UK study visa demand jumps despite graduate work permit restriction

Data from the Home Office shows that 18,500 sponsored-study visa requests were filed in May, about 19% higher than the same month last year. Between January and May, 76,400 prospective international students applied, a 29% increase compared to the first five months of 2024, and surpassing levels from both 2023 and 2022.

This marks the first data release since the government introduced new restrictions on post-study work rights, suggesting that the policy has not yet dampened demand, according to Times Higher Education (THE).

The immigration White Paper, introduced in mid-May, proposed reducing the length of the Graduate Route visa, which allows international graduates to remain in the U.K. after completing their studies, from two years to 18 months. Graduates must then secure graduate-level employment to remain in the country.

The government ordered a review of the Graduate Route visa in March, citing concerns that the program might be attracting migrants more for post-study work opportunities than for access to quality education or U.K. labor market experience.

Although the government confirmed in May last year that post-study work rights would continue, it also announced plans to tighten student visa rules and increase oversight of recruitment agents. Proposed changes include raising financial maintenance requirements, standardizing English proficiency tests, enhancing institutional compliance, and emphasizing face-to-face learning over remote instruction.

Ruth Arnold, director of external affairs at StudyGroup, a global provider of international education and partner to more than 50 universities, told THE that the "surge" in applications suggests that "fears of the impact of the immigration White Paper may have been avoided, mainly thanks to the preserved post-study work offer."

She added that tighter visa policies in Australia and Canada, along with recent "unease" over U.S. policy, are prompting more students to choose the U.K., which they see as a "safer, more stable" destination.

Even so, Arnold cautioned that many students "cast a wide net" when applying to universities across different countries.

Rachel Hewitt, chief executive of the MillionPlus mission group, also noted that it is "possibly too early" to assess the full impact of the White Paper. She added that recent political instability in the U.S. and a more welcoming tone from the U.K. government "could well have played a part" in the recent surge in applications.

Home Office data also shows that existing restrictions on dependent visas continue to have an effect. Only 1,100 dependents applied in May, down from 1,400 in May 2024 and 7,800 in May 2023. So far in 2025, there have been 6,300 family-member applications, compared to 46,700 in the same period last year. Over the 12 months to May, main applicant visa requests dropped by 9%.

This decline follows the U.K. government's ban, effective from January 2024, on master's students bringing dependents, a restriction previously only applied to undergraduates.

Separate data released late last month by Studyportals, a global platform tracking real-time demand for higher education, indicates that interest in studying in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the U.K. has emerged as the top alternative for postgraduate study.

Between January 5 and April 30, weekly pageviews for U.S. programs on the platform fell by 50%, and the U.S. lost 30% of its market share. Compared to its 2023 peak, the current share has nearly halved.

The U.K. has become the U.S.'s leading rival. Nearly one in ten (9%) students browsing U.S. bachelor's or master's programs also explore U.K. options in the same session, up from 8.5% the previous year. This indicates that millions of prospective students are now actively comparing universities in both countries.