The measures included restrictions on care workers and foreign students. (Image: Getty)
Measures introduced by the former to cut may have led to a sharp decline in the number of people applying for visas.
government had hoped to slash the number of applications by 300,000, but new figures show that the number dropped to 547,000 between April and December 2024 from 942,500 in the same period in 2023.
The 42% drop has resulted from fewer applications by foreign students and overseas care workers seeking entry into the UK.
The gradual introduction of dependants and a hiked salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700, came as the previous government came under huge pressure to curb legal migration figures.
Other changes prevented overseas students from bringing their families to the UK and made it harder for Britons earning under the national average to bring foreign spouses to the country.
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The rules placed restrictions on foreign students applying to study at British Universities. (Image: Getty)
The policy changes were met with anger, with universities concerned about the potential for a drop in revenue and the care industry warning of its inability to cope without a consistent inflow of care workers.
The overall drop of 42% in visa requests for main applicants and dependants masks big differences in the size of the fall across the different categories of immigration papers available, according to the PA news agency analysis of the latest figures published on Thursday.
was hardest hit by the fall in applications, with figures by a staggering 79%, from 299,800 in April to December 2023, compared with 63,800 in the same period in 2024.
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The care sector warned at the time that restrictions could severely hamper the industry (Image: Getty)
The social care sector branded the policy as “brutal” and warned of the impact it could have on the care given to Britons in need.
Similarly, from foreign students warned of financial peril due to frozen domestic tuition fees combined with a decline in overseas applications.
Universities saw a 29% drop in sponsored study visa numbers, down from 546,100 in the nine months from April to December 2023, compared with 389,800 in the equivalent period last year.