In the fiscal year ending September 2021, study in UK has been very popular as the UK home office issued a record 428,428 sponsored study visas, a 143 percent increase over the previous year and a 55 percent increase above pre-Covid levels. The amount – which includes both primary applicants and their dependents – shattered the previous record of 307,394 visas awarded at the end of June 2010.
China had 135,457 visas granted in the fiscal year ending September 2021, India had 90,669, Nigeria had 36,783, the United States had 15,330, and Pakistan had 14,845. A total of 135,344 visas were awarded to citizens of the other countries.
Three of the top five nations witnessed a three-digit percentage growth over 2019. India increased by 197 percent from 30,496, Nigeria increased by 368 percent from 7,860, and Pakistan increased by 225 percent from 4,570. Furthermore, the number of funded research grants in Bangladesh increased from 1,981 in 2019 to 10,090 (+410 percent) in 2021, making it the sixth biggest cohort.
Possible causes for the “huge surge,” according to the ministry, include students delaying the start of their studies last year, commencing via distance learning, and not requiring visas in 2020, as well as immigration regulation changes impacting EU students.
This might be linked with a further general trend of rise in international students requesting for visas to study, since there was a high yearly growth in student visas from 2017 till the pandemic, averaging over 10% per year throughout the time. According to the figures, a total of 20,774 sponsored study visa permits were given to EEA and Swiss students in the first three quarters of the year, following changes in immigration laws that took effect on January 1, 2021. This amounted to 6% of all grants over the time. It is just amazing to see such a significant percentage rise in the number of study visas awarded in the last year.
In the face of extraordinary obstacles, UK institutions not only survived, but also provided a really welcome and high-quality experience for students from all over the world. This has been an amazing moment for foreign student recruitment in the UK, thanks to the UK government’s flexible, understanding, and competitive policies.
In all, 356,559 CAS applications were submitted in the fiscal year ending September 2021. The numbers also indicated a continuing trend of fewer organisations on the list of research sponsors. The number of organisations has decreased by 4% year on year to 1,097. In 2010, there were 2,126 organisations on the list of research sponsors.
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