Indian Students in UK Overtake Chinese Nationals After Massive Rise in Visas Granted

Home Office figures also show big rise in asylum applications

A graduation ceremony at the University of Suffolk's campus in Ipswich, England, in October 2015. PA

Indians have overtaken Chinese nationals as the largest group to be granted sponsored study visas in Britain, following a 215 percent rise since pre-pandemic levels.

The Home Office revealed on Thursday that 486,868 sponsored study visas—the highest number on record—were granted in the year to June 2022, a rise of 71 percent on June 2019, the last year before the pandemic.