The UK government has raised the minimum salary requirement in the healthcare sector, leading to an 81% decrease in visa applications. This decision by the UK government has most significantly affected Indian nationals.
This significant drop in healthcare sector visa applications occurred between April and July 2024. It is being hailed as a major success in controlling or limiting the influx of immigrants.
The UK government has mandated that anyone applying for a visa in the healthcare sector must have an annual income of at least £29,000.
Indian nationals, who have significant healthcare-related training, were the second largest group applying for visas in the family visa category for this sector.
Since April 11, the minimum income required to apply for a family visa in the healthcare sector has been raised from £18,600 to £29,000. This 55% increase has made it extremely difficult for thousands of Indian nationals to obtain a family visa.
The UK government initially aimed to raise this threshold to £38,700 to control immigration but has temporarily settled for £29,000.
According to statistics from the UK Home Office, 5,248 visas were issued to Indian nationals in the family visa category in 2023. Pakistanis surpassed them in this category.
The third largest group consists of healthcare workers from Bangladesh. The policy change has prevented thousands of individuals from reuniting with their families.
Including care workers in the Skilled Worker visa category led to an increase in healthcare visa applications from 4,100 to 18,300 between February 2022 and August 2023. However, by July 2024, the number of applications dropped to 2,900.
There has also been a 71% decrease in applications from dependents in this category. In August 2023, there were 23,300 applications, while by July 2024, this number had dropped to 5,100. Additionally, there has been a 16% decrease in educational visa applications.
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