Indians made up the largest immigrant group in the UK in 2023 with over 250,000 arrivals overall, according to the most recent data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
This group included 127,000 people migrating to the UK for work, 115,000 for studies, and 9,000 for other purposes. After Indians, the second-largest group of immigrants to the UK were Nigerians (141,000), followed by Chinese (90,000) and Pakistanis (83,000).
In spite of this inflow, net migration to the UK fell to 685,000 last year from a record high of 764,000 in 2022 – witnessing a 10% decline. These immigration numbers include foreigners coming to work or study.
There has been a notable change in the composition of immigration to the UK. In 2023, non-EU arrivals made up 85% of the total, which is a stark contrast to the pre-2021 era when the majority of long-term immigrants were EU nationals. Work, not education, is now the main reason non-EU citizens relocate to the UK.
In 2023, 423,000 non-EU workers went to the UK for work, a 53% increase over 277,000 in the year before.
More dependents than primary applicants are now travelling with those on long-term work visas. The dependents of those with work visas were given 279,131 visas in 2023, an 80% increase from 2022. Out of these, 203,452 of these visas were given to dependents of healthcare professionals.
According to the Home Office, 337,240 work visas, including 146,477 health and care visas, were granted to primary applicants in 2023. This represents a 91% increase from the 76,724 work visas granted the year before. Out of these, care workers were given 89,236 visas, with Indians making up 18,664 of these – the largest group of recipients.
Furthermore, Indians received 11,322 nurse visas – more than half of the total.
In 2023, 114,409 graduate visas were granted to primary applicants in the field of education, with 50,053 of those visas going to Indian applicants. The majority of study visas were also awarded to Indians.
However, new data from the Home Office shows that fewer Indian nationals being granted study visas. In particular, 21,800 fewer Indian nationals travelled to the UK to pursue master’s degree programs in the year that ended in March, compared to the previous year. The new limitations on bringing dependents that went into effect in January are to blame for this decline.
