Indian nationals continued to dominate key UK visa categories in 2025, highlighting their growing presence in Britain’s education and labour markets. The latest migration statistics from the UK Home Office show Indians leading in sponsored study visas, Graduate Route extensions, and Skilled Worker extensions for the year ending December 2025. This underscores India’s position as a major contributor to the UK’s international student population and skilled workforce.
Indian students remain largest group
Indian students continued to be the largest cohort of international students in the UK in 2025. Chinese nationals had previously dominated UK international student numbers between 2010 and 2021, but Indian students overtook them in 2022 following changes to the UK’s post-study work rules. According to the Home Office, 95,231 sponsored study visas were granted to Indian nationals in 2025, accounting for 23% of all study visas issued to main applicants. Chinese nationals were the second-largest group with 89,019 visas. Visas for Indian students rose by 3%, while those for Chinese students declined by roughly 7%. Refusal rates for Indian study visas remained low at around 4%, significantly lower than the double-digit refusal rates for applicants from Pakistan and Nigeria.
Dependents decline after policy change
Despite the rise in Indian students, the number of dependents accompanying them fell sharply due to a January 2024 policy restricting most international students from bringing family members. Dependents linked to Indian students dropped by nearly 80%, contributing to an overall decline in migration figures despite continued demand for study visas.
Indians lead Graduate Route extensions
Indian nationals also accounted for the largest share of Graduate Route visa extensions. In 2025, 90,153 Graduate Route extensions were granted to Indians, representing around 42% of all such extensions globally. Nigerians received 42,220 extensions and Pakistanis 30,464. The Graduate Route allows international students to remain in the UK for up to two years after graduation for work or job search, with doctoral graduates eligible for up to three years. Overall Graduate Route approvals fell by 6% during the year.
Indians top Skilled Worker and Health visas
Indians also led in Skilled Worker visa extensions, with 90,031 issued—far higher than 16,098 for Pakistanis and 12,485 for Nigerians. Median salaries for Indian Skilled Worker extensions rose to £38,700, reflecting new UK immigration salary thresholds. In the Health and Care Worker category, 104,555 extensions were granted to Indian nationals, compared with 88,461 for Nigerians and 28,914 for Zimbabweans.
These figures collectively highlight the strong and growing footprint of Indian students and professionals across key UK immigration categories, cementing India’s position as a leading contributor to the country’s skilled labour and academic sectors.
