India now accounts for the largest share of study visas issued by the United Kingdom, overtaking China, according to the latest UK immigration statistics released on Thursday.
According to the statistics, which pertains to the period between July 2021 and June 2022, Indians also obtained the most visitor visas and skilled worker visas issued by the UK.
[uk india] The number of sponsored study visas granted in the year ending June 2022 is the highest on record since this time series began in 2005. (Express)
The overall number of visas, taking into account other countries as well, have overshot pre-pandemic figures and shows more than just a recovery from a Covid-induced dip, according to the UK government.
In the year ending June 2022, the UK issued 4,86,868 sponsored study visas, of which Indian nationals accounted for 1,17,965 — an 89 per cent increase from the previous year. Chinese nationals, meanwhile, were granted 1,15,056 study visas.
Students of Indian and Chinese nationality comprise 48 per cent of all sponsored study visas granted by the UK.
British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, said the numbers show that the UK is experiencing an unprecedented demand for visas.