UK Work Visa Numbers Fall to Lowest Levels Since 2021
The latest UK work visa statistics published by the Home Office confirm that recruitment from overseas in 2025 has become slower, more selective and more heavily scrutinised than during the post-pandemic surge.
A total of 168,471 work visas were granted to main applicants across all work categories, which equates to a 19% decrease compared with the year ending December 2024 and a 50% decrease compared with the peak recorded in the year ending December 2023.
The contraction is most pronounced in the Health and Care Worker route but is also notable across the wider Skilled Worker category.
Skilled Worker visa numbers in 2025
Grants under other Skilled Worker occupations fell by 36% in the year ending December 2025. The changes have been felt across hospitality, food preparation, engineering and certain technical roles. IT professional grants declined by 18%, reflecting both labour market recalibration and eligibility tightening.
These figures follow tighter entry requirements and fewer roles meeting sponsorship criteria: the increase in general Skilled Worker salary thresholds from April 2024, and the removal of more than 100 occupations from eligibility from 22 July 2025 following skill level reforms.
Home Office data confirms that visas granted to main applicants on other Skilled Worker routes (excluding Health and Care) totalled approximately 48,000 in the year ending December 2025, down 36% on the previous year. This confirms that the contraction is not confined to the care sector. Professional, technical and hospitality roles have all been affected by higher salary thresholds and the removal of medium-skilled occupations from eligibility in July 2025.
Health and Care Worker figures in 2025
Health and Care Worker visa grants to main applicants fell to 13,286 in the year ending December 2025, a reduction of 51% compared with the previous year. Within that total, nursing professionals accounted for 1,777 grants, down 73%, while caring personal service roles accounted for 3,172 grants, down 67%.
For context, Health and Care Worker grants peaked at 145,823 in the year ending December 2023. The reduction since then has been sharp and sustained.
Several specific policy and operational changes align with this trend. In 2024, restrictions were introduced preventing most care workers from sponsoring dependants. Minimum salary thresholds increased from April 2024. Compliance scrutiny and sponsor licence enforcement activity within the care sector intensified. Further eligibility changes were implemented from 22 July 2025 following the Immigration White Paper, including adjustments to skill level requirements. In addition, certain centrally supported international healthcare recruitment programmes came to an end.
The reduction in grants reflects both a fall in application volumes and a higher refusal rate. Applications from main applicants decreased from 228,917 in the year ending December 2023 to 55,704 in the year ending December 2025. Over the same period, the refusal rate increased from 7% to 19% for Worker routes.
Temporary Worker routes now exceed core skilled inflows
In the year ending December 2025, 77,097 Temporary Worker visas were granted to main applicants. Of these, 38,805 were Seasonal Worker visas and 21,209 were granted under the Youth Mobility Scheme.
Temporary Worker grants now exceed new Health and Care Worker grants and represent a substantial proportion of total skilled inflows. The relative growth of these routes alongside the decline in core Skilled Worker grants suggests a shift towards shorter-term labour models rather than long-term sponsored employment, since these routes are time-limited and do not provide a direct path to settlement.
Graduate route and switching pressure
Sponsored study visas increased modestly in 2025, with over 400,000 grants to main applicants. While the Graduate route continues to allow post-study work without sponsorship, the progression from Graduate to Skilled Worker has become more constrained.
Employers recruiting international graduates now need to assess whether roles will meet Skilled Worker salary thresholds at the point of switching. In some sectors, early-career salaries no longer align with sponsorship criteria, reducing conversion rates into long-term sponsored employment.
Extensions rising while new grants fall
Work-related grants of permission to stay in the UK, including extensions and in-country switching, increased by 12% in the latest year to approximately 782,000 across work routes. Health and Care Worker extensions rose by 26%, while Skilled Worker extensions increased by 19%. These figures reflect the large cohorts admitted during 2022 and 2023 who are now extending their leave or switching routes. For employers, this confirms that while new overseas recruitment has slowed, in-country retention and visa management activity remains high.
Workforce planning is now demanding closer oversight of extension timelines, switching eligibility and settlement pathways.
DMS Perspective: Implications for Employers on Recruitment & Retention
The decline in new work visa applicants and grants is a direct consequence of successive immigration policy and rule changes. Increases in salary thresholds, reductions in eligible occupations and restrictions on dependants have all contributed to lower application volumes and higher refusal rates.
For employers, the figures highlight a number of important points that should feed into workforce planning. Yes, UK work routes remain open, but eligibility thresholds and scrutiny levels are notably higher than during the 2022–2023 expansion period. Recruitment from overseas is also now taking more time and expertise since eligibility assessments, salary benchmarking and documentation scrutiny now need more precision.
Rising extensions are therefore to be expected, indicating reliance on those already sponsored. This makes retention higher-stakes, which will have practical implications in supporting sponsored workers through the extension and switching process.
Sponsors are also operating within a tougher enforcement environment, and now more than ever are expected to operate and maintain systems to prevent illegal working.
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