The number of British visas given to foreign health workers and the families of international students has dropped sharply due to new government restrictions aimed at reducing immigration. From July 2023 to June 2024, the UK issued 89,095 visas to health and care workers, a 26% decrease from the previous year. The decline was even steeper between April and June, with an 81% drop in visas compared to the same time last year. The government aimed to reduce immigration by increasing salary requirements and limiting care workers from bringing family members. These steps are part of a larger plan to manage high legal migration, a major issue in British politics and a key reason for the Brexit referendum in 2016.

Experts worry that these restrictions could worsen staff shortages in the social care sector, which is already struggling to find workers. Marley Morris from the Institute for Public Policy Research urged the government to watch the situation closely to avoid a deeper staffing crisis. Additionally, the total number of visas issued to foreign students at British universities fell by 13% in the year ending in June, with visas for dependents of overseas students dropping by 81% in the first half of the year. Despite the global prestige of British universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College London, some former ministers have raised concerns about students and their families overstaying or seeking asylum after arriving in the UK. Public sentiment has shifted, with recent polls indicating that immigration control has become the top priority for British voters.