Indian Students and Workers Lead UK Emigration

A sweeping shift in Indian migration trends in the UK has emerged from the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), revealing that Indian students and workers topped the list of visa-holders leaving Britain in the year ending June 2025. The departures contributed significantly to a dramatic 204,000 drop in net migration — an 80 per cent fall from the peak recorded in 2023.

According to the ONS, 45,000 Indian students, 22,000 skilled professionals, and an additional 7,000 individuals on other visa categories left the UK during the one-year period, bringing the total number of Indian emigrants to 74,000. This makes India the leading non-EU nationality in Britain’s exit tally, with Chinese nationals placing second at 42,000 departures.

The ONS noted that the spike in long-term emigration among non-EU nationals — particularly those who initially entered on study visas — is being “primarily driven by the large numbers of Indian and Chinese nationals leaving in the year ending June 2025”.

Yet, despite the rise in departures, Indians also continue to dominate incoming migration figures. The UK granted 90,000 study visas and 46,000 work visas to Indian nationals during the same period, reinforcing India’s position as the top contributor to Britain’s non-EU immigration flow. Alongside Indian arrivals, Pakistanis, Chinese, and Nigerians remain among the most frequent non-EU nationalities entering the UK.

Indian: A Government Under Pressure to Curb Numbers

Reducing migration has been a top priority for the British government, particularly amid public concerns over economic pressures and local service burdens. The new ONS report offered the government a much-needed political boost.

“Net migration is at the lowest level seen since 2021, when pandemic restrictions lifted and the UK introduced its new post-Brexit immigration system,” said Mary Gregory, Executive Director for Population and Census at the ONS. She attributed the fall to fewer non-EU arrivals for study and work, a sharp decline in dependents, and a gradual increase in people leaving the UK.

Gregory emphasised that the trend is “driven by Indian and Chinese nationals who originally arrived on study visas,” noting that most British emigrants leaving the country are of working age.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who recently introduced a new round of stringent immigration rules in Parliament, welcomed the data. She said net migration had “fallen by more than two-thirds under this government” and insisted that stricter measures were necessary to ease the pressure on local communities.

“We are going further because the pace and scale of migration has placed immense pressure on local communities,” Mahmood said. “Our reforms will ensure that those coming to the UK contribute more than they take out.”

Industry Warning: Skill Gaps Could Hurt the Economy

However, experts and migrant advocates are sounding an alarm. The Work Rights Centre, a UK-based charity focusing on labour rights, warned that the sharp decline in skilled worker visas — now at a three-year low — is already impacting key industries.

“This government’s preoccupation with reducing immigration is actively working against economic growth,” said Dr. Dora Olivia Vicol, CEO of the charity. She argued that cutting skilled migration risks undermining sectors essential to Britain’s economic recovery.

Vicol added that the government’s stance on migration appears to be “performative rather than practical”, cautioning that these policies could jeopardise the country’s ability to meet its own goals in housing, construction, technology, and public services.