Official statistics released yesterday showcase that the total number of visas issued to Indian nationals to study in the UK universities has doubled over the past one year. Another boost for Indian student applications is provided by the new post-study work VISA policies issued by the UK government. These will hold valid for the 2020-21 academic year.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that, in the year ending March 2020, 17 percent of the total 299,023 sponsored study visas granted by the UK Home Office is accounted to Indian nationals. This means that a total of 49,844 grants is expected – which is double the number concluded in 2019.
Both, the UK’s universities and UCAS have confirmed that – amid an overall spike in university applications for the year, most applicants from India were planning to start a course from the autumn semester.
Since 2016, India has driven the international education market of Britain; although, the impact of the coronavirus lockdown post-March is yet to be accounted for.
The IPS [International Passenger Service] data were collected up to March 2020 and do not take into account the significant impact the pandemic has had on international migration since then, – said Director of the Centre for International Migration at the ONS.
However, the UK’s new Graduate Route will open the option of applying for work on completion of a degree course and is thus, expected to boost the application count. According to the latest ONS migration data, Indian nationals accounted for almost 50 percent of all skilled work visas, which were issued in the year ending June 2020.
Amidst all these developments and findings, a few British universities continue to remain concerned about the possible number of clients who might defer their intake due to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown travel restrictions.
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