficiency call to business students

Sujathullah Panchi, who is studying for an MBA at Sheffield University Management School, underlines the real benefits of studying in the UK. "The courses here are not just theoretical high-level courses," he explains, pointing to how UK degrees equip students with "practical, internationally transferable skills" for a mere year of study—enabling graduates to "join the global workforce sooner."

These considerations of efficiency become all the more pertinent with the heightened funding demands of fresh immigration rules.

Industry and cultural drivers shape creative disciplines

For John Mathew, a student of Global Advertising and Branding at the University of Southampton, cultural conditions in the UK were pivotal. "I love history. I love architectural attractions and the stories attached to the UK cities," he shares.

Beyond these cultural draws, he notes the continued presence of "renowned advertising agencies" as professional targets, while also revealing how pending visa restrictions actually accelerated his decision, "A legal proposal to reduce the PSW (Post Studies Work Visa) from two years to six months in the following year further encouraged me to take the chance."