4 hours ago
Last Updated:May 12, 2025, 10:41 IST
The United Kingdom has cracked down on the immigrants in recent years to slash net migration into the country. The government is planning to bring about more changes to visa rules.
UK to change work visa rules (Reuters Image)
The British government is mulling over introducing major changes to visa and immigration laws, furthering its efforts to reduce the number of migrant workers who can live and work in the UK.
The proposed changes, if implemented, will make it extremely difficult for the migrants, including Indian nationals, who dream of working and getting permanent residency in the United Kingdom, to do so.
How Many Indians Work In The UK?
In 2024, the UK issued 210,098 work visas to main applicants across all nationalities, a decrease of 37% from 2023. While government data for 2024 was not available, Indians have historically been the top recipients of the UK work visas.
For instance, in the year ending June 2024, Indian nationals were the most common nationality for work-related immigration, with 116,000 individuals moving to the UK for work purposes.
In 2023, as many as 127,000 Indian nationals migrated to the UK for work-related reasons. Indians received 18,107 visas in the year ending September 2023, a decrease of 11% from 2022.
The Indians have mostly got work visas in recent years in the healthcare, information technology, engineering, education, hospitality and catering, and skilled trade sectors.
UK Plans To Make Visa Rules Stricter For Work Visas
According to the UK government, a complete revamp of the “failed experiment" to curb immigration is necessary to slash the number of legal immigrants into the country.
The Keir Starmer administration made the announcement on May 11 ahead of the presentation of the government’s Immigration White Paper in Parliament on Monday, AFP reported.
The government aims to reduce net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the 12 months leading up to June 2024.
PM Starmer, who is facing growing public concern and the rising popularity of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, said that the new rules, when out, will strengthen the government’s control over the immigration system, which will ensure that only those who contribute meaningfully to the UK would be given permission to stay in the country.
Starmer is likely to announce that the immigrants should commit to “learning our language", The Guardian reported.
Location :London, United Kingdom (UK)
First Published:News world UK To Tighten Visa Rules To Curb Immigration, What It Means For Indians
