The most recent UK student visa data, covering the second quarter of 2022 from April to June, was released on August 25^th. The data shows that 37,367 sponsored study visas were issued to main applicants in the second quarter of the year - 52 per cent higher than the same period in 2021 but slightly below the pre-Covid figure from the second quarter of 2019.

One important point to bear in mind when looking at this data is that the second quarter only represents a small portion of all visa issuances. The majority of UK student visas are issued in the third quarter of the year, and last year only around 7 per cent were issued in Q2. While Q2 visa issuances do give an indication of student trends across different countries, the data can be affected by shifting trends in application times and does not necessarily represent the growth in full-year visa data.

The country with the largest number of visa issuances was India, with almost twice as many student visas as China over the April to June period. India also showed very strong year-on-year growth, with almost three times as many student visas issued in this period compared to the same months in 2021. Other countries seeing big increases in Q2 visa issuances include Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand. In the South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa regions this growth followed on from strong increases in the first quarter of the year, which may be linked to the popularity of the UK’s Graduate Route which allows students to work in the country after completing their course.

In contrast to the general growth trend, both mainland China and Hong Kong saw noticeable drops in visa issuances. In both regions this followed similar drops in the first part of the year. However, as noted above, most UK student visas are issued in the third quarter of the year so negative Q1 and Q2 trends do not necessarily represent what will happen in the year as a whole.

The table below shows the top 10 countries and regions in terms of visas issued in the second quarter of 2022. The countries on this list may not match the top countries in terms of total annual visa issuances because of differences in the proportion of visas issued in the first quarter of the year.

(* Data refers to sponsored study visas issued to main applicants. Visas issued to dependents are not included in these totals.)

Some observers have noted that the most recent data shows that the total number of student visas issued to Indian citizens has exceeded the number issued to Chinese citizens for the first time in over a decade. However, this is due to the headline visa statistics including dependents as well as the students themselves, as Indian students are much more likely to bring dependents with them when travelling to the UK. If only main applicants (the students themselves) are included, China has continued to hold its position as the top source of international students over the last 12 months.

Source

UK Home Office: Immigration statistics, year ending June 2022 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2022