UK losing foreign workers, university students due to difficulty in obtaining visas

Number of migrants granted visas in July to work or study in the UK 36% compared to 2023This is according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The confirmation of the downward trend in the number of applications for these permits puts into context the absurdity of the violent demonstrations directed against the immigrant group that have been taking place in the country since the end of last month.

Although the arrival of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers by boat on the English coast has alarmed sections of the British population, the reality is that The number that comes on board these ships is small. Compared to those who integrate into the country through official channels. In 2022, 764,000 people arrived, the highest number in historical records.

Net migration in 2023 to fall to 685,000 And raised complaints against the then Prime Minister.Rishi Sunak. His government increased the minimum wage for applying for work visas and removed the right to extend this permit to include family members. These are the two factors that have caused this rapid decline in the number of citizens wishing to immigrate to the United Kingdom.

According to calculations by the Oxford University Migration Observatory, quoted by the Financial Times, The net figure in 2030 will be around 350,000.This is due to the increase in the number of people leaving the UK over the next five years, the decrease in the number of university students, and the lack of job offers in private companies.

Asylum applications

This year’s 80% reduction in visa applications for work in the health and social care sector and a 15% reduction in university students choosing to study in the UK could, on the one hand, worsen the situation of the National Health Service (NHS), which It has around 130,000 vacancies in secondary care.On the other hand, universities, which charge fees to foreigners much higher than those charged by the British, still warn of their financial problems.

Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which has just completed a month in power, has promised to increase staffing at the Asylum Assessment Service, which It now has a waiting list of 80,000 people.. Speeding up decisions on these claims would allow for the expulsion of migrants who cannot justify the need for international protection. Also It would help reduce or eliminate the use of hotels to house tens of thousands of foreigners who find themselves in legal limbo.It is a procedure that costs about 3000 million euros annually.